“The diplomatic window has closed.” White House
Statement, released early Monday
President Bush announced the end of diplomacy between the United
States and Iraq on Monday night, demanding Iraqi dictator Saddam
Hussein flee the country within 48 hours or face war. “Events
in Iraq have now reached the final days of decision,” Bush
said. Speaking from the White House, Bush also demanded that
Hussein’s sons leave Iraq. He listed no other conditions
Baghdad could meet to avoid military strikes. “Their refusal
to (leave) will result in military conflict to commence at a time
of our choosing,” Bush said. The administration communicated
the threat to Iraq before Bush addressed the nation. Iraq replied
that U.S. soldiers would be meeting Iraqi fighters “behind
every rock and tree.” The United States currently has around
250,000 troops deployed in the Persian Gulf region, which is enough
for war. On the home front, the Department of Homeland Security
raised the national threat level to “Level Orange,”
warning of a high risk of terrorist attack. The president announced
that orders have been issued to increase security at airports and
the nation’s seaports. Bush said future terrorist attacks may
occur. “These attacks are not inevitable; they are, however,
possible,” he said. Declaring “the tyrant will soon be
gone,” Bush made clear the removal of Hussein from power will
be a military objective if war breaks out. Efforts to peacefully
disarm Iraq, Bush said, will fail as long as the current rulers
remain in Baghdad. “Peaceful efforts to disarm the Iraqi
regime have failed again and again because we are not dealing with
peaceful men,” Bush said. The president took care to frame
the near-inevitable war as an effort to liberate the Iraqi people
from Hussein’s rule, and after describing efforts to secure
the peaceful surrender of Iraqi military units, warned Iraqis not
to resist U.S. forces. “Do not fight for a dying regime that
is not worth your life,” Bush said. Bush promised the United
States would rebuild Iraq after any shooting stops. The president
also made clear his dissatisfaction with the United Nations
Security Council. Following a weekend summit with the leaders of
Britain, Spain and Portugal, the administration planned to submit a
new Security Council resolution. After learning the proposal would
be vetoed, Bush decided to bypass the United Nations.
“˜”˜The United Nations Security Council has not lived up
to its responsibilities, so we will rise to ours,” he
said.
The world prepares for war With the prospect of war looming
prior to Monday’s ultimatum, UCLA Chancellor Albert Carnesale
stated on Mar. 14 that all reasonable efforts are being made to
protect the campus’ security. While the prospect of war makes
many uneasy, Monday’s announcement was accompanied by a
continued surge in the stock market. The Dow Jones industrial
average rose over 280 points as many traders who had been hesitant
to invest when then likelihood of fighting was more uncertain, are
now expecting a brief war. While Hussein has said he will stay and
fight, noncombatants are hurrying out of the Middle East. The
United Nations ordered weapons inspectors out of Iraq, and several
nations have announced plans to evacuate their embassies. The
United States has required nonessential staff members and their
dependents to leave the region.
Domestic dissent continues Though polls show most Americans
support Bush’s hardline policy, protesters continue to rally
against the war. Even Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle condemned
Bush’s foreign policy. “I’m saddened, saddened
that this president failed so miserably at diplomacy that
we’re now forced to war,” Daschle said Over the
weekend, tens of thousands of protesters flooded streets from
Washington to Baghdad in anticipation of a potential conflict this
week. In downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, protesters stood in the
rain, pounding drums and waving signs in spite of the drenching
downpour that chased away all but the most die-hard of activists.
They displayed great resilience ““ or great fanaticism ““
in the face of such discouraging weather; some huddled beneath
umbrellas or store awnings while others ran around in the open,
shouting through bullhorns and holding banners. “The rain is
definitely a disappointment, and I’m sure it’s keeping
a lot of people from coming out here, but the bottom line is
we’re out here to prevent something really tragic from
happening,” said Anna Dowling, a medical student at UCLA.
Protesters rallied at the corner of Olympic and Broadway before
marching to the downtown federal building where speakers such as
Ron Kovic, a Vietnam veteran and author of “Born on the
Fourth of July,” and the Rev. Jesse Jackson encouraged the
protesters to maintain their defiant front. “This is a very
important day. We are committed to stopping this war,” Kovic
said, sitting in his wheelchair at the head of the march.
“This war can only hurt our country, and it can only hurt the
people of Iraq.” Jackson, an internationally recognized civil
rights activist, criticized Bush’s “lack of a coherent
foreign policy” and said a war on Iraq would ostracize the
United States from the international community. “If we
preemptively strike Iraq, invade, kill, occupy, that’s a war
crime, and our nation need not become international outlaws,”
he said. “We should lead the world by our values, not rule it
by brute force,” he said. In what have become regular
complaints at anti-war protests, activists accused the Bush
administration of forcing police state restrictions upon the
American people and being oil-hungry. One sign read: “Bush
Sucks Oil.” At one point, protesters simulated an American
bomb landing on the people of Iraq, collapsing to the wet street to
great cheers. Police estimated the crowd to be about 5,000. Protest
organizers said the number was as high as 50,000.