A major issue around the 1998 crisis had been that Iraq shouldn't complain (and rightly so) about who was on the UN Weapons inspection team. However, the USA and Russia and other powerful nations were able to get away with it when the UN attempted to inspect their weapons as the highlighted by the previous link, and the following:
Does Saddam Hussein's disgusting use of chemical weapons on his own people justify equally harsh treatment in Iraq? (Like Saddam's actions, this has hurt the Iraqi people, leaving Saddam unaffected) Or anywhere else? It sends a message that while USA, UK etc are more powerful than Saddam Hussein, they are otherwise similar when it comes to the respect of other's lives. The quote above from Madeline Albright does not do much to disprove the point.
Since the September 11, 2002 terrorist attacks on the United States, and the resulting "war on terror" U.S. President George Bush has accused Iraq of being part of an "axis of evil". Amongst various criticisms levelled at Iraq has been the apparent threat of weapons of mass destructions from Sadam Hussein. While a lot of Europe seem skeptical about this claim, George Bush and Britain's Tony Blair seem agreed that there is a threat. However, as John Pilger points out: