Iraq Briefing Book Iraq Policy Working Group January 2003

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ALTERNATIVES TO WAR WITH IRAQ

"Winning Without War: Sensible Security Options for Dealing with Iraq," Fourth Freedom Forum and Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies
http://www.fourthfreedom.org/php/t-si-index.php?hinc=www_report.hinc

"Alternatives to War Against Iraq," Friends Committee on National Legislation
click here

"Proliferation, Not Iraq, is the Issue," Op-ed by William Hartung, Newsday
http://www.commondreams.org/views02/1018-02.htm

"Making Inspections Work in Iraq," Arms Control Today
http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2002_11/iraqpress.asp

Resources

SUMMARY

The resumption of U.N. weapons inspections in Iraq has created a new opportunity for disarming the regime of its weapons of mass destruction without resort to war. Although the Bush administration continues to threaten a U.S.-led war and U.N. inspections will undoubtedly face obstacles, war against Iraq is not inevitable. Peaceful, diplomatic alternatives still exist and should be pursued fully.

§ Under international law, war must always be a last resort. The U.N.
Charter states: "All members shall settle their international disputes by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security, and justice, are not endangered." As the resumption of U.N. weapons inspections illustrates, nonmilitary methods of ensuring Iraq's disarmament have yet to be fully exhausted. The human, political and economic costs of pursuing nonmilitary alternatives are minimal compared to the potential costs of a war against Iraq.

§ UNMOVIC (U.N. Monitoring, Verification & Inspections Commission)
should be given the necessary time, resources and political support to success-fully complete its mission. Past U.N. weapons inspections were effective in detecting and destroying Iraq's primary nuclear weapons facilities, eliminating most of its chemical weapons capacities, and uncovering its biological weapons programs. The renewed inspections under UNMOVIC could successfully disarm Iraq, but continued threats of war, military build-up in the region, and ongoing fighting in the "no-fly zones" undermine the inspections process.

§ In addition to U.N. inspections, the U.S. should pursue other policy
alternatives to contain Iraq; address the broader instability and conflict in the region; and end U.S. dependency on Middle East oil. Stricter enforcement of the arms embargo against Iraq and tighter monitoring using improved technologies, in addition to U.N. inspections, could do much to curtail Iraq's ability to obtain weapons and weapons material. The U.S. could help de-escalate tensions in the region by pursuing a regional nuclear-free weapons zone in the Middle East, as described in U.N. resolutions; securing a just and peaceful end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; ending national and international dependency on oil; and promoting alternative, renewable sources of energy.

EXPERTS

Alistair Millar
Fourth Freedom Forum
202-716 4716
amillar@fourthfreedom.org

Bridget Moix
Friends Committee on National Legislation
202-547-6000 x112
bridget@fcnl.org

William D. Hartung
World Policy Institute
212-229-5808, ext. 106
hartung@newschool.edu