The Bush administration has decided against opening a new phase of the war on terrorism by attacking Iraq and attempting to overthrow Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, senior U.S. officials and Western diplomats said, according to today’s Philadelphia Inquirer.

International opposition to a war on Iraq influenced U.S. President George W. Bush’s top advisers against it, according to the Inquirer (see GSN, Nov. 27).  Officials also decided that prospects for military success were not certain.

“Although there’s a lot of discussion going on within the administration, there’s no serious military planning being done for some kind of campaign against Iraq,” said a European diplomat.  Overthrowing Hussein remains a U.S. goal despite the decision to avoid attacking Iraq at this time, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said Sunday.

Officials led by Powell are designing a strategy focused on forcing Iraq to allow U.N. weapons inspectors to return after a three-year absence (see GSN, Nov. 14) and persuading the U.N. Security Council to restructure economic sanctions against Iraq (see GSN, Nov. 30).  The United States would then consider “other options” if Iraq refused, including military action, a U.S. official said, but officials did not expect a confrontation on the issue until spring, the Inquirer reported. 

The United States is still considering using air strikes to destroy sites where U.S. officials suspect Iraq is developing nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and missiles.  “It may be that’s a more limited objective that does not cause as much resentment in the [international] coalition,” said a senior administration official.

After completing operations in Afghanistan, the United States also plans to target suspected al-Qaeda leadership hideouts in places such as Somalia, Yemen and Sudan, U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said yesterday (see GSN, Nov. 28).

Meanwhile, the United States has been working to increase the capabilities of opposition groups in northern Iraq and working to expand U.S. influence beyond the Iraqi National Congress, which appears to hold little support inside Iraq, the Inquirer reported.

European states, including the United Kingdom and Russia, have said they oppose any potential U.S. attack on Iraq.  Several Arab countries (see GSN, Nov. 29) have also expressed concern about the consequences of such action (Warren Strobel, Philadelphia Inquirer, Dec. 19).

About Newswire  |  Contact National Journal  |  Re-Use Guidelines

HOME  |  CONTACT US  |  GET INVOLVED  |  SITE MAP

Back to top