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| Iraq |
| Britain Ready for War Without U.N. |
| 2003-03-15 |
| Britain could take lawful military action against Iraq without a second U.N. resolution, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said Saturday as other British officials warned a military strike could be just days away. Like Tuesday... On the eve of a summit between the leaders of Britain, the United States and Spain, Straw said resolution 1441, passed unanimously by the U.N. Security Council in November, provided the legal authority for war. Asked on British Broadcasting Corp. radio if there would be a second resolution before war, Straw said: "I cannot say that for certain. Plainly, if military action has to be taken, it is preferable, to put it at its lightest, that we could have the whole of the international community behind us. But that may not be possible. Any action we are involved in, or in the future are involved in, will be fully consistent with our obligations in international law. We are satisfied, as are many other countries, that we ... would have full legal authority" under 1441. Yep. Tony's bitten the bullet, and we're going to go ahead anyway. The UN is dead, if Bush and Blair want it to be. So what's all this yapping and finagling accomplished? A year ago, the U.S. withdrawing from the UN was a fringe position. If it happened today, most of the American public would approve, I think. A year ago, NATO was still a viable entity in theory. Today it's as dead as the UN — if Bush and Blair want it to be. British ambassador to the United Nations Jeremy Greenstock said Friday that war could be just days away. In Greece, British Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram agreed. "I think that language which has been used over recent days in London would lead us to that conclusion as well," Ingram said. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #6 The UN has been an impotent organization for many years, long before this recent impasse...can anyone point to one constructive thing that the UN has done over the last 50 years? It hasn't prevented any wars, and has sat idly by while millions have been slaughtered in places like Rwanda and Yugoslavia... as for France and Germany, I believe that one has to differentiate between French intransigence and Germany's...many of the Christian democrats in Germany are with us...it's only because of Schroeder that we're in the position...I think we can still count Germany as an ally (once Schroeder is out of office)...as for the French--fuck 'em! |
| Posted by: Bill 2003-03-15 22:02:02 |
| #5 during the cold war the UNSC was effectively useless cause of the Soviet veto. We stayed in the UN - it was useful for many other things, as long as we didnt pretend the UNSC was a world govt. After GW1 and fall of USSR some thought UNSC could act a little like world govt. This shows it cant. Doesnt mean we should leave UN, just return to a more realistic view of it - a good collection of specialized agencies, a convenient place to get a lot of diplos into one room, and thats about it. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2003-03-15 21:28:59 |
| #4 France will always be France...duplicitous, unwashed, Michael Moore-loving arrogant pricks (and those are their good qualities!). Germany only needs Angela Merkel to become chancellor. |
| Posted by: Thane of Cawdor 2003-03-15 18:35:57 |
| #3 France and Germany have cast their lots with the terrorists by action. France especially has a large 5th column a growin' right in their own house. We cannot do anything about that problem, but we must develop healthy relationships with all those other European countries, though some small economically but large in principles. Nature abhors a vacuum, and China is waiting in the wings, enjoying the show between the west and the islamists. These are very dangerous times for our countries and it isn't just about terror. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-03-15 14:03:57 |
| #2 To RW France and Germany are not friends, and the forces behind them are much bigger than many of us think. They are actively helping the enemies of the US and trying to subvert the international situation. Muslim countries are with them, some Churches, the whole subversive left of the world. It is an alliance against us: even if it looks a strange alliance, it exists, de facto. |
| Posted by: Poitiers 2003-03-15 13:46:50 |
| #1 It's time to wait and see. If the next elections bring even bigger fools than Chiraq & Schroeder, then you can safely assume it's a trend, and you can be sure consequences will follow. As for the UN, it lasted as long as it did because of the Cold War. Now it's just a welfare project for unemployed diplomats. The biggest shocker is that France & Germany are actually willing to put their friendship with the US on the line protecting some guy that everyone knows should have been made into fertilizer a long time ago. |
| Posted by: RW 2003-03-15 13:33:58 |