Iraq Briefing Book Iraq Policy Working Group January 2003

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STATEMENTS FROM
MILITARY OFFICIALS,
SECURITY EXPERTS & VETERANS

MILITARY AND FORMER ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS OPPOSED TO WAR IN IRAQ

Anthony Zinni, Middle East Peace Envoy. Zinni, former Commander-in-Chief of the Central Command, has voiced concern that a war with Iraq could exacerbate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. However, he says he would support a war if the United States gains the approval of Congress and of the international community. Zinni also cautions: "You could inherit the country of Iraq, if you want to do it. If our economy is so great that you're willing to put billions of dollars into reforming Iraq, if you want to put soldiers that are already stretched so thin all around the world and add them into a security force there forever, you're going to have to make a good case for that."

Wesley Clark, former NATO Supreme Commander during the Kosovo campaign. According to ClarK, the immediate urgency of the threat posed by Saddam must be determined before the administration can justify an attack against Iraq. He argues that the current primary threat to U.S. security is al Qaeda and not Iraq, and that the United States would lose its focus in the war against terrorism if it began a war now against Iraq.

Zbigniew Brzezinski, former National Security Advisor. Brzezinski argues that U.S. preemption is justified only if an attack on us is imminent "because for the United States to go to war, unless provoked, is a very serious, very serious step." Brzezinski observes that "nearly a year after the start of America's war on terrorism, that war faces the real risk of being hijacked by foreign governments with repressive agendas. Instead of leading a democratic coalition, the United States faces the risk of dangerous isolation."

Jimmy Carter, former President. Carter has stated that there is no current danger to the United States from Baghdad and that "a unilateral war with Iraq is not the answer" to Iraq's continued development of WMD. Instead, he maintains, "there is an urgent need for U.N. action to force unrestricted inspections in Iraq." He has urged the Administration to act with multilateral support within the U.N. system because, he has maintained, "unilateral acts and assertions increasingly isolate the United States from the very nations needed to join in combating terrorism." Finally, Carter has expressed concern that in the event of a U.S. attack, he believes Iraq's WMD would be used against Israeli or against American forces.

Brent Scowcroft, former National Security Adviser. Scowcroft has argued that a military attack on Iraq at this time "would jeopardize, if not destroy, the global counter-terrorist campaign we have undertaken."

George Tenet, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Although he acknowledges that Hussein remains a threat to international security, Tenet recently stated that Hussein is unlikely to launch a chemical or biological attack unless provoked by an imminent military strike. In October 2002, Tenet warned that "should Saddam conclude that a U.S.-led attack could no longer be deterred, he probably would become much less constrained in adopting terrorist actions."

Source: Excerpted from the CRS Report for Congres, "Iraq: Differing Views in the Domestic Policy Debate," October 16, 2002