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QUESTIONS ON THE ROAD TO WAR OR PEACE
History Professor Jim Lenburg poses these questions to consider while making judgments about U.S. policy toward Iraq:
1. Does Saddam Hussein have weapons of mass destruction (WMD)? Is he in violation of Security Council Resolution 1441 and previous council resolutions?
2. Do those WMD pose a threat to the economic and/or strategic interests of the U.S. and its friends and allies?
3. Is there a direct link between Iraq and Al Qaeda? Is Iraq a part of the international terrorism network?
If YES to any or all of these questions, then there are further questions to consider:
1. What options does the U.S. have to lessen or remove the threat of Iraq"s WMD?
2. Should it ignore the threat?
3. Should it contain the threat by working with international organizations and allies to prevent Iraq from using or proliferating those weapons through economic sanctions, international supervision and inspections, permanent UN presence in Iraq?
4. Should the U.S. engage in preemption, that is, remove Saddam Hussein from power? A regime change?
If the answer is YES to number four, then there are further questions to consider:
1. Should the U.S. encourage a coup within Iraq?
2. Should the U.S. work with others to encourage Saddam to seek asylum in another country?
3. Should the U.S. use military force to remove Saddam from power?
If the answer is YES to number 3, then there are further questions to consider:
1. Should the U.S. engage in a multilateral approach and build a military coalition that has UN and/or NATO authorization to use that force?
2. If the U.S. cannot get UN and/or NATO authorization, should it build a semi-multilateral coalition and use military force anyhow?
If the answer is YES to number 2, then there are further questions to consider:
1. What are the potential consequences at home and abroad of such an approach even if military action is successful in removing Saddam from power?
2. What takes place in Iraq, the region and the world after Saddam is removed from power?
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