Ever since the Gulf War in 1990, the relationship between the United States and Iraq is more than frosty. For a time, it seemed weapons inspections and sanctions would be a temporary stepping stone to normality in Iraq but this was recently proven wrong.
Ever since September 11, the sharply divided U.S. government struggled to find a suitable policy towards Iraq, which is accused of support for Al Quaeda. Even though Iraq’s connection with Al Quaeda has never been proven and Saddam Hussein has not given new reason for U.S. attacks, U.S. President George W. Bush has authorized the Central Intelligence Agency to conduct secret operations to remove and, if necessary, kill Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. The Washington Post’s publication of this fact last weekend certainly diminishes the probability of an immediate U.S. attack, however, it causes a different problem, that concerns the upcoming G8 conference.
"The fact that President Bush’s authorization of the CIA to start an operation against the Iraqi leadership has become public sets the precedence to have that conversation at the G8," said political science educator and insider Donn Lovett. "Because they are all gonna be concerned about it, Bush will try to hijack the G8 in terms of making it his war on terrorism as opposed to the agenda on poverty that [Canadian Prime Minister Jean] Chrétien wants to pursue. I think the reason that the information about Bush’s plan has been publicized is because the U.S. has no support from any other countries to launch an attack."
Lovett explained the American focus on Iraq may endanger the G8 agenda which previously focussed on Africa. He is concerned that the U.S. is planning to remove, if not kill the leader of a sovereign country, an action not supported by the United Nations.
"If the U.S. would go into Iraq, all hell would break loose in the Arab countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia," said Lovett. "It would cause a huge anti-western backlash. This fact and the missing support from all over the world has to sink in–even into George Bush’s head."
The possibility of unilateral U.S. action is of great concern to the UN and the G8 countries and will therefore be of interest at the upcoming G8 conference.
"There has been an immediate response from Canada and our Foreign Minister Bill Graham is saying that we can’t support this, because we work through the UN and international law," Lovett said. "But the Americans don’t care anymore."
Because Canada is the host of the G8 conference, Lovett hopes it will make sure that the agenda will not be changed.
"Bush should not be allowed to steal the G8 agenda and therefore Mr. Graham has to stand up and make clear that Canada does not support the U.S. and won’t let them hijack the G8," Lovett said.