Strategic Assessment

In the coming weeks the American administration will have to decide whether to launch a large-scale military campaign against Iraq aimed at toppling Saddam Hussein's regime. A campaign of this nature presents the United States with several imposing challenges: the reservation, at least for now, in the international community and the Middle East regarding a military move; and difficulties with the military operation itself, since the strategic goal is not to defeat Iraq's army or destroy its strategic infrastructure, but to overthrow Saddam and his government. Moreover, even if the United States succeeds in ousting Saddam's regime, Washington will face another set of imperatives, no less challenging and fraught with uncertainties, regarding the situation that will develop in Iraq after Saddam Hussein's departure.