Few were the world leaders who, in the immediate aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, withheld moral support for the United States. Longtime friends and onetime foes, Christians, Jews and many Muslims alike sang as in one chorus: They would root out terrorism where it lurked. It seemed the birth of a new world consciousness.
Time has passed, however, and the U.S. now struggles to cobble together a coalition of support even as it threatens to wage war against Iraq, a country it accuses of ties to terrorists and brands as a menace to Mideast stability.
Two major allies, Germany and France, have urged the U.S. to give U.N. weapons inspections more time. Russia's foreign minister, Igor Ivanov, recently declared: "There are no serious reasons for war with Iraq." Even in the U.S. itself, opinion polls by ABC News and The Washington Post have found that 54 percent of Americans are concerned that their administration will move too hastily to take military action against Iraq. The chorus, not long ago so harmonious, is now shrill with the voices of critics.