--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The intelligence is clear: (Saddam)…" description: "\"The intelligence is clear: (Saddam) continues to believe his WMD programme is essential both for internal repression and for external aggression.\" — To..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcf/tony-blair-812_aggression_the-intelligence-is-clear-saddam-continu_2327721.jpg" --- # The intelligence is clear: (Saddam) continues to believe… ![“The intelligence is clear: (Saddam) continues to believe his WMD programme is essential both for internal repression and for external aggression.” quote by Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcf/tony-blair-812_aggression_the-intelligence-is-clear-saddam-continu_2327721.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcf/tony-blair-812_aggression_the-intelligence-is-clear-saddam-continu_2327721.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcf/tony-blair-812_aggression_the-intelligence-is-clear-saddam-continu_2327721.jpg) > “The intelligence is clear: (Saddam) continues to believe his WMD programme is essential both for internal repression and for external aggression.” [Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Saddam Hussein believes weapons of mass destruction are essential for internal control and external aggression. **In simple terms:** Saddam sees WMDs as key for power and threat. Key Takeaway Recognize how perceived threats drive dangerous policies. Themes politics security power threat perception Mood cautious critical Type analysis philosophical When to use this quote - policy analysis - diplomacy - military planning - media commentary Key Concepts international relations deterrence authoritarianism Questions to Reflect On - What evidence is needed to justify security actions? - How do leaders balance fear and rational policy? A Different Perspective Overstating threats can justify unnecessary conflict. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aggression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aggression/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Believe Wmd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-wmd-5587392/) [Clear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clear/) [Clear Saddam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clear-saddam-5587389/) [Essentials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/essentials/) [Intelligence Clear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence-clear-5587390/) [Internals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internals/) [Iraq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iraq/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Programmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/programmes/) [Repression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/repression/) [Saddam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saddam/) [Saddam Continues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saddam-continues-2634933/) [Wmd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wmd/) [Wmd Programme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wmd-programme-5587391/) ## Related quotes > [There is no doubt that . Saddam Hussein has reinvigorated his weapons programs. Reports indicate that biological, chemical and nuclear programs continue apace and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-graham/there-is-no-doubt-that-saddam-hussein-has-reinvigorated-his-weapons/) [Bob Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-graham/) > [The intelligence is so clear that China is our greatest threat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ratcliffe/the-intelligence-is-so-clear-that-china-is-our-greatest-threat/) [John Ratcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ratcliffe/) > [Before people crow about the absence of weapons of mass destruction, I suggest they wait a bit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/before-people-crow-about-the-absence-of-weapons-of-mass-destruction-i/) [Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/) > [In April 1991, after the Gulf war, Iraq was given 15 days to provide a full and final declaration of all its WMD.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/in-april-1991-after-the-gulf-war-iraq-was-given-15-days-to-provide-a/) [Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/) > [Can we be sure that terrorism and WMD will join together? If we are wrong, we will have destroyed a threat that, at its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/can-we-be-sure-that-terrorism-and-wmd-will-join-together-if-we-are/) [Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/) > [If left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/if-left-unchecked-saddam-hussein-will-continue-to-increase-his/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/simply-stated-there-is-no-doubt-that-saddam-hussein-now-has-weapons/) [Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/) > [The claims made about Iraq's WMD capabilities before the invasion were inaccurate, wrong, and in some cases, deliberately misleading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/the-claims-made-about-iraq-s-wmd-capabilities-before-the-invasion/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [He has systematically violated, over the course of the past 11 years, every significant UN resolution that has demanded that he disarm and destroy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-waxman/he-has-systematically-violated-over-the-course-of-the-past-11-years/) [Henry Waxman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-waxman/) > [Sooner or later, jihadist-style terror and WMD are going to come together and the consequences could be horrendous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/sooner-or-later-jihadist-style-terror-and-wmd-are-going-to-come/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There's no question that Saddam Hussein is a threat Yes, he has chemical and biological weapons. He's had those for a long time. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-clark/there-s-no-question-that-saddam-hussein-is-a-threat-yes-he-has/) [Wesley Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-clark/) > [The last UN weapons inspectors left Iraq in October of 1998. We are confident that Saddam Hussein retains some stockpiles of chemical and biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-byrd/the-last-un-weapons-inspectors-left-iraq-in-october-of-1998-we-are/) [Robert Byrd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-byrd/) > [Iraq does pose a serious threat to the stability of the Persian Gulf and we should organize an international coalition to eliminate his access…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/iraq-does-pose-a-serious-threat-to-the-stability-of-the-persian-gulf/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [What is at stake is how to answer the potential threat Iraq represents with the risk of proliferation of WMD. Baghdad's regime did use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-chirac/what-is-at-stake-is-how-to-answer-the-potential-threat-iraq/) [Jacques Chirac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-chirac/) > [The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/the-british-government-has-learned-that-saddam-hussein-recently/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) ## More by Tony Blair > [I happen to think it's the politics that makes you electable, but the reason for that is politicians sometimes talk about electability as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/i-happen-to-think-it-s-the-politics-that-makes-you-electable-but-the/) [Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/) > [I have absolutely no doubt at all that we will find evidence of weapons of mass destruction programmes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/i-have-absolutely-no-doubt-at-all-that-we-will-find-evidence-of/) [Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/) > [I mean, you can agree or disagree with Iraq or Afghanistan, but by the way, now the great campaigning cause out there is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/i-mean-you-can-agree-or-disagree-with-iraq-or-afghanistan-but-by-the/) [Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/) > [My dad was a militant atheist, or is a militant atheist. My mum was sort of bought up in a religious family because she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/my-dad-was-a-militant-atheist-or-is-a-militant-atheist-my-mum-was/) [Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/) > [Politics may be the art of the possible, but at least in life, give the impossible a go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/politics-may-be-the-art-of-the-possible-but-at-least-in-life-give-the/) [Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/) > [I also, as I think most people do, have a healthy instinct that if we upset the balance of nature, we are in all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/i-also-as-i-think-most-people-do-have-a-healthy-instinct-that-if-we/) [Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/) > [It is not a sensible or intelligent response for us in Europe to ridicule American arguments and parody their political leadership.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/it-is-not-a-sensible-or-intelligent-response-for-us-in-europe-to/) [Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/) > [I am absolutely delighted to give my full support to Gordon as the next leader of the Labour Party and as prime minister and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/i-am-absolutely-delighted-to-give-my-full-support-to-gordon-as-the/) [Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/) > [Society works by putting opportunity and responsibility together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/society-works-by-putting-opportunity-and-responsibility-together/) [Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/) > [The great advantage of the Lib Dems is precisely that no-one knows what they stand for](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/the-great-advantage-of-the-lib-dems-is-precisely-that-no-one-knows/) [Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/) > [People know where I stand in the Labour party and what I believe in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/people-know-where-i-stand-in-the-labour-party-and-what-i-believe-in/) [Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/) > [The only society that works today is also one founded on mutual respect, on a recognition that we have a responsibility collectively and individually,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/the-only-society-that-works-today-is-also-one-founded-on-mutual/) [Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/) > [How do we deal with not just the acts of violence, but the extremist ideology that lies behind them? Because though the numbers of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/how-do-we-deal-with-not-just-the-acts-of-violence-but-the-extremist/) [Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/) > [The public think the politicians don't know or care about their lives; and the politicians feel misunderstood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/the-public-think-the-politicians-don-t-know-or-care-about-their-lives/) [Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/) > [I think it's important for people like me to evaluate and reevaluate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/i-think-it-s-important-for-people-like-me-to-evaluate-and-reevaluate/) [Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/) [Explore all 363 Tony Blair quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/) ## More Aggression quotes > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I used to fight with hate. There's been a lot of aggression in my past growing up and stuff. That's because I was hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-namajunas/i-used-to-fight-with-hate-there-s-been-a-lot-of-aggression-in-my-past/) [Rose Namajunas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-namajunas/) > [We have nothing in our history or position to invite aggression; we have everything to beckon us to the cultivation of relations of peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-have-nothing-in-our-history-or-position-to-invite-aggression-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I take up the standpoint that the tendency to aggression is an innate, independent, instinctual disposition in man, and I come back now to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/i-take-up-the-standpoint-that-the-tendency-to-aggression-is-an-innate/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [Boxing can be so important to young people, it keeps you off the street and you can channel your energy and aggression in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-benn/boxing-can-be-so-important-to-young-people-it-keeps-you-off-the/) [Nigel Benn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-benn/) > [“That which is of great value cannot be attained through aggression. You will be able to find the mystery of life only if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osho/that-which-is-of-great-value-cannot-be-attained-through-aggression/) [Osho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osho/) > [A society that presumes a norm of violence and celebrates aggression, whether in the subway, on the football field, or in the conduct of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-h-lapham/a-society-that-presumes-a-norm-of-violence-and-celebrates-aggression/) [Lewis H. Lapham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-h-lapham/) > [I can remember watching MTV Cribs - these amazing houses - and looking around my house where there was no carpet on the floors.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bugzy-malone/i-can-remember-watching-mtv-cribs-these-amazing-houses-and-looking/) [Bugzy Malone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bugzy-malone/) > [Nationalism, on my opinion, is nothing more than an idealistic rationalization for militarism and aggression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/nationalism-on-my-opinion-is-nothing-more-than-an-idealistic/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I really like battle ropes. They're so versatile; you can get a terrific workout doing a ton of different exercises with them. My clients…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gunnar-peterson/i-really-like-battle-ropes-they-re-so-versatile-you-can-get-a/) [Gunnar Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gunnar-peterson/) > [ Now they \[the Powers\] have started the aggression, and the extinction of our nation is imminent. If we just fold our arms and yield… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/empress-dowager-cixi/now-they-the-powers-have-started-the-aggression-and-the-extinction-of/) [Empress Dowager Cixi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/empress-dowager-cixi/) > [I'm not going to appeal to violence or aggression - of course not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexei-navalny/i-m-not-going-to-appeal-to-violence-or-aggression-of-course-not/) [Alexei Navalny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexei-navalny/) > [This is passive-aggression in action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/this-is-passive-aggression-in-action/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [When a child hits a child, we call it aggression. When a child hits an adult, we call it hostility. When an adult hits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-a-child-hits-a-child-we-call-it-aggression-when-a-child-hits-an/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Major international interventions are doomed unless the US is directly or indirectly involved. But if American politicians, officials and servicemen are to be put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/major-international-interventions-are-doomed-unless-the-us-is/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) [Browse all 860 Aggression quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aggression/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The intelligence is clear: (Saddam) continues to believe his WMD programme is essential both for internal repression and for external aggression.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tony Blair" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/the-intelligence-is-clear-saddam-continues-to-believe-his-wmd/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Aggression" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/the-intelligence-is-clear-saddam-continues-to-believe-his-wmd/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcf/tony-blair-812_aggression_the-intelligence-is-clear-saddam-continu_2327721.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcf/tony-blair-812_aggression_the-intelligence-is-clear-saddam-continu_2327721.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcf/tony-blair-812_aggression_the-intelligence-is-clear-saddam-continu_2327721.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The intelligence is clear: (Saddam) continues to believe his WMD programme is essential both for internal…” — Tony Blair", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Tony Blair", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The intelligence is clear: (Saddam) continues...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/the-intelligence-is-clear-saddam-continues-to-believe-his-wmd/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/the-intelligence-is-clear-saddam-continues-to-believe-his-wmd/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```