Thursday, February 20, 2003

What a surprise!
Rajiv Chandrasekaran of the Washington Post reports that Inspectors faulting Iraqi follow-up:
President Saddam Hussein’s government, apparently emboldened by antiwar sentiment at the U.N. Security Council and in worldwide street protests, has not followed through on its promises of increased cooperation with U.N. arms inspectors, according to inspectors in Iraq.
...
"The antiwar demonstrations across the world reflect a new chapter in the global balance of power," the paper said in an editorial earlier this week. "Everyone has noted that a new multipolar world is emerging. Iraq, with its oil, its resistance, its wise leaders and its strategic vision, is an important and fundamental actor in this multipolar world."
Dream on.

But it gets better:
Iraqi officials, displaying a similar confidence, have shifted their message from "We are complying" to a more insistent call for the lifting of economic sanctions imposed after Iraq’s 1990 invasion of Kuwait.

U.N. officials and diplomats here express belief that Hussein’s government may have misread the position of most council members or may be seeking to continue a game of brinkmanship by parceling out concessions at the last minute to stymie U.S. efforts to generate consensus for military action.

"They are feeling: The world opinion is with us. We can resist further pressure. We have time. We can play with the U.S. and U.K.," a U.N. official said. "This is very dangerous."
I wouldn't be selling Saddam any life insurance policies.