All We Are Saying is Give Peace a chance .
John LennonThe sound of the war drum is deafening and getting louder. With the exception of Colin Powell, the Bush administration's foreign policy team appears to be steadfast in their belief that Iraq needs a regime change and that the U.S. war machine is the method to accomplish it. As a result, it is likely that hundreds of thousands of U.S. soldiers will be propelled into a full-scale assault on Iraq. While Saddam is clearly an evil despot and war criminal, is regime change worth the deaths of many innocents plus the greater risk for domestic terrorism, international unrest, and further recession?This question is the underlying basis for the growing anti-war movement. The foremost concern of most who object to the war is the death and suffering of innocent Iraqi civilians as well as American soldiers. In the Bush Administration's unsuccessful attempt to 'smoke Osama bin Laden out of his hole' in Afghanistan, 5,000 to 10,000 civilians died and many more were wounded. Experts predict that a full-scale war in Iraq may kill 50,000 or more Iraqi women and children plus thousands of American soldiers.The cost of war may also include less security from terrorism. Many believe that a unilateral war against a Muslim nation will ultimately breed more hatred toward Americans and swell the ranks of terrorists willing to give their lives to harm us. Adopting this first strike policy (using war to take out potential threats) will further alienate the international community from the U.S. This is because most nations morally oppose the notion of a first strike in which tens of thousands of innocent people can die.President Jimmy Carter recently used his acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize as a forum to criticize a unilateral approach to war, saying,'It is clear that global challenges must be met by an emphasis on peace, in harmony with others, with strong alliances and international consensus. Imperfect as it may be, there is no doubt that this can best be done through the United Nations? For powerful countries to adopt a principle of preventive war may well set an example that can have catastrophic consequences.'It is possible that war in Iraq could provoke a regional war in the Mideast. In a worst case scenario fundamentalists could take over Pakistan and control their nuclear arsenal. Another great risk is presented by Saddam Hussein, himself. If in fact he does possess weapons of mass destruction, in the case of war, it is likely that he will attempt to use them on the U.S. or Israel in retribution for losing his empire.Economists are also concerned about the economic cost and risk of a full-scale war. Such an endeavor could cost 100-200 billion dollars and further bust the budget. Higher oil prices would make it more difficult for the sputtering U.S. economy to climb out of recession and start creating jobs, rather than cutting them.