I don't think you understand what happened. Saddam thought that his former close sponsor & ally needed him against Iran because without our Sunni man in Iraq and the fear of WMDs the country would become a Shi'a & Persian pawn*. (You remember the whole Iran-Iraq War and 'exporting the revolution' and Hezbollah, right?)

Huh. How about that. Why, it looks like that's what happened under Maliki and that's why the country is currently being torn apart and the Iraqi government is inviting Iranian troops in to help restore order.

It would seem Saddam's mistake was in thinking the USA was run by rational actors, and not run by morons who would sabotage their geopolitical interests in the interests of revenge against a "guy that tried to kill my dad at one time". As my parable points out, one should not expect that sort of rational planning from the USA or indeed large countries in general.

So no, I think your objection does not hold water once one actually knows why the inspections were refused, and does not apply to the hypothetical involving Stalin.

* EDIT: BTW, I will note that this is a classic example of failing to apply the principle of charity, demonizing enemies, and not caring about contexts. No, Saddam couldn't have been acting in a complex Middle Eastern complex where the USA and Iraq were natural allies for which ultimatums made no sense; no, he had to be going against his own rational self-interests and be crazy.