Uncle Sam vs the world

The critics are having themselves a field day, and in their naivety they are contributing to the growing unease that is everyday Baghdad. It's a shame that people find the need to report that the American administration favors going it alone, when in fact many months were spent trying to build a united front against a known and despised dictator.

Mind you, the report in question did come from Agence France Press, which I suppose doesn't count for much, if anything at all. It seems that now the very same united front could well surface once the UN comes up with an acceptable resolution. All I hope is that when eventually everyone agrees with the words and the need, the member countries have the stomach and the decency to respond in a positive manner. That would also include Muslim nations, which need, above all other countries, to demonstrate that they also are more than prepared to fight Islamic terrorists on any front.

Of course time will tell on that one, but in the meantime, one should not forget the shambles, the utter disgrace and the embarrassment that was the UN prior to the invasion of Iraq. I am certainly not a great fan of the Bush brigade, but when it comes to sticking your neck out in the many troubled regions of this world, you will not find many other countries that have the guts to put their money where their mouth is.

As Iraq is fast becoming the battlefront against terrorism, one assumes that all countries would be clambering over one another in their eagerness and willingness to fight this common cancer, or will it be like it was before -- all words and no action -- with a few abstentions thrown in for good measure?

DAVID WALLIS Medan, North Sumatra