Feb 14th's Security Council Meeting at the UN

The public portion of the meeting and Powell's press conderence afterward can be viewed at the UN site.

Given the history of the past 12 years, we can easily speculate on the most probable outcome of a victory of the Franco-Russo-Chinese possition. As the US threat increases against Iraq, Iraq seeks to buy time by complying ever so slightly, by degrees. As the US threat diminishes, Iraq will continue to talk the talk, but the walk will become retrograde, and greater obstacles and problems will arrise for inspectors. Eventually, as has happened twice in the past, the inspectors will abandon their mission. This is the goal of France, who profits by their relationship with Iraq, and is the primary agent of Iraq's exports.

Paul Berman advances his case that Joschka Fischer's New Left backround blinds him to opposing Iraq's dictator in Slate. Ultimatly, Fischer's New Left backround causes him to fear fascism in the US more than he fears its dangers in Iraq. You can see his earlier New Reublic article on Fischer here.

In many ways, Iraq has been the catalyst for a great struggle between the inheritors of the New Left, and the Neoconservatives.

One of the final results of this crisis will be the irrelevance of the UN. Interestingly, it all proves Nixon's concern that the US not withdrawl from Vietnam in a way that makes it look weak, unreliable, and skittish. Likewise his protoge, Alexander Haig's similar arguments in a multitude of places, including Lebanon.

As a final observation, its interesting how many notable figures (not to mention the general consensus) in America opposed getting involved in the war against Hitler prior to Pearl Harbor. I saw Joseph Kennedy on the History Channel not to long ago embrace the name appeasor with regard to Germany.