Deadlier than war

So how long should the inspections last if we go down the peacemongering path? One year? Two years? Or in terms of lives, 60,000 to 120,000?

The Gulf War killed somewhere between 21,000 and 35,000 Iraqis, of whom between 1,000 and 5,000 were civilians.

Based on Iraqi government figures, UNICEF estimates that containment kills roughly 5,000 Iraqi babies (children under 5 years of age) every month, or 60,000 per year. Other estimates are lower, but by any reasonable estimate containment kills about as many people every year as the Gulf War — and almost all the victims of containment are civilian, and two-thirds are children under 5.

Saddam Hussein is 65; containing him for another 10 years condemns at least another 360,000 Iraqis to death. Of these, 240,000 will be children under 5.

So that is the cost of peace. Yet during the Gulf War, worst case estimates say that 35,000 Iraqis died, with about 1,000 to 5,000 being civilian casualties. That’s a high price to pay so that France, Germany, and Russia can finance their oil contracts.

Hope the anti-war crowd sleeps well at night.