As we edge closer toward a seemingly inevitable war with Iraq, dissent in the international community is rising. Important allies of the United States, led by France and Germany, are so adamantly against the war that they are taking action that, at times, seems to simply spite us. They have made a case for more rigorous weapons inspections despite admissions by the leaders of the current inspections, Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei, that no progress can be made without better cooperation from Iraq. And France has threatened to use its veto power on the U.N. Security Council to make a war with U.N. approval impossible.
France and Germany may largely be acting out of spite right now, but the sentiments of their governments are shared by many in the international community. The anti-war protests around the United States and the world this weekend prove that there is massive opposition to war both in this country and in others.
A recent poll in Great Britain ranked the United States the most dangerous country in the world. In a world with Iraq and North Korea, that is no small accomplishment. Though many European leaders have expressed support for our potential war efforts, European citizens do not favor war. In many countries more than four out of five people are against it. Even British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who has been President Bush's most vocal supporter on Iraq in the international community, has recently wavered on his position in the face of overwhelming dissent in his country and even in his own party in the House of Commons.
It is obvious that President Bush feels very strongly that war is a viable option. Although he still calls it a last resort, at this point it seems--barring a coup ousting Saddam Hussein--it is the only one. News agencies across the country have reported that the administration is quietly planning for a mid-March invasion, with or without the approval of the Security Council.
President Bush, to his credit, and to his detriment, is a man who sticks to what he believes in. Despite his slowly but surely falling approval ratings in the United States and the major popular opinion opposition abroad, Bush is still pushing for the disarmament of Iraq by any means necessary. But it is important, despite his strong convictions, for Bush to step back and listen to the convictions of others. As Richard Cohen wrote in his recent Washington Post column \The Crude Crusader,"" ""[Bush's] case is right because he feels right about it.""
Bush and his administration have to be willing to take into account the opinions of the international community in U.S. foreign policy. It is not productive for officials to simply dismiss opposition to their stance, as Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld did recently in saying France and Germany's stances were irrelevant. Though the United States is the world's greatest superpower, it isn't the world's irrefutable leader. President Bush has to be willing to listen to the voice of the international community. War is not the only option available, and unlike many in the United States, most Europeans still see it as a last resort.
In ""The Crude Crusader,"" Cohen writes that Bush has ""contempt for the lives of the contemptible."" While that might be an admirable way of thinking, the president has to understand that others may feel differently from him for good reason. Dissent has some merit to it and can't be written off as unreasonable. Bush may hate the contemptible, but many in Europe are against the war to remove a contemptible dictator because they have compassion for the lives of the innocent.
