LONDON -- "Where you stand depends on where you sit" goes the old political adage. And this was never more true than in the case of Iraq and what, if anything, should be done about this troublesome tyranny.
From Washington it all looks clear enough. Iraq is manufacturing hideous weapons of mass destruction; it is a friend of terrorists and therefore an enemy of the United States. Its present leadership should therefore be destroyed as soon as practicable. The war on global terrorism demands nothing less.
Move to Europe and things look a bit different. Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is an evil man -- all are agreed about that. But is it wise, the Europeans ask, to attack him head on or corner him? Will this not just unite all Arabs still more strongly against the West, when the whole area is already paralyzed by the Israeli-Palestinian issue?