The Chronicle on Iraq

The foreign affairs experts at the San Francisco Chronicle continue to write editorials about the Iraq crisis, while simultaneously performing full-facial self-proctoscopy.

Weapons inspectors have just begun their work, which is why France, Russia and China argue that war is not yet a last resort.

Weapons inspections have been an ongoing failure since 1991. It is an act of unmitigated whimsy to believe that France, Russia and China might be motivated solely by an objective sense of justice (and not, say, ruthless self-interest or ineptitude) while also assuming that the United States is motivated by inappropriate self-interest or incompetence and not, say, legitimate national security interests.

Public support for a war in Iraq is hardly strong. In the most recent New York Times/CBS News poll, while a majority of Americans support the use of force as an option, 59 percent want to give the United Nations and weapons inspectors more time.

An even more recent poll says that "57 percent support military action even without approval of the United Nations as long as some allies such as Britain, Spain and Australia are involved.", which they are.

The Bush administration has tried to portray a pre- emptive war against Iraq as essential to the war on terrorism, but the evidence of "links" between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda is highly questionable

The threats from Arab and Islamic terrorism are not confined to those with incontrovertible links to al Qaeda.

Some critics suggest the real U.S. motive is access to oil.

Other more knowledgeable critics would argue that (a) there are easier ways to get oil, and (b) France has an oil-related interest in keeping Saddam in power!

But, if oil is the reason for war, Bush has not been willing to acknowledge it.

And if oil is not the reason for war, then Bush's unwillingness to acknowledge that oil is the reason for war is not evidence of a cover-up.

An exit strategy is also missing.

Missing only from the Chronicle's reading list:
Baltimore Sun, Feb. 23:White House moves ahead with postwar plans
International Herald Tribune, Feb. 24: U.S. lays plans for rebuilding Iraq after war
Financial Times, Feb. 25: US draws up plans to oversee postwar Iraq

Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at February 26, 2003 06:31 AM