[9-18-02]

Two recent essays from The Progressive Response (PR), a weekly service of Foreign Policy in Focus (FPIF), point to the dangers posed by America's threatened war on Iraq.

First, such action, like the general style of the current administration's foreign policy, would further undermine the world's slow movement toward multilateralism in dealing with international conflicts, toward the unilateral style of Pres. Bush. Author Tom Barry concludes:

"Against this present danger, an increasing number of Americans are indignant at the arrogance and self-righteousness of the Bush foreign policy. These voices echo rising chorus of critics abroad who believe that the United States should be a respected leader that upholds international law, rather than holding itself above it. The challenge of a great power is not to free itself from the constraints of multilateralism, but rather to use its influence to ensure that the structures of international cooperation are more responsive and effective at meeting the challenges America faces."

A full Statement of Concern by the organization's Project Against the Present Danger is on their web site.

http://www.presentdanger.org/concern.html

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A second article deals with the economic costs of going to war with Iraq. The author, Miriam Pemberton, based it on testimony given before Congress on Friday, September 13, 2002.

The full article is at http://www.fpif.org/commentary/2002/0209warimpact.html .

She begins by noting that there seems little justification for the war, since Iraq has not attacked the U.S. These costs would include the obvious increase in fuel costs, with the consequent drag on our already feeble economy; the huge military costs (which in contrast to the Gulf War of George Bush I, we would likely have to bear almost completely by ourselves), and the vast long-term costs of military occupation and reconstruction in Iraq. To that we might add the likelihood of instability and wider wars in the Middle East, with the attendant costs.

All in all, a war doesn't sound like a good thing. But you may have figured that out already.

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Click http://www.fpif.org/progresp/volume6/v6n28.html to view full version of the current issue of Progressive Response.

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The Progressive Response (PR) is a weekly service of Foreign Policy in Focus (FPIF)--a "Think Tank Without Walls." A joint project of the Interhemispheric Resource Center and the Institute for Policy Studies, FPIF is an international network of analysts and activists dedicated to "making the U.S. a more responsible global leader and partner by advancing citizen movements and agendas." You can visit the FPIF website at http://www.fpif.org/

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