"As the US goes to war with a small coalition and arguably in violation of international law, it finds itself perhaps more isolated and feared than at any point in its history. Incredibly, the Bush administration's determination to wage war on Iraq has led it to squander the enormous solidarity engendered by September 11 and to throw the future of NATO and the UN into question. Public opinion surveys around the world reveal a frightening level of hostility and distrust among even traditional allies. The Bush doctrine of preemption, asserting a unilateral right to strike against states which the administration deems to be enemies, violates both the letter and the spirit of the UN Charter. While some governments have signed on to offer token support, most do so over intense public opposition, to the point where a full third of Bush's claimed coalition refused to allow their names to be made public. Alienating virtually the entire world strikes many as an exorbitant price for this war, and a stunning rebuke to Bush's claims to moral leadership. Whatever the outcome of the war, Bush's failure in the UN leaves both the US and the world weaker, more divided and less secure."
"Irrelevance Lost," Middle East Report Online, Mar. 20, 2003
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