CONSEQUENCES OF U.S WAR OVER

BY SUMAIRA IRSHAD

The positive aspects of the war is that the challenge has emerged to the US unipolarity from France, Germany, Russia and China, which is the most significant development because it would put a check on US unbridled acts of terrorism 1991 war on Iraq, 1998 war on Kosovo, 2001 war on Afghanistan and now the war on Iraq 2003. The contours of a bipolar world order have emerged and likely to become a reality after the war, thus correcting the global balance of power.
The negative aspect is that the UN has been rendered ineffective and the European Union and the NATO stand divided. The USA will gain control over oil resources of the region as well as control over the routes of supply thus creating a dangerous situation for the countries whose economy depend on oil. The war is likely to proliferate global terrorism.

POLITICAL CONSEQUENCES
The Iraqi crisis has influenced the great debate about Europe’s place and role on the world stage and the future of the EU, gives the deep started raining down on Iraq. Deep historical, political and cultural differences that under lie the relatively recently forged European unity surface as the member of EU were confronted with the tough choice of whether to support the military action against Iraq under Washington’s new doctrine of pre-emptive strike against potential threats posed by hostile states. Differences of opinion over the US-led military actions against Iraq expressed a tectonic shift in the inner dynamics of European politics, huge consequences for the future of US / EU relations, the NATO military alliance and the prospects for the EU. The EU debate on action against Iraq started in January 2002, when George Bush in his speech referred to Iran, Iraq and north Korea as the “ axis of evil “ while France, Germany criticized the American approach. There was no common European stance, the countries driven by domestic politics rather than the dictates of consensus-based foreign policy, expressed their individual country position. Even after the war, Britain and Spain still are the most allied allies of the US in the reconstruction of Iraq, alienating their French, German and Russian European counterparts in the process.
The entire NATO Europe today, the center of gravity is shifting to the east and there are a lot of new members. The Iraq crisis has also caused spilt among the NATO countries particularly after the veto prerogative used by Germany, France, and Belgium on the troop deployment issue. The war has created a feeling of despair throughout the Muslim Middle East Arab feels frustrated by the incurability to prevent the US from attacking Iraq.
One additional challenge is to transfer power at least formally, to the Iraqis. It is a very complicated political task because dictatorship by nature doesn’t groom alternative leadership. They aim to destroy legitimate political mechanism for change of power. The power base in Iraqi in exile that portrays them as the opposition is unclear. Iraqi democracy is unlikely scenario.
Conclusion
The Iraq crisis has been defined as a problem of local leadership, regional security, cultural clash, arms control, neo-imperialism and legitimacy. On political front, there is no sign of any consensus among the various ethnic and sectarian groups on the basis of which credible Iraqi administration could be installed.

PREPARED BY SUMAIRA IRSHAD
CLASS OF CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND
CRISIS MANAGEMENT
M.A. (PREVIOUS) 2003

All content (C) Department of International Relations, Karachi University

Website designed and maintained by Techdorado Web Technologies Inc.
Disclaimer Email Webmaster, KUIRD.org