Word: buildups
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...themes in last week's cacophony of kibitzing, ends were less at issue than means. Bush has been relying on a combination of political, economic and military pressures. His decision two weeks ago to beef up the U.S. armed presence is consistent with his previous action and rhetoric. The buildup is also compatible with his preference for peaceful suasion. Unless the threat of force is credible, diplomacy and sanctions don't stand a chance...
...home in America. When President Bush first sent U.S. troops to Saudi Arabia last August, he explained that their mission was "wholly defensive," to protect that country against an Iraqi attack. But right after the Nov. 6 midterm election, he abandoned that explanation and announced a huge new buildup, to 380,000, designed "to ensure that the coalition has an adequate offensive military option...
...President went some way toward answering that this week, marking the end of a worrisome period of muddle and vacillation. Bush and close aides decided on the expanded buildup more than two weeks ago, but waited to announce it until the elections were over and the Saudis and other allies could be informed. The basic reason for the timing, says one of Bush's top advisers, is that "it's still not clear that Saddam Hussein is taking us seriously." The Iraqi dictator, he says, is acting as if time were on his side -- and he might be right...
...uncomfortable chance remains that messages will get crossed. Some allies may conclude from the buildup that the U.S. is hell-bent for war. Or Saddam may read the need for the U.S. to hold off for a while in order to bring the allies along as a sign of weakness. The G.I.s in Saudi Arabia would rather fight now, get it over with and go home than continue to wait in an inhospitable desert. If discontent with Bush's policy ever becomes rife inside the U.S., it could begin with these troops and spread to civilians impatient with the game...
...Saddam Hussein is intended to throttle his economy and force his army out of Kuwait, but the price is heavy for the alliance arrayed against him. Mustering its defensive force in Saudi Arabia in August and September cost the U.S. $2.5 billion. The Pentagon's estimate for the continuing buildup to an offensive force had been $15 billion in fiscal 1991; the escalation announced last week will clearly boost that bill. If a shooting war begins, some Washington analysts speculate costs could rise to $1 billion...