Time for the west to stop being Saddam's scapegoat  Severe
sanctions imposed by the west have proved a convenient way for
Iraq's president Saddam Hussein to deflect the blame for his
nation's woes, but the forthcoming election of a new US
president could engender a fresh approach to the Iraqi dictator
American presidents come and go, but Saddam Hussein clings on to
power with the persistence of a barnacle. Despite losing the
Gulf War, and suffering 10 years of crippling sanctions, which
have seen Iraq - once a modern state - crumble around him,
President Saddam's hold on power seems as secure as ever.  As
the suffering of the Iraqi people deepens, the US and Britain -
the two principal proponents of sanctions - are coming under
increasing pressure to lift the economic siege. As a UN security
council debate gets underway on the UN oil-for-food program -
which was designed to alleviate the humanitarian plight of
ordinary Iraqis - several human rights groups, including Human
Rights Watch and Save the Children (