What Did Operation Desert Fox Accomplish?
Naturally, government spokespeople such as Defense Secretary William Cohen and General Hugh Shelton are claiming mission accomplished. But then, Saddam Hussein is also claiming victory. Who is lying? Probably all. Cohen and Shelton have claimed that Iraq s military capabilities have been degraded. That may be, but there is no way to verify their claim independently: all reports on the bombing s results come either from the Iraqi or U.S. government. However, we do know that Iraq s military capability never recovered from the Gulf War; furthermore, according to the UN weapons inspection team s own reports, Iraq has not been rearming. The U.S. has claimed that Iraq has a nuclear weapons program; no independent proof has ever been offered for that, with the exception of unsubstantiated claims by Iraqi defectors, who seem to be willing to say whatever their State Department handlers wish to hear. The UN inspectors have reported that Iraq has complied with demands to dismantle its chemical w
