Even though Saddam's provocation seems to play into the hands of Washington's attempts to maintain U.N. sanctions against Iraq, it may actually help Baghdad, says TIME reporter Stuart Stogel. After all, Saddam's international sympathy reached an all-time high earlier this year when he was under threat of U.S. military action. In that sense, if the U.S. Navy didn't exist, Saddam might be equally inclined to invent it.
Saddam to the Rescue
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If Saddam Hussein didn't exist, Bill Clinton would do well to invent him. Just as the President looks in danger of being overwhelmed by the Lewinsky scandal, Saddam -- as if on cue -- rattles his saber and launches a new crisis. The Iraqi leader on Wednesday suspended all cooperation with U.N. weapons inspectors, threatening the February deal forged by Kofi Annan that resolved the last tense standoff (which, conveniently for Clinton, coincided with the Monica eruption).