U.S. and Iraq , What to do in the Next 12 Months

WHAT SHOULD THE UNITED STATES DO IN REGUARDS TO IRAQ IN NEXT 12 MONTHS? Commentators from right to left, as well as senior US military officials, have expressed concerns: the risks of extended combat and significant loss of American soldiers; the possibility of Saddam Hussein using weapons of mass destruction; the costs of a large-scale campaign. A possible "Baghdad first" attack strategy, as reported the New York Times, seems designed to minimize concerns about scale, but …

…of leadership? Say what most of the world thinks: Iraq is beneath us. Ignore it. UN sanctions will keep Iraq from acquiring military items, and if implemented sincerely might ease the suffering of the Iraqi people. Such a gesture would remove one of the greatest complaints of the Arab and Islamic world, and would make the campaign against terrorism more winnable. And Hussein? He knows perfectly well that one false move would be his last.