Global Policy Forum

By Ash Pulcifer

We are approaching the climax of the Bush administration's policy of unilateralism. Soon the Bush administration will make the decision of whether to go to war with Iraq. The future of the world as we currently know it may depend on this decision. While to many Americans an invasion of Iraq may seem like a largely insignificant event, the actual ramifications are quite serious.

If the Bush administration chooses to attack Iraq, the United States will be invading a sovereign nation accompanied by almost no global support. Nearly every single government on the planet has spoken out against a war in Iraq, including the major countries of the European continent, Germany and France.

In the first Gulf War, the United States achieved a broad coalition for their invasion of Iraq, using its advanced military to achieve the goals of the coalition. The invasion of Afghanistan also received popular support across the globe, as governments around the world recognized the U.S. wish to eliminate al Qaeda training camps.

Unlike these past campaigns, the United States' present threat to attack Iraq is opposed by nearly every government in the world, making any attack by the United States a show of defiance by the world's only superpower. It will mean that the United States has completely disregarded its respect for other sovereign nations by preemptively striking Iraq in direct opposition to major players on the world stage.

Such actions will cause other nations to realize that the United States' policies may be a danger to their society, as Washington threatens to trudge over the world like a centurion in the Roman army. It will be a sign to other governments that the United States is no longer interested in taking into account world society before making decisions, but only interested in preserving American society at the expense of the rest of the world.

This is why the future may turn out quite grim. Should the United States continue with its abandonment of multilateralism, governments around the world will consider world organizations such as the United Nations to be a farce since they will be unable to prevent the U.S. policy of "might makes right." In addition, the idea of a world free from trade barriers will vanish before the eyes of economic dreamers; barriers will no longer be broken but they will be made. The globe will retreat into a period of nationalism where governments will look out for themselves and their alliance partners, and no longer attempt to unite the world.

While many nationalists in the United States and throughout the world will love the idea of breaking away from the ideals of the United Nations and retreat toward a "my country first" mentality, it may not bode well for peace on the planet. It is in these times of excessive nationalism where governments pit themselves against each other, and then send their "loyal subjects" to battle it out under a thin moral veil of fighting against the forces of evil.

This precious decision lies in the hands of the Bush administration. How they decide to handle the Iraq conflict may change the course of current history.

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