Last week marked the 10th anniversary of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, a move that launched the Persian Gulf War. Iraqi President Saddam Hussein lost the war, but he seems to be winning the peace. He has successfully blocked international efforts to enforce compliance of the treaty he signed and the United Nations has been unable to muster the political will that would force him into line. Mr. Hussein is unrepentant and that bodes ill for peace in the Middle East.
After Iraq lost the Gulf War, the U.N. imposed severe economic sanctions on the country and created a special commission to find and destroy Baghdad's weapons of mass destruction. It was hardly a success. Iraq played a shell game with the commission, at times rushing materials out the back door while inspectors were delayed in front. When it was convenient, Mr. Hussein was confrontational, blocking access and daring the West to act. Eventually, fatigue set in and the consensus that had guided U.N. actions broke down.
In December 1998, the commission withdrew from Iraq after it was accused of spying for the United States. The U.S. and Britain responded with airstrikes that seemed to give Iraq the moral high ground. Baghdad refused to allow the commission to return, and there have been no inspections since.