[Editorial] The Bad Effects War with Iraq Could Bring

The countdown to the U.S.-led war with Iraq has already been coined a “world war.” Though warring parties are the U.S., Britain, and Iraq, no other nations will be totally free from its impact. The imminent war is causing the world economy including oil prices to fluctuate, and holding terrorism in check and dismantling weapons of mass destruction have become household words around the world. How much will change in world dynamics after the war in Iraq affect people in the world? It is hard to imagine how South Korea will not be affected by this war at all.

Though all wars are tragic, this war is all the more frustrating. In the run-up to the war, the world has been sharply divided. And divisions will go deeper and deeper if the U.S. goes to war, ignoring anti-war sentiment, which has been the strongest ever since World War II, along with the due U.N. resolution process.

Skeptics are calling into question the fact that war is the only way to stop the spread of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. Has the only superpower’s judgment always been right? Sad to say, the U.S. war waged in Iraq in 12 years is not likely to produce a clear answer to this question.

The idea of war with Iraq was conceived after the September 11 terrorist attacks on U.S. soil in 2001 and was made perfectly clear during U.S. President George W. Bush’s state of the union address in January 2002. If so, is the next target North Korea, which has also been short-listed as part of the ‘axis of evil’ and is suspected of spreading weapons of mass destruction by Mr. Bush?

It is regrettable that the war in Iraq seems impossible to stop. We want to make a few wishes instead for peace-loving people around the world as the next best policy. We call on the U.S. to focus on the disarming of weapons of mass destruction and preventing terrorism, while keeping casualties to a minimum. The U.S. should not attack the Iraqi people. This is the least thing it can do for those against war. For its part, North Korea should also understand that the U.S.’ demands for the country to give up its weapons of mass destruction is not a bluff.