The war in Iraq is coming to an end with a decisive victory in sight for the U.S. and British coalition forces. However, I still have doubts about this military adventure. When it began, I described the invasion as President George W. Bush's "personal war without justification" against Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Also, quoting from a vernacular magazine, I questioned whether the U.S.-led war would "bring justice or create a cycle of evil."
Hussein has only himself to blame for his downfall. There is no sympathy lost for this ruthless and reckless dictator who has ruled Iraq for a quarter century. On the other hand, Bush -- the leader of the world's most powerful nation -- seems to have lost the virtue of magnanimity since the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.
There is indeed a sense that his unilateralist approach to world affairs is casting a dark shadow over the prospect of global peace and future international relations. The Iraq war, which was launched without the explicit backing of the United Nations, has raised concerns that it could widen the rift between the Western and Arab/Islamic worlds, and thus increase the danger of a "clash of civilizations" taking place.