He came, he presented, but did he convince? Secretary of State Colin Powell delivered his highly anticipated speech on Iraq to the United Nations, complete with audio, visuals and vials. His goal: to persuade the Security Council that Iraq stands in material breach of Resolution 1441and should be disarmed sooner rather than later.
So far the response has been predictable. France, number one Security Council skeptic, insists that weapons inspectors need more time to do their work. Britain, the U.S.’s closest ally, believes that Baghdad has had its last chance, and that it’s time to act. And while Security Council members mull the evidence, the U.S. is insisting a UN permission slip to go into Iraq would be nice, but not necessary.
Guests:
Graham Allison, Director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard’s JFK School of Government
Peter Philipp, Chief Correspondent for Deutsche Welle Radio
Dr. Murhaf Jouejati, adjunct scholar at the Middle East Institute and professor of Political Science at George Washington University
Masha Lipman, deputy editor of the Russian weekly news magazine “Journal.”