Quick facts: First Afghanistan, who's next?

Iraq
The Bush administration's and Congress' intentions to move on Iraq became clear in November when the House International Relations Committee drafted HR 75. The resolution categorized Iraq's refusal to allow UN weapons inspectors into the country as an "act of aggression" towards the US The offending language was defeated due to citizen outcry, but replaced with language that calls Iraq's actions "an ongoing threat". "We will deal with them eventually" said National Security Advisor, Condoleezza Rice.

There is little evidence that Iraq knew about the September 11 attacks Saddam Hussein's refusal to allow weapons inspectors into Iraq, and their "pursuit of weapons of mass destruction," are the basis for threats of US military action. UN inspections and any Iraqi arms buildup are clearly outside of the mandate President Bush claims in fighting a war on terrorism, and should be dealt with in an international forum.

The Philippines
The first expansion of the "war on terrorism" beyond Afghanistan is in the Philippines. With just over 700 US troops in the southern island of Basilan, the Bush administration has officially, yet unofficially expanded the war on terrorism. The troops are there because of a militant Islamic group engaged in kidnapping and murder that may have ties to al Qaeda. The Philippine government's explanation of the presence of US troops is for joint training exercises. Opposition leaders and many Philippine citizens have taken a different view, calling the government's explanation "a grand deception". Many believe that the troops are in the country to undertake an active combat role, in violation of the Philippine constitution.

Somalia
Last November, the Bush administration seized the assets of the largest money transfer company in Somalia, based on "classified intelligence" that al Qaeda used the company. That action has placed a hold on millions of dollars in remittance money that Somalis in the US have sent their relatives back home. Many Somali's depend on this money, indeed, it is the largest source of income in the country. While al Qaeda can always find a way around that action, the average Somali can not.

Meanwhile, the US has sent a delegation to Somalia to meet with officials and military leaders. It is widely assumed that this was an advance team scouting targets for future air strikes against suspected al Qaeda targets.

Iran
Despite several years of important progress by moderates in the Iranian government, Washington identifies Iran only by its fringe militant Islamists and its pursuit of "weapons of mass destruction."

As the internal struggle to govern Afghanistan plays out, Iran has received warnings from the US to not interfere with Afghan affairs. How will the US react if complications arise between two countries with a long history of unrest along their shared border?

North Korea
President Bush indicated in his State of the Union address that North Korea may also be a future target in the war on terrorism. While there has been no mention of any connection between North Korea and any terrorist group remotely tied to the September 11 attack, North Korea has been identified as a "rogue" nation due to its nuclear missile development program. This missile program is currently on hold due to highly successful past negotiations between North Korea and the US.

<< back to Justice Not War: Real Solutions for a Safer World