What next? Attention immediately focused on Iraq. There are three reasons to attack Iraq:
1. Saddam Hussein is unpredictable and potentially a powerful ally for al Qaeda. Whatever the relationship in the past, the threat of a relationship in the future requires the elimination of Iraq’s regime.
2. All wars have a psychological component. There is a real perception within the Islamic world today that the United States is incapable of fighting a war to a definitive conclusion. The United States must demonstrate both its will and ability. Iraq serves the purpose well.
3. Iraq is an extraordinarily strategic country. It touches Jordan, Syria, Turkey, Iran, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. An occupied Iraq would give U.S. forces the ability to wage covert and overt war throughout the region, setting the stage for the direct engagement and liquidation of al Qaeda, with or without the cooperation of regional governments.