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Should the U.S. Wage War on Iraq?
by Brian Risman, Publisher, www thelawjournal co uk - 19 August 2002
Continuation of the Article...Page 4 of 7
The third question is -- is the military approach appropriate, or are there other, more effective approaches?
Can the U.S. eliminate Saddam Hussein militarily? On paper, there is no doubt that the United States can achieve that goal. However, recent experience on the ground has been mixed. After all, the United States' goal in Afghanistan was to capture or kill Osama Bin Laden. Yet to this day the U.S. does not know where he is, or if he is dead or alive after all of the bombing.
The greater problem with military action is its unforeseen consequences. The mistaken killing of a wedding party by U.S. top gun airships destroyed goodwill within even the recently installed U.S.-sponsored Afghani government. The similar killing of four Canadian soldiers, allied with the Americans in Afghanistan, has provoked negative publicity both in Canada and the other allies. Hence military action may backfire on a goodwill and support basis. Then, there is the issue of the American people seeing their children dying in a war whose purpose is not abundantly clear. Once body bags start coming home, rumblings will start. If there is no good answer to the question 'Why?' then support on the home front will evaporate.
As noted above, evidence is needed to answer the question 'Why?'. If that question is answered, then the U.S. will be able to enlist a military alliance with greater ease than under the current information blackout. Without it, even home support is in danger.
What, then, are the non-military alternatives? If the United States provides the evidence for the world to see, effective action among allies that have influence in Iraq can achieve the desired result. The United Kingdom, while acting militarily in the Falklands in 1982, also utilised this approach. The diplomatic intervention by the United States with Argentina led to a resolution of the situation. In a similar manner, the United States could gain support among countries with influence in Iraq to force a change in power. No-fly zones or sanctions will have little effect. Political pressure from influential countries will have the desired effect. Few, if any, lives would be lost, and there would be no great television footage for the media. However, the desired result would occur.
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