WASHINGTON — President Bush will start what his aides say is the countdown to war with Iraq this week by confronting nations around the world with a stark choice between military action or more diplomacy.
The rapid-fire developments are to begin on today, when U.N. weapons inspectors report on their efforts to find and destroy Iraq’s hidden weapons. Bush will make his case for aggressive action the next day in the nationally televised State of the Union speech and could order many more troops into the Gulf to back up U.S. resolve.
The issue bounces back to the United Nations on Wednesday when the 15-member Security Council goes behind closed doors to debate the next move.
The looming diplomatic showdown has unleashed pent-up resentments toward the United States, with potentially far-reaching consequences. Relations between the United States and key European allies are in a downward spiral, and so far the administration has been unable to make Iraq’s behavior, not America’s, the issue.
In some foreign capitals, the crisis in Iraq is viewed as a classic case of American arrogance. Suspicions about Bush’s motives, anger over his seeming disregard for European opinion and longstanding grievances fueled by America’s military superiority, economic clout and unrivaled status as the dominant world power are finding voice in the Iraq debate.
In Davos, Switzerland, business and political leaders at the World Economic Forum have used the gathering to vent their frustration with U.S. foreign policy, especially on Iraq. Representatives from the Arab League and the European Union urged Bush to stay within the framework of the United Nations and international law.
On Sunday, Secretary of State Colin Powell told the forum that Bush is in “no great rush” to launch an attack on Iraq, but simultaneously warned: “The United States believes that time is running out.”
Even foreign leaders who agree that Saddam Hussein is a menace — and many do — say they don’t see justification for war now. At the United Nations, France, Germany, China and Russia have apparently teamed up in an effort to block any U.S. war plans. Great Britain is standing with the United States, nervously.
No matter what happens at the United Nations — and debate could drag on — Bush says he will not back down.
Inside the White House, presidential advisers shrug off the increasingly vocal opposition from allies as well as poll results in this country showing widespread opposition to unilateral military action. Although as many as two-thirds of Americans say they support the use of force against Iraq, support turns to opposition if the United States acts alone or in defiance of the United Nations.
Administration officials insist that Bush would have plenty of backers if he decided to go to war and gave a strong rationale for action. He will not attempt to do that in Tuesday’s speech, but will explain why he is nearing that point, aides said.