COLIN POWELL and Condoleezza Rice reaffirmed the Bush administration’s position on Iraq over the weekend. In short: We’d like to have some international backing to oust the world’s greatest terrorist, but if we don’t get it, that’s okay, too. Powell said essentially the same thing last week in testimony on Capitol Hill. We may have to effect “regime change” on our own, he warned. The timing couldn’t have been better. Here’s a sample of headlines from this week’s newspapers. “Italian premier wishes political dialogue with Iraq to continue,” read one. “Bush warned against ‘adventure’ in Iraq,” declared another. Canada worries about U.S. unilateralism; Britain hasn’t decided. The French think we’re “simplistic.” The Germans want proof that Saddam was involved in the September 11 attacks. And, in the event we care about what other terrorist regimes think about a potential attack on Hussein’s terrorist regime: “Sudan rejects military strikes on Iraq,” and “Iran reiterates opposition to U.S. strike on Iraq.” It may be tempting to conclude that any time a group like that–excluding Britain, I guess–disagrees with U.S. foreign policy, we’re doing something right. And it’s hard to disagree with those who predict that once we have even a modicum of military success, many of these same nations will quickly seek to join the “coalition.” The reasons for U.S. military action are established. Saddam Hussein continues to build weapons of mass destruction. He has shown a willingness to use them, even on his own people. He unlawfully ended U.N. weapons inspections and has repeatedly violated U.N.-approved sanctions. He attempted to assassinate former president George H.W. Bush. And over the years, Iraqi intelligence officials have met repeatedly with al Qaeda members, including those who masterminded the September 11 attacks. If those reasons aren’t enough, here’s another one: Iraq recently became the first nation to endorse the September 11 attacks when Saddam’s son Uday praised the terrorists in a newspaper interview. The attacks were “daring operations carried out by Arab Muslim youths and which caused the United States to take heed of Arabs and Muslims among other people,” Uday told the Arabic-language newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat. “These operations, which were carried out by 19 Arab Muslim youths, have restored respect for Arabs and Muslims.” Uday also praised the al Qaeda fighters who recently battled the United States in Afghanistan. He commended “the heroic stand by six Arab brothers who barricaded themselves in a Kandahar hospital for 45 days and fought the U.S. occupation using God-knows-what-weapons.” Meanwhile, Saddam has been doing everything he can to shore up relationships with his neighbors. He has sought increased trade with Syria and Turkey and his subordinates have had high-level meetings with representatives from Russia and Austria. He has received words of support from Egypt and Jordan. He reinstituted commercial flights from Baghdad to Tehran. He discussed a P.O.W. exchange with Iran. And he has decided to send a representative to the League of Arab Nations meeting in Lebanon next month. The president and his representatives appear, if anything, to have been emboldened by the international criticism. Said Bush: “I understand what happens in the international arena; people say things.” So much for the worrywarts. Stephen F. Hayes is staff writer at The Weekly Standard.
