Tags:
Journalism of Courage
In the US, the hype over taking military action against Iraq has been building up. Seven out of ten Americans are said to support the Bush administration8217;s thinking on a war against Saddam Hussein8217;s Iraq, with nine out of these ten in favour of putting US troops on the ground in what would unquestionably be a bloody encounter. The case for this war, as made out in public, is weak at its best.
Only a year ago US Secretary of State Colin Powell was arguing that 8216;smart sanctions8217; could contain the emerging threat of an aggressive Iraq, and the president8217;s national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, was advocating 8216;a sanctions regime that actually works8217;. The major change that has taken place since then is that President Bush has formally declared Iraq as part of the three-country 8216;axis of evil8217;. But the threat that would demand a war is not clear at all, and the US administration has not yet made it clear to its own Congress, or had it debated there.
Iran, with all its antagonism toward Saddam Hussein, has cautioned against the war. Turkey may have its own reservations in allowing Kurdish resurgence in any effort to generate an anti-Saddam front. Prime Minister Tony Blair is the only leader that appears to support the idea. But his own colleagues in government hold a contrary position. Putin8217;s Russia seems to pursuing its own agenda in deepening political-economic relations, with a 40 billion bilateral economic-trade agreement with Iraq over a five-year period, within the limits set by the UN Security Council.
Existing UN Security Council resolutions require that any use of force against Iraq would require its prior authority to make it legal. Unfortunately, the US war juggernaut has been on the move for some time now and its own momentum could push the country into a war. A war which, in present circumstances, would not have a legal sanction, would be a logistical nightmare, would be militarily costly, and would be politically imprudent.
Even in case of a miracle victory, the nature of a successor regime would remain a matter of speculation for years to come. In the absence of visible justification, anti-American sentiment among Muslim populations would only grow with far-reaching consequences.
Such a war would detract everyone from an already stagnating international war against terrorism. This would specifically go against India8217;s own interests and those of the civilised world. New Delhi should impress upon the US the critical need for restraint in a war that would be questionable on almost every count.
