It’s not clear whether there’s going to be another UN Resolution. The Washington Post says Three Countries Vow To Block U.S. on Iraq and the LA Times says compromise language is in the works. Meanwhile, troops continue to build and pilots fly training missions over southern Iraq.
The real war is already underway among the military officers in Iraq, who are figuring out when and how to surrender, if they have any sense. Saddam knows he’s doomed, despite the fact that he probably continues the bluster with the people he talks to; his dance with the inspectors is only delaying the inevitable.
I don’t think there is going to be a war in Iraq after all. Oh, bombs will be dropped, power plants and military installations will be torched, and troops will roll in, but it won’t be a war as much as a cake walk before a surrendering Army. After all the UN drama and the peace marches and the hostile anti-American rhetoric, when the President presses ‘enter’ it will be a huge anti-climax.
Both the pro-liberation and the anti-war sides will claim victory, and the Iraqi people will breath a collective sigh of relief. A war crimes trial for Saddam and his chiefs would be good, just so we can milk some more drama out of this reality show during the May sweeps, however.
Wars are fought to achieve a better peace, they’re not fought for their own sake. This war will leave us with weakened alliances, more debt, and more vulnerability to terrorism. World energy supplies are likely to be disrupted, and Turkey and Iran may attempt to partition Iraq.
Our economy is unlikely to recover for some time, and we’ll have ten of thousands of needless deaths on our conscience. And after all that, we’ll still have North Korea on our to-do list.
The reality is this: things that are politically impossible are, in fact, impossible. If the whole world is against you, then it’s time to stop watching old Dirty Harry videos and get real. Without substantial international support, this war is a no-go. You can wish that the situation were different, but you have to face reality. You simply can’t invade another country without justifying to the international community–it’s not that kind of world anymore.
I’m sure an old war hero (Korean War?) like you is naturally drawn towards supporting our military and president, and I do respect the loyalty of your generation, but there are many wars that simply shouldn’t be fought, and this is clearly one of them.
Without substantial international support, this war is a no-go.
Without French and German support, we can’t defeat Saddam? That’s an intersting point of view, and one that will be tested by events in the next few weeks.
CNN is reporting US military disembarking in
Turkey. They are modernizing Turkish military
bases in preparation for the approval of action
against Iraq in a new vote in parliament which the
Turkish military will request. The new vote will
have to wait until parliament elects a new
Prime Minister, but I think the Turkish
military’s influence and the economic benefits
offered by the US will prevail.
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