In the July 19 Tribune, the lead editorial suggests that the U.S. should maintain ”the ability to use military force” to strike Iraq if Iraq refuses to dismantle its nuclear capacity. Bombing nuclear facilities is an absurd and frightening method of enforcing disarmament.
U.S. and allied attacks on Iraq have already resulted in widespread malnutrition and disease. Additional bombing would kill and wound even more people and compound the devastation of Iraqi infrastructure. Bombing nuclear facilities would release radiation into the environment, endangering tens of thousands more.
Instead of resorting to military force, the United States should pursue the following three steps: 1) It should bring the Iraqi government into diplomatic dialogue on this matter, rather than issue ultimatums and threats. 2) Inspections of nuclear facilities and other international safeguards should be strengthened, not abandoned; strict United Nations scrutiny of Iraq`s nuclear program and close monitoring of Iraqi imports can prevent it from developing nuclear weapons. 3) As the world`s leading nuclear weapons state, the United States can best lead the world away from nuclear proliferation by halting its own nuclear testing and proceeding with nuclear disarmament.
Lasting demilitarization of the Middle East, including nuclear disarmament, can come about only as regional conflicts are resolved. The current efforts to convene negotiations to resolve the Israel/Palestinian/Ar ab conflict, one of the main causes of war and instability in the region, would be seriously undermined by further U.S. military action in the Middle East.
