European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 7, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 10 the stars and stripes saturday april 7,1990 columns . Rosentha world must find the political will to Stop Hussein once More we have been clearly warned and once More we have a Choice. We can accept the Plain warning of mass murder to come and act to prevent it. Or we can say again that no Man could be that evil no nation could follow his madness he is bluffing a and do nothing. The first Choice would mean that the major nations of the world would lose a profitable business a the death Trade. The other Choice would mean that peace would not come for generations to one of the most important areas of the world perhaps never. Quite Likely hundreds of thousands of people would die As the result of the decision. In fact the new warning is a direct threat to the lives of millions not thousands. But even now the civilized mind cannot encompass that. No even though that first warning which came from Adolf Hitler resulted in the death of scores of millions. Hitler proclaimed what he intended to do a wipe out the jews and then Rule the world. But until the Day he started the War against the world a even after a the world said he could not mean it impossible. Fifty years later we have a new Public statement of intent to kill a this one from Saddam Hussein dictator of Iraq. He rules absolutely and commands one of the largest military forces in the world. Hussein wants to wipe out the jews of Israel and Rule the Middle East. He has made that As Clear As Day. Nations in other parts of the world already Toady to him and his Power. What will they do if he carries out his threat dictator Hussein told the world that he would annihilate a half of Israel with missile delivered chemical weapons if Israel a tries to do anything against Iraq which is now Only a few years from having a nuclear bomb. Please no delusions about timing. If already he intends to use missiles and chemical weapons against Israel As he did against Iran and his own kurdish population Hussein will not wait passively until Israel attacks. He will decide when the moment has come to strike for the ultimate goal annihilation of Israel. Then he will do what every dictator does a claim provocation by the enemy. Afterwards the great Powers will try to forget who gave him the missiles chemicals and nuclear technology to strike. They All did a the United states Britain the soviet Union China France Germany Italy and Japan. For love of Money they gave these things to him. Mass murderers like Hitler and Hussein have a deep urge to Tell the world of their blood lusts. That is their weakness a but Only if the rest of the world believes and acts. The Western Powers and the soviet Union have it within their Power to Stop Hussein before he strikes. All exports and imports involving Iraq should be embargoed a All arms technology food Oil a and seized As contraband wherever found. All air traffic to and from Iraq should be banned. All. In a year or two this would break iraqis economic Back. But it would still leave him with the missiles chemical bombs and nuclear technology sold to him by the West and the communist world. The Only Way to Deal with that is to make it officially Clear that if he uses those missiles and weapons of hell against Israel he can expect Strong and Swift military retaliation from the nations that armed him. But United action is not Likely. Neither the soviet Union nor our allies show any appetite for anything that would reduce their Middle Eastern profits. They seem hungrier than Ever. American business also knows How to crowd around the iraqi trough. American electronic technology helps the iraqis turn out their Long Range missiles. But even alone the United states could Stop the death Trade. It would take the political courage to carry out two Steps a the declaration of an embargo against Iraq and a Clear statement that any country that did continue to sell materials or technology of War to the iraqis would face heavy economic penalties from the United states. These Are precisely the Steps needed to Stop Iran and Syria from being paymasters and Safe havens for the terrorists. That never happened All we have had Are mutters and whines. Still just faintly possibly iraqis open threat to use chemical weapons again might stir the Bush administration to take world leadership and initiative at last. The least the rest of us can do is shout out to believe this Man Hussein a he intends to kill. C new York times Tom Wicker Cost of lives in Panama too great to Nail 1 thug on the same Day the . Invaded Panama last december the lithuanian communist party declared its Independence from the Overall soviet party. In an article on dec. 22, 1989, i pointed out that the news from Lithuania had been a Little noticed among the headlines about Panama. In the same article president Bush was urged to provide Quick and a convincing evidence in support of a major reason he had Given for the invasion a a eminent danger to the 35,000 american citizens in Panama from the government controlled by Manuel Antonio Noriega. As usual both in the press and in the Public mind the dramatic use of armed Force in Panama was rewarded with greater attention and an inflated poll standing for Bush than were nonviolent and faraway political events. But More than three months later its Clear that that first step in Lithuania a movement for National Independence was of More lasting importance than any of the sins and threats of Gen. Noriega. Its not so widely realized that Bush has not yet provided the evidence to prove his claim of a eminent danger to americans in Panama. In the continued absence of such evidence or any White House Effort to provide it its reasonable to conclude that there Isnit any or not much. The trigger for the invasion was the killing of a single . Soldier while he was running a panamanian Roadblock in a restricted zone. That was deplorable but insufficient cause either to envision a real threat to the lives of 35,000 other americans or to warrant a costly military invasion of a Sovereign nation. Bush and administration spokesmen also spoke of danger to the Panama canal. But Gen. Colin Powell chairman of the joint chiefs of staff has pointed out that 14,000 . Troops a Force a quite adequate to defend the canal from Noriega were in Panama before the invasion. That Force on the face of it also seems adequate to the defense of All american residents against whatever threat existed. Nor was the operation a necessary anti drug action. Even if Noriega was up to his neck in illicit drug traffic As late As 1989, the huge Dollar Cost of a military operation involving 24,000 troops would have been better devoted to providing drug treatment slots in the United states. Now additional millions must be spent to make up for economic losses inflicted in Panama by the United states during and before the invasion. No wonder then that William Webster the director of the Cia has said that a we made a mistake in Over emphasizing the importance of and no wonder that lawyers for the dictator charge that operation just cause a the ludicrous code name for the invasion a was a a outrageous and a the first time the . Has invaded a country and levelled it to arrest one such drastic a Justice a they might have said was never considered in the cases of the brutal Anastasio Somoza of Nicaragua or any of the several murderous generals who have ruled Guatemala or papa and baby Doc Duvalier in Haiti. Noriega a lawyers further claim that because of these circumstances All charges against him ought to be dismissed. But an illegal arrest a which is essentially what the defense contends the general suffered a has never been grounds for dropping charges against a defendant and recently the supreme court ruled that the . Constitution does not protect a foreigner against the actions of . Agents in a foreign country. Sending 24,000 troops to bag Manuel Noriega nevertheless is Likely to stand in the history of overkill higher even than Ronald Reagan a Grenada operation. This Long after the invasion for example Washington is not Able to state with any certainty How Many panamanian civilians died some estimates Range into the thousands and most o them substantially exceed the official . Death count a 202 civilians and 314 soldiers. Even taking the latter figures at lace value and adding the 23 american soldiers killed in the invasion 539 people lost their lives As the primary Huma Cost of putting Handcuffs on one thug. But when a defense lawyer referred to a a indiscriminate . ,rep0vvpj judge William m. Hoeveler protested that a a War was going on who fl0 you say it was indiscriminate he did not say what worm have been better or How a Ham Lisi exercise in executive muscle Tex g could be distinguished As a War. C new York times
