eration Desert Fox. Taking aim at the same targets as before with the intent to fire (this time), the objectives of this operation were to degrade Saddam Hussein's ability to make and to use WMDs, to diminish his ability to wage war against his neighbors and to demonstrate to Hussein the consequences of violating international obligations. These types of strikes were frequently questioned for legality, but were continually accepted because Iraq had been “elevated to the status of world-class villain.” (Bennis, 3) Bennis continues, “[p]ublic passivity…was exacerbated by a subconscious belief that Iraq is populated by 23-million Saddam Husseins.” All of these restrictions that targeted Iraqi commerce were originally ordained to influence Saddam Hussein to withdraw his military forces from Kuwait, and afterwards continued to prevent the re-arming of the Iraqi military after the Gulf War, and to prevent Iraq from being able to further construct WMDs. Both of which would have been financed by the oil revenue that Iraq would have accumulated, had there been no oil embargo. This plan was indeed successful. Iraq receives only a fraction of the income that it had before the Gulf War. The Iraqi government’s main concern is no longer greed-fueled, forceful expansion of their enterprises, but the preservation of all Iraqi citizens, who are feeling the weight of the economic sanctions more and more each day. There is not enough food for the majority of Iraqi citizens, despite the 5.3 million in goods that Iraq is permitted to export per year specifically for that purpose. Unfortunately, one-third of this goes to Kuwait for Gulf War reparations, and the other two thirds are not immensely helpful, due to the Security Council disallowing or putting many of the orders for food on hold. Food and medicine have been scarce since the Gulf War, even after their imports were permitted. As a result of the export embargoR...
