I wasn't addressing the question of blame in the sanctions issue - merely attempting to answer Amos' question about how sanctions can have a negative effect on the population, even though the country has been self sufficient in the past.

But while we are on the subject - of course the sanctions could have been lifted if saddam had complied. But the very fact that they never were meant that they were hitting the wrong target, and I believe should have been revised on the grounds that the effects were being felt by innocent people (regardless of whose fault it was). We all know Saddam is a bad man, that doesn't absolve us of our responsibility to choose our actions to avoid harming, directly or indirectly, innocent people.