Toby Westerman, Editor and Publisher                                                                                          Copyright 2003

Return to INA TODAY.com  homepage International News Analysis -- the in-depth print report -- covers threats to our nation and views other media, from the right or the left, won't address. INA has no hidden agendas, "sacred cows," or "unspoken understandings" that restrain our news coverage. We filter nothing. INA uses sources others cannot -- or will not -- use to report on topics the other news organizations won't touch. Order 12 issues of International News Analysis for only $29.95 (U.S. funds; $39.95 Canadian and overseas). International News Analysis provides in-depth background on the events reported by INAToday.com. International News Analysis gives readers unique perspective on world events, since 1996. Send subscriptions to: International News Analysis. 2364 Jackson St. #301 Stoughton, WI 53589 U.S.A. Save on Your Taxes With A Donation to International News Analysis Institute Corp! Inatoday.com is sponsored by International News Analysis Institute Corp, a tax deductible, nonprofit 501 (c) (3) organization. Your contribution will help the real story to be told on overseas events, untainted by the dominant media. We provide the news other sources can't or won't tell you about. Inatoday.com directly benefits you. Please provide us with your support. You may contribute by credit card: -- or by check to: International News Analysis 2364 Jackson St. #301 Stoughton, WI 53589 U.S.A. U.N. to rule Iraq? January 27, 2003 By Toby Westerman Copyright 2003 International News Analysis Today www.inatoday.com The U.N. should govern Iraq following the forced exile of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, according to a plan being considered by several European nations. The proposal for U.N. administration of Iraq comes as the U.S. and several leading European nations remain in stark disagreement over a possible U.S.-led attack on Iraq. U.N. administration of Iraq - as well as increased talk of Saddam's exile - have found a powerful advocate in Euro radical Marco Pannella, who leads a group named "Alternative to Violence." Pannella and his group claim that European governments and individual officials are keenly interested in their activities concerning Iraq. Pannella has a track record of getting what he wants. In his native Italy, Pannella led several successful referenda, including those making divorce and abortion legal in that nominally Catholic nation. Pannella also was in the forefront of the successful movement to establish a permanent international war crimes tribunal. "Saddam is through," Pannella declared in a recent interview with La Stampa, the Italian news daily. Pannella defined two alternatives for Saddam. One is to "die and be immolated in a bunker, while his praetorian [Republican] guards are killed," a reference to the death of Adolph Hitler at the end of WWII in Europe. Saddam's only other alternative, according to Pannella, is to "accept his exile - guaranteed and secured by the U.N." European government officials are closely monitoring efforts to send Saddam into exile, claims Pannella. "It's a fact that many Western governments … are watching our struggle [to exile Saddam] with extreme interest," Pannella told La Stampa. Pannella cited U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, and the governments of Egypt and Saudi Arabia as supporting Saddam's exile. Should Saddam refuse an offer of exile, "he would be condemning himself to death," Pannella warned. If Saddam flees, the necessity for a U.S.-led invasion would end, and the U.N. then "could establish a democratic Iraq under its trusteeship," Pannella asserted. Pannella's advocacy of U.N. rule follows reports of a U.S. plan to administer Iraq after Saddam's defeat at the hands of U.S.-led forces. Observers note that whoever governs Iraq faces a severe challenge. Iraq has no democratic political tradition, and an end to Saddam's rule would unleash decades of pent-up revenge. The range of political forces within Iraq extends from a well-armed Islamic guerrilla movement (supported by Iran) to a small but active Communist Party. Armed bands, hostile to any new government following Saddam's regime, could find refuge in neighboring countries. Recent attempts at nation building have encountered serious difficulties, and remain mired in social and political rivalries. Following the 78-day NATO air war against Yugoslavia in 1999, the U.N. established its presence in Kosovo, a province of Serbia, and one of the two members of the Yugoslav federation. NATO attacked Yugoslavia for the stated purpose of defending the Albanian majority in Kosovo, reported to be under threat of destruction by the Yugoslav government of then-president Slobodan Milosevic. The U.N. formally recognized that Kosovo is an integral part of Serbia. Despite the U.N.'s formal recognition that Kosovo is part of Serbia, U.N.-sponsored elections in Kosovo resulted in the establishment of a provisional government, which functions as a de facto independent state. Much of the Serb minority has fled Kosovo, with many Serb churches and monasteries looted. Kosovo became a center for drug and weapons smuggling, trafficking in women, and a base for Islamic fighters operating in neighboring Serbia and Macedonia. U.S. efforts to reconstruct the government of Afghanistan following the ouster of the militant Islamic Taliban regime remain hampered by religious and political rivalries. Despite U.S. attempts to establish a democratic regime in Afghanistan, recent reports indicate that Islamic militant activity is growing more frequent, and sentiments toward Americans more hostile. Copyright 2003 International News Analysis Today INA Today.com 2364 Jackson St. #301 Stoughton, WI 53589 U.S.A. Get 12 issues of International News Analysis for only $29.95 (U.S. funds; $39.95 Canadian and overseas). Send subscriptions to: International News Analysis. 2364 Jackson St. #301 Stoughton, WI 53589 U.S.A. Return to INA TODAY.com homepage