By Laila Takla * The attack on Iraq was described in many newspapers, in several countries and in different languages as "Monica's war", the implication being that it was designed to divert attention from the US president's domestic problems. This may be true, yet there are other motives. The attack may have been a show of power after the series of blows suffered by the US, its presidency and its values. It could be a lesson to those who are thinking of disobeying the world's only superpower. It was certainly a bonus to the powerful military-industrial complex, which has been pulling at its leash since the profitable business opportunity represented by the Gulf War. The Pentagon and the armed forces, long idle, needed to stretch their legs and test their new toys. The attack was also a way of scrapping the UN and the world community as a player with a say in the decision-making process. It served, too, as a reminder to those regimes which may have forgotten the US's munificence in protecting them. Moreover, rapid action was needed after the visit to Palestine, in order to prove that any hopes or aspirations the Arabs may have been entertaining were groundless. Strangely, no one was impressed. The US's enemies could never have hoped to tarnish its image so definitively. Saddam, unfortunately, has emerged a hero; the people of Iraq continue to suffer. Today, at least, the US has absolute power in the international arena. The world, and US citizens first and foremost, should beware. *This week's Soapbox speaker is the former president of the People's Assembly Foreign Relations Committee.
