butterpaper.com/war

The varietiy of views here indicates how unpredictable this might be. Either the U.S. vision comes true and the weapons are found and the Middle East comes to understand why the invasion was necessary, or the War on Terrorism is set back by the battles that bear its name..

	the big picture	The Bush Administration's intentions.
	Ariel Dorfman	In the balance are not only the dead and mutilated of Iraq (and who knows how many from the invading force), but the very real possibility that such an act of pre-emptive, world-destabilising aggression could spin out of control and lead to other despots pre-emptively arming themselves with all manner of apocalyptic weapons and, perhaps, to Armageddon. Not to mention how such an action seems destined to recruit even more fanatics for the terrorist groups who are salivating at the prospect of a US invasion. Ariel Dorfman February 25, 2003
	Jordan	"As the Iraq war twists the arms of America's traditional allies in the Arab world -- Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Morocco and others -- the political pain is nowhere greater than in this small country. Dozens of Jordanians interviewed in recent days say they feel their country unnervingly close to violent upheaval...credible evidence that the government is secretly helping in the offensive on Iraq is the thing that would most quickly turn Jordan's protests into violent riots. Second on his list would be a military accident that put a large number of Iraqi civilian casualties on Jordan's TV screens." James Rupert, Newsday March 26, 2003
	the big picture	" the neocons long ago decided that criticism from the establishment isn't a reason for self-doubt but the surest sign that they're on the right track. But their confidence also comes from the curious fact that much of what could go awry with their plan will also serve to advance it. A full-scale confrontation between the United States and political Islam, they believe, is inevitable, so why not have it now, on our terms, rather than later, on theirs?" Joshua Marshall, Washington Monthly, March 31, 2003
	iranian threat	" Most experts believe that the mullahs' days are numbered, and that true democracy will come to Iran. That day will arrive sooner, the hawks argue, with a democratic Iraq on Iran's border. But the opposite could happen. If the mullahs are smart, they'll cooperate just enough with the Americans not to provoke an attack, but put themselves forth to their own people as defenders of Iranian independence and Iran's brother Shi'a in southern Iraq who are living under the American jackboot. Such a strategy might keep the fundamentalists in power for years longer than they otherwise might have been." Joshua Marshall, Washington Monthly, March 31, 2003

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