WITH LAST week's United Nations Security Council Resolution on the elimination of its weapons of mass destruction, Iraq's diplomatic isolation would appear to be complete. Even Syria opted to support the resolution, making it unanimous, and over the weekend the Arab League declared its approval of the resolution.
At first glance, it looks like US President George W. Bush is on a roll. Fresh on the heels of his party's electoral victory last week Tuesday, he secured a resolution that would appear to give his government the international community's green light for a war on Iraq.
Following a tight schedule, international weapons inspectors will enter Iraq within days, report back in early December, and possibly declare Iraq in breach of UN resolutions, setting the stage for a war early next year. And if Iraqi President Saddam Hussein frustrates their efforts, the war planning could begin even sooner.
For now, Saddam will be hard-pressed to obstruct the inspectors. Moreover, many diplomats, including allies of the US, see the UN resolution as a triumph for diplomacy rather than a victory for the Bush administration. Without a UN sanction, the US will find it more difficult to go to war now. Nor is it apparent that UN weapons inspectors will concur with US assessments of the state of Iraq's weapons programme.
In the next few weeks, we should see how things will play out. However, it is good to see that diplomacy is getting one more chance.
THE OPINIONS ON THIS PAGE, EXCEPT FOR THE ABOVE, DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE GLEANER.
