Iraq Archives - Page 66 of 136 - Foreign Policy In Focus

The Abuse of the No-Fly Zones as an Excuse for War

by Stephen Zunes | Dec 1, 2002

With the apparent willingness of the Iraqi government to cooperate with United Nations weapons inspectors, the Bush administration and its congressional supporters of both parties seem determined to find an excuse–any excuse–to invade this oil-rich country and replace the current regime with one more to its own liking. This eagerness to wage war could not be more apparent than in recent claims out of Washington that Iraq firing upon British and American aircraft enforcing the no-fly zones in northern and southern Iraq constitutes a “material breach” of UN Security Council resolutions that could justify a U.S. invasion.

Talking Turkey About Iraq: Democracy and Double-Talk

by Jim Lobe | Dec 1, 2002

Favored Post-Saddam Leaders Belie Bush’s Democracy Rhetoric

by Conn Hallinan | Nov 26, 2002

With congressional support safely tucked away, it is now just a matter of time before the Bush administration invades Iraq. Since our recent track record of pummeling Third World countries is solid, it should be pretty much a slam-dunk. It’s afterwards that’s the tricky part.

Reasons Not to Attack Iraq

by Stephen Zunes | Nov 24, 2002

1. There Are Still Nonmilitary Options Available

Showdown and Compromise at the UN

by Ian Williams | Nov 1, 2002

Bismarck’s dictum that people who want to appreciate treaties and sausages should not watch them being made applies to Security Council resolutions as well. The U.S. is set to win Security Council support for a resolution on Iraq and is already calling it victory.

Let’s Join, Not Fight, the Global Coalition Against War in Iraq

by Jeremy Brecher | Nov 1, 2002

Americans owe a debt of gratitude to the coalition of people and countries around the world that is trying to save us from a catastrophic war in Iraq.

Coming Home

by Conn Hallinan | Nov 1, 2002

Every time I hear the likes of Vice-President Cheney, Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, or Senator Lieberman go on about war with Iraq, it reminds me of a history lesson Congress should keep in mind when it begins its debate over Iraq: wars are waged with the bodies of the young, and they always come home.

Stumbling Blindly Into War

by Frida Berrigan | Nov 1, 2002

Is the President turning “new age”? Not only has he massaged the United Nations Security Council into a unanimous vote demanding that Iraq accept weapons inspections, but he seems to have embraced guided meditation practices. In his November 7th press conference at the Executive Office Building, President George W. Bush led the audience through a visualization exercise. “Imagine Saddam Hussein with a nuclear weapon,” he said, “Imagine how the Israeli citizens would feel. Imagine how the citizens of Saudi Arabia would feel. Imagine how the world would change, how he could alter diplomacy by the very presence of a nuclear weapons.”

A War Avoided?

by Mark Epstein, Don Kraus | Nov 1, 2002

Perhaps a war has been avoided. The United Nations Security Council’s unanimous passage of an historic resolution gives UN weapons inspectors “unimpeded, unconditional, and unrestricted access” to anyone and anywhere in Iraq that their search for weapons of mass destruction (WMD) might lead them. The resolution gives Iraq a “final opportunity to comply with its disarmament obligations.” Resistance is futile. Saddam Hussein has been given seven days to confirm his intention to comply.

United Nations Security Council Resolutions Currently Being Violated by Countries Other than Iraq

by Stephen Zunes | Oct 1, 2002

(Editor’s Note: In its effort to justify its planned invasion of Iraq, the Bush administration has emphasized the importance of enforcing UN Security Council resolutions. However, in addition to the dozen or so resolutions currently being violated by Iraq, a conservative estimate reveals that there are an additional 88 Security Council resolutions about countries other than Iraq that are also currently being violated. This raises serious questions regarding the Bush administration’s insistence that it is motivated by a duty to preserve the credibility of the United Nations, particularly since the vast majority of the governments violating UN Security Council resolutions are close allies of the United States. Stephen Zunes, University of San Francisco professor and Middle East Editor for Foreign Policy in Focus (online at www.fpif.org),compiled the following partial list of UN resolutions that are currently being violated by countries other than Iraq.)