Posted on 03/18/2003 9:11:50 PM PST by ONA-ASIS
Time for the talk to end
SO it begins. After months of seemingly endless diplomatic double-talk, the issue comes down to this: Iraq must be disarmed.
And no one will do it except a coalition of the willing, led by the US, but involving Australia, Britain, Poland, Spain and a raft of other nations.
Already Australian public opinion seems to be shifting towards the Government's compelling case that Iraq's weapons of mass destruction pose a profound threat to regional and global security.
People wanted the United Nations to handle the matter, and were naturally confused about all the divisions.
But as George W. Bush said yesterday, the UN Security Council has not lived up to its responsibilities.
As that becomes clearer, Western public opinion will shake off the confusion of the UN process and focus on the real issues. Should Iraq be disarmed or not? Is Iraq a threat or not? With whom do you line up – Saddam Hussein, Syria and France, or the US, Tony Blair and the Australian Government?
There were three critical aspects of Bush's televised speech yesterday.
These were his confidence that a broad international coalition would support the US, Britain and Australia; his linking of the threat of weapons of mass destruction possessed by Iraq to the terrorist threat; and his appeal directly to the Iraqi army to get rid of their dictator.
The US President's confidence about a broad international coalition contradicts the coverage in Australia that suggests we are isolated in our support of military action.
In fact, 26 countries are already providing access, bases or overflight facilities to the US. Another 18 have offered such assistance on a contingency basis if necessary.
That is an awful lot of countries supporting with tangible efforts an allegedly isolated position. Many of the countries are careful about making too much of this publicly for they fear either domestic or regional reaction. But as the debate clarifies over the next few days, this should become much clearer.
Similarly, 19 nations have promised military or other assets to the US if required.
Over the next few days the extent of political support for the Bush-Blair-Howard position, already evident from the governments of Japan, South Korea, Spain, Italy, Poland and many others, will become clearer. It is clear that even in the Middle East, Kuwait overtly, and Jordan and Saudi Arabia less declaratively, are supporting the US position.
The other key theme from Bush was the connection between Iraq and terrorists.
This is at the heart of US concerns. Some information cannot be made public for reasons of protecting intelligence sources, but the connections between Baghdad and international terrorists are well established.
The third pillar of Bush's address was the direct appeal to the Iraqi army to overthrow their boss.
Hussein has ruled by making murder a prerequisite for promotion in his regime. By bloodying the hands of his collaborators he binds them to him and makes them fearful not only of him but of retribution from the relatives of their victims. One military aim of the US-led coalition will be to make defecting, surrendering and opposing Hussein a life-affirming, rather than life-threatening, possibility for as much of the Iraqi military as possible.
Finally, Bush's clear statement that the UN has failed indicates the US will be unlikely again to subject itself to the cynicism and dishonesty of the French in important security matters.
The next few weeks will help reshape the world.
The French have managed to kill the UN. Anyone want to thank 'em for that?
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