The past two heads of the U.N. humanitarian mission in Iraq have resigned, complaining that the program is hopelessly ineffective, not because of Hussein's deliberate interference, but because of bureaucratic incompetence and failing infrastructure. At the same time, others have observed that although the U.N. has set up stringent sanctions, it has not monitored the Iraqi borders as well as it should. Reporters in Iraq have observed that for every legitimate load entering Iraq from Turkey, as many as 200 enter without permission. Hussein is quick to make use of such loopholes. Meanwhile, his people suffer under the sanctions, and blame the U.S. for their troubles.

While a complete lifting of the sanctions on Iraq is out of the question, it is clear that the current scheme is riddled with problems. At the moment, U.S. policy is supposed to be keeping arms away from Hussein. But, paradoxically, it is also helping to keep him in power. This is not surprising, given previous American foreign policy toward Iraq. Much as the U.S. demonizes Hussein, it does not really want to see him go. It is well known that when Kurds and Shiites posed a democratic challenge to Hussein's regime at the end of the Gulf War, the U.S. government stepped back and watched as Hussein violently crushed the uprising. In American eyes, it may be better to have a predictable dictator at the helm than risk the chaos of a fledgling democracy. Meanwhile, however, Hussein is commissioning new portraits, and millions of Iraqi citizens are nowhere in the picture.

Lama N. Jarudi '00 is a history of art and architecture concentrator in Eliot House. She is a member of the Society of Arab Students.