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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Mannie who wrote (10483)	12/15/2002 1:48:10 AM
From: abuelita	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89467

scoot- its a scary world out there. how many of them are there? r1

To: Mannie who wrote (10483)	12/15/2002 5:18:41 AM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 89467

War talk weighs heavy By Walid M. Sadi Jordan Times December 15, 2002 THE RHETORIC on the war against the Iraqi regime has been with us for much too long and definitely longer than most people around the globe can stomach. The debate and controversy about this war have become a phenomenon and very soon they will develop into an institution of some sorts. Needless to say, the war talk weighs heavily on everything these days, from international, regional and national markets to anxiety about security, touching the far reaches of the world. The war talk is nerve-wrecking and has become a common topic of discussion in most homes across the globe. What cannot be understood is why all this talk about war and why for so long when usually an attacking power says very little in advance of its military campaign. I hope Washington realises the full impact of its war game on human beings, young and old. A war will not cause losses to Iraq and its neighbouring states only; it means losses for the entire international community. The mere war talk on Iraq is already affecting the US economy and has taken a heavy toll on the equity markets everywhere. Oil prices have soared, the US dollar has taken a heavy beating, the US economy is almost deflationary. The same goes for the economies of many major powers. With the new deadline for war set around the end of January, all attention is focusing on the possibility of using one form of mass destruction weapon or another. The US has already warned that should Iraq use any chemical or biological weapon on its troops or any of its allies, it will strike back with its nuclear weapons. Given the probability that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein might use any weapon in his arsenal if he felt that his country was waging existential warfare, the stage is set for the deployment of the very terrible weapons that a war against Baghdad aims to neutralise. The question is whether it is worth it to continue to entertain the option of war. Assuming that Iraq has some weapons of mass destruction hidden somewhere where no UN weapons inspector can ever find, why not put in place a monitoring system to keep a constant eye on Iraq? If Iraq's human rights record is so terrible, why not keep it ostracised and isolated. Why not even suspend its UN membership for as long as grievances against the leadership remain without effective remedies? There are so many ways the Iraqi regime can be dealt with, without the need for a war that risks to wreak havoc with mankind. Simply put, the war against Iraq can never be cost-effective from an international point of view. The gains will never outweigh the losses. It is time to cool off and take stock of the pros and cons of this anticipated war. Otherwise, the small and limited war may end up having ramification on a global scale. jordantimes.com