Follow-Through

The State Department announced that it would host 50-60 “scholars and academics” in Washington this week, so they can tell our government why so many people don’t like us. Our problem is not with the question – although we suspect that they and we already know the answer. Our question is what will we do after they tell us? Will we change our behavior or our policies? Will we redefine our national interest? Likely not.

The State Department announced that it would host 50-60 “scholars and academics” in Washington this week, so they can tell our government why so many people don’t like us. Our problem is not with the question – although we suspect that they and we already know the answer. Our question is what will we do after they tell us? Will we change our behavior or our policies? Will we redefine our national interest? Likely not.

So why hold a conference to ask a question, the answer to which is clear and won’t change your behavior anyhow? If it is nothing more than permitting enemies of the United States to “vent” their frustration, we believe they will be vastly more frustrated after they tell us what to do and we don’t do it.

The devil will be in the follow-through.

Secretary of State Powell also called this weekend for inspectors to return to Iraq, saying, “Iraq has been in violation of these many UN resolutions for most of the last 11 years or so. So as a first step, let’s see what the inspectors find, send them back in.”

Our problem is not in what he said. The first sentence is the reason the U.S. doesn’t need an additional UN resolution to take military action in Iraq. Iraq is in violation of the existing resolutions, and the coalition (or any remaining parts thereof) is entitled to bring Saddam back into compliance. The second sentence is the mechanism, “as a first step…”

Our question is about the part, “let’s see what the inspectors find.” What if they find what most of us believe is there? Will we remove it? What if the inspectors aren’t allowed to go wherever they want to? Will we eliminate the places we aren’t allowed to inspect? Will we eliminate the regime? We agree with VP Cheney that the point of American policy is not the insertion of inspectors, but the destruction of Iraq’s non-conventional capabilities. And we agree Saddam will try to snooker the inspectors.

The devil will again be in the follow-through.