February-March 1998

Saddam Hussein,The Iraqi Crisis

and the Threat of Chemical and Biological Warfare

As President Clinton prepared the country and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright scoured foreign capitals in search of support for U.S. military action against Iran, many analysts feared that the bombing would harm the Iraqi people but leave Saddam -- and his weapons of mass destruction -- untouched.

Some cautioned against military force, urging diplomacy and strengthened sanctions. Others called for Clinton to "finish the job" begun by President Bush in the 1991 Gulf War: invade and occupy Iraq, install a friendly regime, prosecute Saddam as a war criminal (assuming he could be captured alive), and hold free elections.

This Mainstream Media Project campaign asked guests to comment on the potentially grave consequences of the military assault, given the likelihood that Saddam had chemical and biological weapons. Analysts also described what could be done to reduce and eliminate the growing threat these "poor man's atom bombs" pose to global security. In a month, 92 interviews were booked, including 26 on nationally or internationally syndicated programs.

Guest Speakers

Adm. Eugene Carroll (ret.), Deputy Director, Center for Defense Information

Seth Carus, Visiting Fellow, National Defense University

Marie Chevrier, Senior Research Fellow, Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University

Leonard Cole, Associate Professor, Political Science, Rutgers University; Author, The Eleventh Plague

David Cortright, Executive Director, Fourth Freedom Forum

Daniel Ellsberg, Peace Advocate; Nuclear Weapons Expert

Susan Eisenhower, Director, Center for Political and Strategic Studies

William Hartung, Senior Fellow, World Policy Institute

William Lind, Director, Center for Cultural Conservatism, Free Congress Research Foundation

Jack F. Matlock, Professor, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton University

Dr. Matthew Meselson, Professor of Chemistry, Harvard University

Gary Milhollin, Director, Wisconsin Project for Nuclear Arms Control

Michael Moodie, President, Chemical and Biological Arms Control Institute

Barbara Rosenberg, Research Professor, Natural Sciences, State University of New York

Gary Sick, Executive Director, Gulf/2000; Former National Security Council Staff Member

Amy Smithson, Senior Associate, Henry L. Stimson Center

John Tirman, Executive Director, Winston Foundation for World Peace

Jonathan Tucker, Director, Chemical and Biological Weapons Nonproliferation Project, Monterey Institute of International Studies

Lt. Col. Piers Wood (ret.), Center for Defense Information