The Cruelty of Sanctions
Posted by Chicago Boyz Archive on March 12th, 2003 (All posts by Chicago Boyz Archive)
The always good Walter Russell Mead points out that the preferred “anti-war” program of ongoing “sanctions” actually kills more people in Iraq, mostly children, than a war would. Unfortunately the anti-war people are so far into their own fantasy land that facts, rational argument and moral reasoning cannot reach them. They’d rather just smoke a joint and carry around a picture of Bush with a Hitler moustache. Brilliant.
Mead’s essay is Exhibit 9,483 for getting this war started, fought and over with. So the poor suffering people of Iraq can have a chance to live decent lives again, to have medicine for their kids and clean water. C’mon, W, pick up the phone and just say “go!”
UPDATE: Iain Murray addresses some criticism of Mead’s math. Bottom line, it seems to me, the argument remains sound even if the numbers are a little off or open to dispute.