THE AMERICAN NEIL KINNOCK & MCCAIN LIGHT SPEAK:

Winning the Peace (Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Chuck Hagel, April 6, 2003, Washington Post)

The war in Iraq is still on, but it's not too early to think about what the United States should do to win the peace that will follow. There may be difficult days ahead, but we are confident in the rightness of our cause, the skill of our soldiers and the certainty of our victory.

Last December we traveled to northern Iraq and visited key allies in the Middle East. Nearly every leader we met stressed the importance of gaining international legitimacy for our efforts in Iraq. The best way to build such legitimacy is by involving our key allies and international organizations -- starting with the United Nations -- in securing and rebuilding Iraq.

Yes, our decision to use force in Iraq produced deep divisions among our Security Council allies. Nonetheless, America need not and cannot take sole responsibility for the challenges of a postwar Iraq. And we must not allow the U.N. Security Council and our Atlantic allies to become casualties of war. There are five main reasons for this. [...]

In short, we must internationalize our policies for rebuilding a postwar Iraq, even as we retain full control on the security side, ideally with the involvement of NATO, the EU and countries in the region. The best way to do that is through a new U.N. resolution authorizing the necessary security, humanitarian, reconstruction and political missions in a post-conflict Iraq.

As we were told by our allies in the region in December and in subsequent meetings, securing the United Nations' endorsement would give political cover to leaders from allied countries whose people oppose the war, allowing them to justify their participation -- including financial participation -- in building the peace. It also would open the door to NATO, the European Union and the World Bank.

Without the United Nations, it would be difficult for governments and international organizations to buck strong public opposition and join the effort to stabilize and rebuild Iraq.

By refusing to disarm, a defiant Saddam Hussein made the fateful choice between war and peace. We must make sure that in winning the war, we also win the peace.

Two of the Senate's most notorious nitwits--if they'd gotten Barbra Boxer to sign on they'd have had the trifecta--seek to have institutions that sided with Saddam Hussein and against the Iraqi people take over the administration of a reborn Iraq. Particularly appalling here is the recognition that many nations would rather stand by and watch Iraq struggle than appear to condone the war that liberated them. What conceivable American interest is served by rehabilitating such leaders, peoples, and transnational institutions? Posted by Orrin Judd at April 6, 2003 9:17 PM