Karnak,
I'm probably on the antipodes of your stance, since the "party lines" in Spain are exactly yours. However, my opinion about war is also the opposite to yours.
Let's make myself clear, as it's something that has been very cleverly manipulated by a lot of people in my country. I am against war. Period. But the question is not wether one is against or pro war. I don't think anybody in his right mind wants war, only that some of us think that the price of a war is cheaper by a fair margin to the price of no-war. I'm talking both money and victims-wise. No-war has scarcely brought peace througout history.
War on Iraq is fought in 3 fronts, from my perspective:
a) Economic one:
Everyone tries to defend it's own interests. For me is, by far, the less relevant. For France, and it's my personal believing, the most important one. But they are clever enough to dress their position up, and discuss the war on other terms, instead of this one.
In this particular field, the question is wether is it economically clever to wage war to remove a dictator able to use Oil as a weapon. This is very cynical to answer, but I think it makes all sense, economically speaking, even if the reserves in Iraq are not profitables to exploit (as it seems to be the case).
b) Phillosophical one:
The point is wether the world is entitled to wage war to free a country's people from a dictatorship or, more widely, from an oppression regime.
I don't think there is a yes/no answer to this question. I think it's a matter of fields. There is one where there is no justification for an external intervention, when the "oppression" does not involve serious human rights violations. There is the other one where I think there is absoutely no justification NOT to intervene as, for instance, the Balcans. When you see mass murder and wide abuse of human beings, I think people supporting human rights have all the right to sack the mad dictator (and the system and people supporting him) for good. Do we have to wait to see mass murder in Iraq or by Saddam's regime? Is it not enough Saddam's track record? From my point of view, it is more than justified to intervene and remove Saddam and his people from power. Probably there are more places in the world where this must be done, but first ones first. I don't care if he decides to leave and face International Trial or If US (let's face it, nobody but US can) need to send troops there, the important thing is he and his system are out.
c) The threat one:
Is it Iraq a threat to western countries? I can concur that not immediately, in the sense that he (Saddam) has no means of directly put a bomb in any country right now. But defintely he is a threat in the medium and long run. I don't think anybody can argue against this, especially if the situation, previous to US and UK pressure, continued. I have to remember that Saddam was vowing to unilaterally decreet the end of embargo. Do you think that an embargo-less Iraq is not a threat?. How about Oil dollars as the fuel of a weapon race? Especially with trustfully providers as some western countries?.
There is another facet of the issue. If you do not effectively remove (and by means of a very expeditive action) Saddam, you are giving clues to any other dictatorship that he can play cat and mouse with the world, in the right assumption that internal divisions would render the world unite action a chimera.
As far as the "legality" of the action, and with regards to UN sanction, the UN is not a representative chamber, nor is a decission-making body. UN is the outcome of a huge world confrontation and the cold war situation. Worked good to keep us away from a nuclear holocaust in a world divided in two clear-cut groups, where the lines were precisely and neatly drawn. But that is not the situation anymore. If there is a positive consequence of the current crisis is the perception that UN, as it is now, is absolutely useless. And I am not saying that we should get rid of it, but I'm absolutely certain that failing a reform, a deep, fundamental one, the whole institution will be meaningless in a few years. I am glad that the crisis has arisen with Iraq and not, say, with China. The world is still on time to revise the UN's role and make the so badly needed improvements.
Finally, with regards to EU, I'm glad that France and Germany, most notably France, pull out the mask. They do not pretend a united federal thingy, but they want a meek group of countries to foloow up the "leaders". Let me tell you one thing. On my particular side, France has done nothing good to my country since XIV century. I have nothing to thank them but pain. They even invaded us. I don't trust French goverment (not talking about French people here) a single bit. And were French and Germany the ones breaking up the so called "European unity" by making a bold joint statement without even ask the rest of European countries. What they expected? Blind obedience of their inferior counterparties?
So let me resume my position:
First and above all, I am against war. Period.
Second, both in economical, geo-political and philosophic field I think the world is entitled to force the retirement of Saddam and his regime, even if this envolves the use of force. Even more so, I think that without the real threat of a war, Saddam's position would have never moved. So, as a consequence, you have to be ready to wage war.
Third, I am glad that the situation has rose the point about the real usefullness of UN as an institution and the absolute need of its reform.
Fourth, I'm absolutely proud of my country's decission. Both in terms of personal coherence of my president, and in terms of not bending to political and social pressure. I don't think that the average joe (like myself) can go much further than speculating on this boards as to what our country needs to do and how real is Saddam as a menace to us. We simply lack the information. So I trust my government to take the right decissions. I'm not ignoring facts, and I try to be informed as to be clear about my next voting. At the time being, I support his position, except for the information managing, and the attitude.
Sorry for the brick.
