European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 22, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 10 the stars and Stripe wednesday August 22,1990 a pm seism a v a a t a William . Should consider iraqi Roundup As act of War Washington a the question is no longer a will there be War a Between the world and Iraq but a what is the Best strategy to win the War already begun with the least loss of life a the conflicting choices now before president Bush arc not secret two different strategies have been Laid out in Public by former National Security advisers Zbigniew Brzezinski and Henry Kissin Ger. Our object should be a to squeeze but not strangle Iraq a says the author of the Carter doctrine. Zbig holds that we should defend Western Access to Oil but not seek to Rollback the Conquest of Kuwait a to rely on International cooperation to negotiate a Compromise with Saddam rather than try to defeat him. Henry differs. Our goal should be the removal of Saddam As a threat to the worlds economic lifeline says the author of the Nixon doctrine. A settlement leaving Saddam with growing military might would be a Only an interlude Between aggressions Quot writes Kissinger he urges a a surgical and progressive destruction of iraqis military assets before the worlds will dissipates. _ i believe the Brzezinski a squeeze options was destroyed in the past few Days by the iraqi decision to hold Western nationals As hostages. Saddam a promised starvation of Western children would squeeze us not him to negotiate a peace in our Timcio but if Bush moves quickly we can counter the iraqi threat to use our nationals As human Shields at military installations. He need not be the third consecutive . President to be humbled by kidnappers. Saddam has already told westerners trapped in Kuwait to assemble at three hotels to be saved from a threat he will soon Cook up. Bush a with mrs. Thatcher and As Many other leaders As he can induce to join him a should announce that any a a Roundup or harassment of up to 10,000 non communist Western nationals taken in the capture of Kuwait would be considered an act of War triggering potent military retaliation. Such fair warning has been delayed 1 presume to permit a buildup of our David Broder i a toot go Bax info my. Wimch new can t fou i if soul tips i Gate two. I forces in saudi Arabia. But action is now urgent we can do Little at the moment for the americans already condemned to target duty in Iraq but we can use a credible threat to protect thousands of others in Kuwait who a once rounded up for designation As human Shields a May be doomed. Suppose Bush goes on the air quickly to Tell the putative hostages in Kuwait to evade capture As Long As they can and to urge Loyal kuwaitis to hide them and suppose he adds that any attempt at a a Roundup Quot will be answered by bombers taking out All iraqi strategic Sites. In that circumstance let us consider the options open to Saddam option one he could ignore the threat and order his troops to Hunt Down the foreigners or Promise death to any who do not surrender at a Given time. Option two Saddam could let the foreign nationals leave As evidence of his desire for peace. Option three he could neither round them up nor let them out he can say defiantly he will take them prisoner whenever he decides to but not yet. He is Likely to select the first to order his army to arrest alive every non kuwaiti in Kuwait. The ., with whatever supporting cover it can get from the u.n., would then carry out its solemn commitment. We would bomb every key War making Center in Iraq a nuclear Poison Gas and missile production installations first a including the tanks assembling on the saudi Border. In this Way the shooting War would begin As a direct result of Saddam a grab for hostages. His hostage a Roundup Quot would pull our trigger kidnapping on top of invasion would Call Down the ensuing destruction. The world and iraqis would know Why the first nuclear preventive War was being carried Home to its source. What if he outsmarted us choosing options two or three that would prolong the crisis which is in his interest but would save the lives of thousands of trapped innocents a not our Central purpose but no Small thing. By waging a decisive conventional world War 2xh, we Avert a nuclear world Warll. Our National interest is not primarily to protect an Oil Supply or to save our Way of life from depression or to make the world Safe for sheiks or even to assert the Noble principle of collective resistance to aggression. What makes an interest a a vital is its centrality to life and death. The world interest in bringing Down Saddam Hussein is to ensure that the Means of mass destruction never fall into the hands of a mass murderer. New York times Bush needs to display leadership not just react to fight Vivirski h us in run Nurt in i Uhlir i re orig a from a us a it in. For fight years we had in Ronald Reagan an actor president. What we now have in George Bush is a reactor president the More he proves himself highly competent with the comeback the More maddening is his reluctance to move returning reporter finds this capital awash in admiration of the Energy acumen and skill Bush has displayed in marshalling a formidable International military diplomatic economic response to Saddam Hussein a move against Kuwait. His reaction one is t o i d re be a t de l a h a s b be n n ear Perfec t. That show it looked in the three Midwest states a Michigan Illinois and Indiana a through which in be been travelling since this persian Gulf showdown began. And yet the politicians in those states of both parties Are exceptionally shaky about How All this will play out. A my concern a said one Republican candidate speaking w Ith a Grant of confidentiality a is that before Flection Day the question will be not How Well Bush reacted but whether we did All that we could have done to prevent the crisis from a democratic Campaign manager spelled out the kind of news he thought the voters would be getting in two months it Hussein remains in Power and continues to menace the worlds Oil supplies. Higher inflation and a spreading slump in jobs and business at Home growing frustration Over americans detained by Iraq. Publicized gripes from and about the thousands of . Troops deployed in the desert and on the seas bordering Iraq. A you know Quot said one former official who served in government during the Vietnam War period a that if you put that Many troops into that kind of environment there will be incidents. There will be accidents and there will probably be deaths a even if they Haven to come under hostile fire. And the Domestic support will begin to Chip that gloomy scenario May be overdrawn but it explains Why one of Bush a former colleagues in government predicts that a Bush will not allow this to become a protracted engagement. Once he has the pieces in place a the military forces to contain Saddam and enforce the embargo a he will rattle Saddam a Cage very hard and see if he can to Knock him off his should Saddam fall Bush would reap the general approval he enjoyed after he responded to a series of increasingly serious provocations from Manuel Noriega by invading Panama and capturing that troublemaker. Once again the end would have justified the Means. But Over time a reactive president Wilt increasingly be constrained by circumstances no of his making. His leadership will inevitably come to be questioned l o exercise the full Range of his constitutional Powers a president must be Able to launch and sustain Initia Tives of his own not just wait for others and then figure out How to react. Bush a reluctance or inability to do that shows vividly at Home As Well As abroad a particularly in the matter of the Federal budget. Bush a Quot no new taxes pledge prevented him from taking the initiative to solve the deficit problem in his first year As president. He reacted to the savings and loan crisis and the signs of a weakening Economy by calling a budget Summit three months ago. And he finally abandoned his unrealistic Campaign pledge. Last week in his Washington news conference he complained at length that the democratic negotiators had failed to propose a budget package of their of n a a so he would have something else to react to. But Saddam has now Given him All the leverage he needs to Force the democrats to act. If he had told the done in Days. Instead Bush let the negotiations remain stalled until after labor Day in Hopes that the oct. I deadline Lor the mindless Gramm Rudman Hollings across the Board spending Cut will Force some desperate improvisation or fictional he a so Good at reacting you just wish for once lie would really take the Lead. C Washington Post winers group
