Reasons for considering the removal of Saddam.
If we can provide the funds and forces necessary, the stability issue would be somewhat addressed. So that negative can be partialy addressed.
If it is true that even with the lifting of sanction that the Iraqi people would still suffer under Saddam's rule, than it is selfish to condone that, perhaps less so if the reason is good.
Supposedly France, and maybe other nations have economic ties to Iraq, so reasons for not invading may not be ethical themselves.
Containment and then the possible easing of it could be seen as a sign of weakness as well as the merciful benevolence some want it to.
People in power will always have the best chance at obtaining items and favors. But dethroned rulers have only their assets oustide of power. Saddam may have billions he can use if deposed, but the forces that removed him may also take away many of his assets, and he may not be very good as a political character. If Saddam is removed and proves umpopular he will probably die in obscurity with some loyalists.
Containment can be seen as trying to surpress building pressure, pressure may win.
The immediate loss of life being the more likely, there is a difference as far as an argument based on precedence goes. If we remove him we may have instability, we may have someone worse step up to replace him. All legitimate theories, but if he stays we will the precedence of his past, and the quite likely scenario that he ill choose his successor. And as far as a replacement being worse, well the person may have a bad past, but it should be remembered that it may not be comparable to Saddam and that the person may have never held such a position, so determing his level of threat is much harder than that of Saddam's
When a country percieves a threat to itself it is interference, justified or not, when it is pressured to restrain itself in dealing with the threat.
If you restrain that country you may be partially responsible for its sufferage at the hands of the "threat." Of course if you say nothing than you may not be being true to yourself.
