By every indication, the United States is eager to take the fight to Iraq and expel Iraqi President Saddam Hussein from office. President George W. Bush has said he is studying every option, and the U.S. appears to be proceeding with the diplomacy needed to prepare for conflict. Mr. Hussein's departure would be something to celebrate, but a war that did not remove him would be a tremendous blow to U.S. power and influence. The best way to ensure his defeat is by building an international coalition that includes Arab states. Thus far, however, the U.S. has not yet convinced the governments in the region that it is prepared to do whatever it takes to succeed.
The case for removing Mr. Hussein is a good one. He has twice invaded a neighboring country and has attacked others with missiles. He has gassed his own people and committed other atrocities against Iraqi citizens. He developed a substantial stockpile of weapons of mass destruction and has done his best to undermine the authority of the United Nations as it tried to destroy that arsenal. He has offered the families of Palestinian suicide bombers money for their acts of terrorism.
Mr. Bush has reasons of his own to overthrow the Iraqi government. Mr. Hussein's continued survival is a reminder of his father's unfinished business at the end of the Persian Gulf War. During the 1990s, Mr. Hussein allegedly launched a plot to assassinate the former president. The U.S. is convinced that Iraq has not halted efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction and that it could again become a threat to regional peace.