iraq

i was in Ft Worth, TX this weekend speaking in the wedding of one of my best friends and had some down time. I wandered into a Barnes & Nobles and picked up The Threatening Storm: The Case for Invading Iraq by Kenneth M. Pollack. It was interesting to me that he would take such a position as Dr. Pollack's resume is quite impressive, including sitting on the National Security Council from 1996 to 2001. He also correctly predicted Saddam's invasion of Kuwait.

Let me say that while I'm currently a adherent to just war theory, I have not been convinced at all up to this point that a pre-emptive attack on Iraq met this criteria. I spent lunch reading some of Pollack's articles that I was able to locate. Particularly helpful was his

Next Stop Baghdad?
that appeared in the March/April 2002 issue of Foreign Affairs. Irrespective of your opinion on this matter, you should read this article.

I also reviewed with interest Pollack's 26 September 2002 NY Times Op-Ed piece: Why Iraq Can't Be Deterred (free registration required).

A key component to Pollack's position is that Saddam's past reckless behavior does not suggest that he makes choices based on a reasonable chance of success. i.e. we err if we consider what would deter us in his situation will in fact deter him.

I would be most interested if anyone could provide me with similarly articulate articles that argue against invasion. I found Pollack's thoughts sobering.

The church has been discussing this matter, but perhaps not enough. I'm going to post the url for this post to the faithmaps discussion group and see if I can get a bit of discussion going. Please feel free to jump in.