The Arab world and statemanship
Two pieces from ArabNews raise the very important issue of the complete exasperation the world feels at the policies of the Bush Administration. The Saudis say that a summit of Arab leaders is pointless because war will happen no matter what. A second piece, the editorial of February 20, points out that calls for cooperation with the U.N. are no longer aimed only at Baghdad, the U.S. is on the receiving end of these imprecations, as well.
The important point here is not that these articles are right or wrong, but what they indicate about how the world will begin to align against the United States. Saudi Arabia is jockeying for Arab leadership in an "anti-unilateralism" bloc that is emerging in Asia, and the sentiment informing that alliance is widespread. The summit of Arab leaders that had been planned to address Baghdad will certainly happen, but in reaction to the U.S.
Posted by Mitch Ratcliffe at February 19, 2003 07:20 PM | TrackBack
“A second resolution (for a US-led attack on Iraq) would be useful,” President Bush said yesterday, adding: “It’s not necessary, as far as I’m concerned.” If only things were as simple as that.
Unfortunately, nation after nation is demanding that the UN weapons inspectors be given more time and facilities to disarm Iraq peacefully.
So this unwillingness to listen even to their friends is America’s real problem, not the alliance of “cheese-eating surrender monkeys” led by France. To persist in a course of action in the face of overwhelming world opinion is not the mark of a statesman.
Bush has still time to change course before he finds himself with his bete noire in a “coalition of the unwilling”.