SEOUL -- The success of the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan has triggered debates about the next target in the worldwide war against terrorists and their helpers. At the epicenter of this debate, which is not confined to opinion pages of the press, stands Iraq, whose regime many Americans perceive as a permanent provocation.
Differences in the U.S. administration about how to deal with Iraq and its despotic leader are well documented. At the same time, hardliners in Washington who favor an expansion of the war in Afghanistan to the deserts surrounding Baghdad find little support in Europe, let alone the Arab world. Lack of consensus regarding the extent of the campaign -- yes, even the definition of who is and isn't a terrorist -- illustrates how feeble the international alliance is. While there is general agreement that the Taliban and the al-Qaeda network must be eradicated, how to proceed after Afghanistan remains highly controversial.
North Korea belongs to the handful of nations frequently mentioned as potential next targets. This country has a longer record of hostility with the United States than Iraq. President George W. Bush recently caused a stir, when he warned the "rogue states" of both Iraq and North Korea that they would have to bear the consequences for producing weapons of mass destruction. Bush did not specify the consequences. He then called on Pyongyang to permit foreign inspectors to verify that it is not producing such weapons and urged the North to stop selling rockets to other countries.