“Only Count down Is Left for Attack on Iraq“

The possibility that the U.S. war on terrorism would expand to Iraq seems very high. The U.S. government thinks that the war on Afghanistan is almost successfully completed and the domestic support for the attack on Iraq is very high.

U.S. Vice President Dick Chaney said on Dec. 9th that "we did not decide how to deal with the problem of Iraq." However, a British military expert assured, "the attack on Iraq is only the matter of when and how. The principle to attack is already established."

The U.S. has tried to find a clue that can bind Iraq to 9.11 terror in vain. Right after its failure to find a related evidence, the U.S. posed the problem for the development of weapons of mass destruction by so-called `rogue states`.

According to the survey by the Washington Post and ABC, the attack on Iraq recorded over 77 percent support. The voice of the doves in the U.S. administration that insisted on the diplomatic resolution has been significantly weakened.

However, international responses are still cold. The closest alliance United Kingdom expressed negatively to the expansion of the war. France and Russia clarified their objection to the military operation. Kofi Annan the United Nations Secretary General denounced that "an attempt to expand the war is silly." The protest of the Arab countries are more harsh. They are warning that, if the U.S. expand the war to Iraq, it cannot be considered as `a war on terrorism`.

Ha Jong-Dae orionha@donga.com