Word: truce
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...defense. It's hard to remember now, but this war is not a new one. It's merely the continuation of one begun in 1990 by Saddam when he invaded Kuwait. Recall that when that war was won 12 years ago, no peace treaty was signed. Instead, a truce was arranged on a clear and unequivocal condition: that Saddam completely disarm himself of weapons of mass destruction. Since no one--not even the U.N. inspectors--believes that such disarmament has happened, the truce no longer holds...
...issue is therefore not whether to start a war. It is whether to end one by rewarding the aggressor and simply ignoring his infractions of the truce. Such a policy, inasmuch as it clearly rewards unprovoked violence, is immoral and imprudent. Have we exhausted every single alternative to war? Well, we have spent the past 12 years trying to find peaceful ways to get Saddam to live up to his promises. Waves of inspections, countless resolutions, occasional use of targeted force under the Clinton Administration, crippling economic sanctions and finally an attempt under U.N. Resolution 1441 to give Saddam...
...have no doubt that Saddam is a brutal dictator. And I am well aware that he has failed to live up to the conditions of the 1991 truce. But I doubt that any of this makes him more "evil" than a number of other current officeholders around the world. Nor do I understand why President George W. Bush thinks it is the job of the U.S. to eliminate brutal dictators. America's foreign policy has often supported these same brutal dictators--including Saddam--when they have been on "our side." Bush's use of the word evil comes close...
...Those roles are now reversed. Bali is trying to recover from the devastating October bombings that killed 193. In the meantime Sri Lanka has experienced more than a year of peace thanks to a truce between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Tourist arrivals hit 393,000 last year, nearly returning to pre-civil-war levels. And some visitors are finding the country's Buddhist sites and exquisite beaches so charming?and safe?that they want to claim a permanent piece of paradise. A mini property boom on the southern coast has begun...
...Nepal The government and Maoist rebels signed a truce on Jan. 29, bringing a pause to the seven-year feud that has crippled the country's economy. The rebels, who vowed to overthrow the kingdom and install a communist state, seem ready to bargain. Maoist leader Prachanda even promised "to foil attempts to sabotage [peace] talks." The government has yet to form a negotiating team, however. Observers fear a reprise of the 2001 talks, which the rebels ended by attacking an army barracks, killing 14 soldiers...