Blight said:
I mean after all, the world is telling him no, the people are telling him no. He keeps saying stuff that hints hes gonna go to war no matter what.
according to this article the world IS behind us as far as i can tell the only countries behind us that are obstructing the rest of the world is Germany and France. Anyway here is the article
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewForeignBureaus.asp?Page=\ForeignBureaus\archive\200301\FOR20030130f.html
'New Europe' Backs US Policy On Iraq
By Mike Wendling
CNSNews.com London Bureau Chief
January 30, 2003
London (CNSNews.com)- In a open letter published in several newspapers Thursday, eight European leaders pledged their support for the U.S. stance on Iraq and warned the United Nations that it would lose credibility if it cannot adequately deal with Saddam Hussein.
Notably absent from the group of eight were France and Germany, the two countries that have been most reluctant to support military action and that U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld labeled last week as "old Europe."
The letter was initiated by Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar and was also signed by the leaders of Britain, Italy, Portugal, Hungary, Poland, Denmark, and the Czech Republic.
All are NATO members and five - Britain, Italy, Portugal, Denmark and Spain - also belong to the European Union.
"Our strength lies in unity," the leaders wrote. "The Iraqi regime and its weapons of mass destruction represent a clear threat to world security. This danger has been explicitly recognised by the United Nations."
"We Europeans have since reiterated our backing for Resolution 1441 ... we must remain united in insisting that his regime is disarmed. The solidarity, cohesion and determination of the international community are our best hope of achieving this peacefully."
"The Security Council must maintain its credibility by ensuring full compliance with its resolutions," the leaders wrote. "If they are not complied with, the Security Council will lose its credibility and world peace will suffer as a result."
European Division
The letter will likely irritate German and French leaders, who bristled after Rumsfeld's comments last week.
"You're thinking of Europe as Germany and France. I don't," Rumsfeld said in response to a reporter's question. "I think that's old Europe. If you look at the entire NATO Europe today, the center of gravity is shifting to the east.
"Germany has been a problem and France has been a problem. But you look at vast numbers of other countries in Europe. They are not with France and Germany on this, they are with the United States," Rumsfeld said.
The European Parliament, however, expressed unease Thursday with the position staked out by the eight leaders, issuing a non-binding resolution that said Iraq's lack of full cooperation with U.N. weapons inspectors did not currently justify military action.
The resolution said that any pre-emptive strike would violate international law and lead to more instability in the Middle East.
Agreement Not Impossible
John Palmer, political director of the Brussels-based European Policy Center think tank, said that while the letter publicly exposed a split, European countries still agree on several basic policies towards Iraq.
"Clearly, there is a very sharp division over how relations with the United States over the Iraq issue should be handled," he said. "[But] I don't think there's that much of a difference in principles between the two groups."
Palmer said most European countries want another U.N. resolution before any military action, are against a hasty move to war and are expecting further evidence of Iraq's violation of U.N. resolutions and potential links to terror.
"Where these groups may differ is in their public posturing," Palmer said.
Palmer noted that of the eight leaders, only one - British Prime Minster Tony Blair - was not the leader of a right wing or socially conservative party. Those leaders are more likely to support U.S. diplomatic moves, Palmer said.
"Blair and (Italian Prime Minster) Silvio Berlusconi are keen to give the maximum amount of support to the U.S. policy of putting heavy public pressure on Saddam," he said.
Palmer said the eventual outcome of the European split - and the larger crisis - would rest on the Iraqi response to U.N. requests for more cooperation with weapons inspectors as well as Secretary of State Colin Powell's address to the U.N. Security Council next week.
"The second report by (Chief U.N. Weapons inspector) Hans Blix on Feb. 14 will also be critical," he said. "If people are not convinced by that time that Saddam is in violation of the U.N. resolution, and if the inspectors report some improvement in Iraqi cooperation, it will be very difficult to get a second resolution."
