Written by Richard Butler, head of UNSCOM (a UN unit charged with
monitoring Iraq with respect to the production of weapons of mass
destruction), this book advances the argument that Saddam Hussein
had to be stopped from gaining access to WMD in the 1990s.From
Butler’s perspective, the use of WMD rates as the most serious threat
facing the continuing survival of humankind on this planet. In the
1990s, he believed that the Iraqi leader was intent on acquiring the
capability to produce WMD. Further, Butler thought Saddam was seeking
to increase the range of missiles in his arsenal so that he could
strike at the heart of Israel.Alarmed by his perception that
political leaders, including UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, were
undermining his efforts to monitor adequately the Iraqi situation,
Butler uses the publication of this book to state his case to the world
at large.Even though no WMD have been found in Iraq following
the ouster of Saddam, reading Butler’s book is worthwhile. What he has
to say about the devastation which WMD can cause on economies and
societies around the world is something for the public at large to be
aware of.