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If Saddam Hussein is Next, Experts Say, U.S. Must Do It Fast
Sunday, January 6, 2002
By Serge Schmemann
New York Times Service

A common thread in their arguments is that it is better to stick with the devil you know.

UNITED NATIONS
If Saddam Hussein of Iraq is to be taken out, experts agree, much of the reaction in the Arab world and elsewhere could be mitigated if the operation were quick.

That, at least, is the apparent lesson of Afghanistan, where the rapidity with which the Taliban collapsed and the swift installation of a homegrown interim government seem to have muted the feared anger in Arab streets or opprobrium elsewhere in the world.

Few Arab leaders would regret to see Saddam's regime ended, experts say, but as with Afghanistan, many have feared the reaction. ``If it went quickly and smoothly, like Afghanistan and the Taliban, there would be no place for a public uproar,'' said Rolf Ekeus, a Swedish diplomat who was the chief U.N. arms inspector in Iraq from 1991 to 1997.

But if it dragged on, or failed, Arab and Islamic militants would have a powerful weapon to fire the masses against the pro-Western regimes of countries like Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
(More: The Miami Herald News Source)
2002 © The New York Times.

Dan