posted April 11, 2003 03:10               

CLAUSEWITZ SAID THAT WAR IS THE FAILURE OF DIPLOMACY, MEANING THEREBY THAT A WAR HAPPENS ONLY WHEN ALL DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS FAIL! I WOULD LIKE TO DIFFER RESPECTFULLY WITH THIS SCHOLARLY CONCLUSION, FOR DIPLOMACY NEVER FAILS! IT ALWAYS REMAINS EVERGREEN AND BRIMMING WITH LIFE ALL THE TWENTY FOUR HOURS OF THE DAY . IT ALWAYS BREATHS LIFE WITH OMNIPRESENT PERMUTATIONS AND COMBINATIONS OF SOLUTIONS TO ALL THE PROBLEMS CREATED BY COMPETING AND AT TIMES CONFLICTING POLITICAL INTERESTS OF ANY GIVEN NUMBER OF NATION-STATES.ITS WE HUMANS WHO FAIL MISERABLY BY DISPLAYING AN EXTRAORDINARY CALLOUS RIGIDITY AND UNWILLINGNESS TO CHOOSE FROM AMONGST ONE OF THESE VIABLE ALTERNATIVES PRESENT AT THE GIVEN MOMENT!THUS, DIPLOMACY EXISTS SUCCESSFULLY ALL THE TIME BE IT PRE-WAR,WAR OR POST-WAR!

IN THE IMMEDIATE CONTEXT, THERE IS NO REASON TO GIVE UP HOPES OF A DIPLOMATIC SOLUTION TO THE ENSUING ANGLOAMERICAN-IRAQI CRISIS.WE ONLY HAVE TO MUSTER UP ENOUGH COURAGE TO SHOW FLEXIBILITY OF THOUGHT AND ACTION.STILL, THERE IS TIME BEFORE MATTERS GET WORSE IN TERMS OF LOSS OF HUMAN LIVES BOTH CIVILIAN AND DEFENCE IN THE CONTINUING BATTLE FOR BAGHDAD.FIRST, THE INVASION OF IRAQ IS ILLEGAL AND UNAUTHORISED BY THE UNO.FOR THAT MATTER NO AGGRESSOR SEEKS THE PERMISSION OF THE UNO.SECONDLY, ONE CAN’T WISH AWAY CERTAIN HARSH GROUND REALITIES LIKE IRAQI TENACITY TO FIGHT, GENERAL IRAQI PUBLIC ANGER AGAINST THE ALLIES WHOM THEY SEE AS AGGRESSORS AND NOT AS LIBERATORS,OVERSTRETCHING OF LINES OF COMMUNICATION AND LOGISTICS OF ALLIED FORCES CAUSING THEIR SLOW DOWN AND INCREASED VULNERABILITY TO ATTACK FROM IRAQI GUERRILLAS,NO UPRISING BY SHIIATS IN BASRA,DIFFUSION OF IRAQI ARMY-FIYADINS-IRREGULARS ACROSS THE LENGTH AND BREADTH OF THE COUNTRY,PROBABLE BLOODY STREET FIGHTS IN BAGHDAD IN THE DAYS TO COME, UNWILLINGNESS OF COALITION TO SEND A LARGE NUMBER OF BODYBAGS BACK HOME TO AVOID PUBLIC BACKLASH ,POSSIBILITY OF SADDAM USING ANY UNFORESEEN UNCONVENTIONAL WEAPONS AS A LAST RESORT TO FIGHT THE ALLIES.ALL THIS MAKES A HEADY COCKTAIL FOR A LONG DRAWN OUT WAR IN IRAQ WITH NO CLEAR WINNERS DESPITE COALITION HAVING SUPERIORITY IN TERMS OF ARMS AND AMMUNITION!

CERTAINLY, NO ONE LIKES DICTATORIAL NATURE OF SADDAM’S REGIME.BUT, THEN THAT IS NO EXCUSE TO ATTACK AN INDEPENDENT SOVEREIGN STATE .CHANGE OF REGIME HAS TO COME THROUGH DEMOCRATIC MEANS.NO DOUBT, SADDAM HAS A PAST FULL OF TORTURE OF HIS OWN COUNTRY PEOPLE.STILL, THE OLD LION OF TIGRIS AND EUPHRATIS HAD SUFFICIENTLY BEEN SUBDUED BY GULF WAR DEFEAT! IN 1990 , SADDAM WOULD NOT CARE A FIG FOR THE UNO.BUT, IN 2003 , THE SAME LION HAD BEEN TAMED BY THE UNO INTO PERMITTING ARMS INSPECTION!WINDS OF LIBERALISATION, CHANGE AND DEMOCRACY HAVE BEEN BLOWING ALL OVER THE GLOBE IN LAST ONE DECADE.ALL AGEING COMMUNIST LEADERS RIGHT FROM RUSSIA, CHINA TO OUR WEST BENGAL HAVE FALLEN IN LINE TO OPEN UP TO MARKET REALITIES.SOONER OR LATER, SADDAM WOULD HAVE BEEN IN THE MAINSTREAM, TOO.BUT, HASTE BY AMERICA HAS PUT ALL THIS IN PERIL.NOW, THERE IS VALID DANGER OF COALITION MAKING AN UNNECESSARY HERO OUT OF SADDAM WHOSE NAME MAY WELL BE EXPLOITED BY TERRORISTS ALL OVER THE WORLD TO EXPLOIT MUSLIM SENTIMENTS BY HIGHLIGHTING THE UNJUST NATURE OF COALITION AGGREASSION.IN FACT,COALITION COULD HAVE UTILISED SADDAM’S INTELLIGENCE NETWORK TO SMOKE OUT INTERNATIONAL FUNDAMENTALIST TERRORISM.IN FACT, USA STANDS EXPOSED, FOR IT WERE USA ITSELF WHICH HAD HELPED SADDAM ARM IRAQ IN 1980s !IN RETROSPECT, IT SEEMS COALITION WAS BUYING TIME TO PREPARE MILITARILY AGAINST IRAQ BY ENGAGING IRAQ IN ARMS INSPECTION BY UNO ARMS INSPECTORS.ONCE, IT WAS CONVINCED OF IRAQI VULNERABILITY IN TERMS OF POSSESSION OF NO HIGHLY DANGEROUS CHEMICAL WEAPONRY, IT LAUNCHED ITS FOOLHARDY MISADVENTURE INTO IRAQ IN THE NAME OF SEARCHING WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION AND LIBERATION OF IRAQI PEOPLE.

AS IT STANDS NOW, THIS WAR SHALL NEITHER BE WON BY SADDAM NOR BY ALLIES.THE ONLY LAUGHING VICTOR SHALL BE DEATH , IF NO AVAILABLE ALTERNATIVES ARE USED TO DIFFUSE THE SITUAION.THIS CAN BE AVOIDED BY FOLLOWING 5 POINT PEACE PLAN WHICH MUST BE IMPLEMENTED BY THE UNO:
1.IMMEDIATE CESSATION OF HOSTILITIES.
2.INDUCTION OF UNO PEACE KEEPING FORCE IN IRAQ.
3.RESUMPTION OF ARMS INSPECTION BY UNO ARMS INSPECTORS.
4.CONDUCTING OF A REFERENDUM UNDER UNO SUPERVISION TO DETERMINE THE NATURE OF POLITY THE IRAQIS WOULD LIKE THEMSELVES TO BE UNDER WITHOUT COMPROMISING TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY.REFERENDUM IN CHECHENYA LED TO COOLING OF GUNFIRE AS THE MAJORITY VOTED TO REMAIN WITH RUSSIA,RECENTLY.
5.CONVINCING SADDAM TO USHER IN DEMOCRACY IN IRAQ.

STEPS 4 AND 5 SHOULD SATISFY COALITION ,AS THEIR AVOWED AIM OF ATTACKING IRAQ HAS BEEN INSTALLING A DEMOCRATIC REGIME THERE.GIVEN THE HARSH GROUND REALITIES AND TO AVOID FURTHER UNNECESSARY BLOODSHED , BOTH THE COALITION AND SADDAM MUST AGREE TO IMPLEMENTING THIS ABOVE OUTLINED PEACE FORMULA IN THE GENERAL INTEREST OF WORLD AND IRAQI PEOPLE IN PARTICULAR.THIS WAR HAS FAILED AND SHALL FAIL.SO,NATURALLY LET DIPLOMACY WISELY TAKE THE CENTRE STAGE!