Deposing Saddam Hussein is necessary to achieve peace, if not stability.

While removing the Iraqi president goes beyond the 12 United Nations Security Council resolutions, it is the next logical and inevitable step toward resolving the present crisis.

Hussein doesn’t want to budge without getting a payback. Every so-called reasonable offer for withdrawal has been riddled with conditions that lace Iraq with fringe benefits for the invasion of Kuwait.

The most recent—an offer to comply with all 12 U.N. resolutions pending on a cease fire coupled with an assurance that some of the demands be dropped after Iraq agrees to them—is just another part of Hussein’s dangerous propaganda war, the only war he is winning.

With every “peace” offer, Iraqis celebrate. With every Allied Forces rejection, they grow increasingly angry. This series of desperate withdrawal promises is part of Hussein’s way of keeping his office after his unavoidable defeat.

Even more, Baghdad radio announced Wednesday that all Iraqi forces had left Kuwait.

However, in reality, the fighting continued. The result? Iraqi citizens will blame the United States for its spilled blood when they think the war already is over.

At the worst, Hussein has declared victory in a war he is losing. Although broadcasters continue to say they think the Iraqis will overthrow their own leader because of his hollow claims, the broadcasters aren’t Iraqi and they don’t know.

Also, it’s hard to overthrow someone who’s willing to use chemical weapons against you.

There’s no need to kill Saddam Hussein. If he’s dead, he’s worth nothing. Out of power, though, he’s worth even less.

Until he’s removed, the war will continue to drag until there’s no more Iraqi forces standing—or, at the very least, waving white flags.

Nobody wants to see the destruction of the Arab state—putting Iraq completely out of the picture will further upset the fragile state of the Middle East.

Moreover, relations between the United States and the Soviet Union will strain even more because of their friendly ties with Iraq.

It’s a hard decision to make but the consequences are desperate. Killing him isn’t the answer. Letting the people of Iraq decide isn’t within U.S. bounds of demand—the citizens would vote against U.S. wishes anyway.

The U.S. should take him down and bring him here. The man needs to be tried for war crimes and because he’s probably reluctant to go before any court, we might as well drag him here and shove him into a trial.

The United States will take a lot of criticism for removing Hussein from his position, but there are few other ways to end the bloodshed. As long as he’s there, he’ll continue to win his propaganda campaign and let more coalition forces fall.

As grim as it might be, Hussein must be ousted if peace and stability would ever be achieved.