Focus On Iraq

One of the ironies of the Iraqi crisis is that the United States is demanding that Saddam Hussein comply with United Nations resolutions while ignoring majority Security Council opinion against military action.

Among the council's permanent members, only Great Britain is in support of the massive air attack the United States is conjuring up to force compliance with U.N. weapons inspections. Russia, China, and France are opposed.

Another irony is that while, according to Mideast experts, there are no compelling political or military reasons for President Hussein to attack Israel, a U.S. strike might encourage Iraq to do so in reprisal.

Since the Persian Gulf war ended in 1991, the United States has used force as well as economic sanctions - unsuccessfully - in an attempt to pacify its enemy. Now, Republican members of Congress are saying that any attack on Iraq must be designed not only to force compliance with the terms by which the gulf war was ended but to overthrow the Hussein regime.

We live in a volatile world made terrifying by nuclear proliferation. United States citizens often have been arms merchants to the world. Iraq is hardly alone among nations in hiding weaponry or threatening neighbors.

The only hope for lasting peace is through the strengthening of the rule of international law. And that means working with, not in defiance of, majority world opinion.