War on Iraq continues to be the main source of worry among the Palestinians, despite all the oppression they are suffering from at the hands of the Israeli forces of occupation. Their fear arises from two points: President George Bush is determined to wage war on Iraq and Saddam will not surrender; and that Israel is a main partner in the war on Iraq and in reaping its benefits, especially regarding the Palestinian issue…

There is no doubt that the U.S. is aware that Iraq has no chance of winning a military confrontation, and that it does not constitute a real threat to its interests in the region, especially with regards to the flow of oil and preserving the security of Israel. Bush’s determination to wage war on Iraq points to the fact that this war is in fact part of a strategic American scheme that aims at more than simply disarming Iraq and controlling its oil resources: the Bush administration is seeking to reinforce its military supremacy and reshaping the world order according to its own interests.

On the other hand, it is obvious that the Iraqis are trying to avoid war, although I believe that the Iraqi leadership has decided to put up a fight in some of the larger cities. But it is not in its interest to threaten Kuwait, and Iraq will apparently not be capable of delivering a strike against Israel.

Nonetheless, it is certain that change is coming to Iraq, and that this change will have implications on the sectarian and ethnic setting of that country. If the aim of the war is to prevent weapons of mass destruction from reaching the hands of terrorist groups, this means that the war will mark the beginning of a series of wars against those countries that have such weapons and that are perceived by the U.S. as posing a threat to its security. It also means that other countries in the region, mainly Iran, will be next on the list of America’s targets. If establishing a democratic regime in Iraq is another one of America’s aims, then the Palestinians’ experience with Israel proves that democracy cannot be imported.

The Arabs have the right to question the aims of the American war on Iraq and to be concerned with its possible dismantlement, especially that the alternative would be a state of confusion laying the foundations for sectarian states fighting endless wars against one another. Moreover, the Palestinians have every reason to worry about the Bush administration’s determination to go to war, especially since their experience has taught them that the U.S. will not hesitate to destroy others in order to achieve its goals.