Key U.S.-European Allies Continue to Resist Bush War Plan
Interview with Susan Wright,University of Michigan research scientist, conducted by Between The Lines'Scott Harris
Secretary of State Colin Powell's presentation of the Bush administration's case justifying their drive for war against Iraq before the U.N. Security Council Feb. 5 met with mixed reviews. The former U.S. Army general presented satellite photos, monitored communications and uncorroborated accusations in an effort to convince the world that Saddam Hussein is in league with al Qaeda and continues to conceal and build weapons of mass destruction. While the U.S. media offered little in the way of critical analysis as to the "facts" presented by Mr. Powell, the European press expressed serious skepticism. In his speech Powell cited a "fine paper" distributed by British intelligence of which substantial portions embarrassingly turned out to have been the plagiarized work of a California graduate student.
But even as the White House put its public relations machine in overdrive to win public support for a war with Baghdad, President Bush faced a rebellion among powerful U.S. allies in Europe. France, Germany and Russia criticized Washington's intention to attack Iraq and advocated more time for intensified U.N. weapons inspections. The Bush agenda for war has also sparked discord within NATO where a request from Turkey, for military defense assistance in the event of a future war with Iraq, was blocked by France, Germany and Belgium.
Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Susan Wright, a research scientist at the University of Michigan and co-author of "Biological Warfare and Disarmament: New Problems, New Perspectives." Wright takes a critical look at the Bush administration's justification for launching a war against Iraq and the gathering international opposition to Washington's approach to disarmament.
"Biological Warfare and Disarmament: New Problems, New Perspectives" is published by Rowman Littlefield.
Related links:
The Sunshine Project, www.sunshine-project.org
Council for Responsible Genetics www.gene-watch.org/
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