...is why they just don't ask all the scientists they have captured. Wouldn't they know what programmes there were and what state they'd reached? Isn't there at least a good chance that they'd be able to tell us where the labs are? OK, so they might be keeping schtum but surely not all of them can be observing purdah.
Sometimes the nasty thought crosses my mind that the whole of Saddam's WMD programme was a hoax cooked up by the scientists to save themselves from the plastic shredder. "And this is a drum of anthrax", says the scientist pointing to the vat of Slime. "And this is an Inter-continental Ballistic Missile", he says pointing to the object knocked up earlier that morning by his 10-year old using some old Rice Krispie packets and a roll of tin foil. How the Hell was Saddam to know?
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I agree. They didn't have all this stuff, but a lot of people pretended that they did, to Saddam. He may have suspected, but he loved the effect it had on everyone for him to brandish the things.
Moral: don't even pretend to have WMDs, unless you can defend your imaginary weapons by conventional means.
Moral: don't even pretend to have WMDs, unless you can defend your imaginary weapons by conventional means.
I believe this policy actually once worked for America. In 1946, America's nuclear arsenal numbered a grand total of, I think, three bombs, two of which were used in tests. However, Stalin believed that they had hundreds and was apparently terrified by them.
See Dark Sun by Richard Rhodes. (It's been a while since I read it, so it may be worth double checking the accuracy of what I've just said.)
I agree. They didn't have all this stuff, but a lot of people pretended that they did, to Saddam. He may have suspected, but he loved the effect it had on everyone for him to brandish the things.
Moral: don't even pretend to have WMDs, unless you can defend your imaginary weapons by conventional means.
Posted by Brian Micklethwait on September 25, 2003