LONDON, 11 April 2003 — Concerns about Iraq’s future and where the United States might next unleash its awesome military might tempered widespread relief yesterday that Saddam Hussein’s grip had fallen away so easily. His 24-year reign appeared to have ended on Wednesday when US troops swept into the heart of Baghdad and jubilant Iraqis danced on a toppled statue of their ousted leader.
But relief in many countries that Baghdad had fallen without a blood bath mingled with mistrust of the United States in parts of Europe and Asia, and shock and anger in the Middle East. Some wondered whether President George W. Bush, emboldened by military success, would turn his attention to other nations Washington has accused of pursuing weapons of mass destruction. Syria, Iran and Libya have all drawn US censure, along with North Korea.
The New York Times said the collapse of government authority in Baghdad “constitutes the high-water mark for a new American determination to use the nation’s military might to project its power around the world”. Prince Hassan of Jordan told the BBC: “There are jitters throughout the region about the possibility of (US) threats to Syria and possibly Iran resulting in the domino effect.”
That view was echoed even in Britain, the United States’ staunchest European ally and its partner in the Iraq war. “This unprecedented show of US offensive power sends a daunting message. Who knows which way the Abrams tank barrels will swivel next?” the left-leaning Guardian newspaper asked.
France, a vociferous opponent of the conflict, said “bravo” to the end of the war and fall of Saddam Hussein. A statement issued in the name of President Jacques Chirac said: “France, like every democracy, welcomes the fall of Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship, and hopes there will be a rapid and effective end to the fighting.”
But presidential aide Alain Juppe struck at the heart of Washington’s justification for its actions, adding: “We were right to say that there were other ways to disarm Iraq. Iraq did not use weapons of mass destruction.”
Germany’s Sueddeutsche Zeitung said recent experience in Bosnia and Afghanistan showed that peace could not be taken for granted even after the old guard was swept away. France and Germany have led calls for the United Nations to take a central role in Iraq’s future. “After the necessary phase of ensuring security, Iraq must recover its full sovereignty in a region of stability with the legitimacy that the United Nations gives,” said Chirac’s statement. That view won backing yesterday from mainly Muslim Indonesia, and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi urged international cooperation to create a government for Iraq.
From the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf, television images of crowds rejoicing at cheering US Marines toppling a Saddam statue in central Baghdad, broadcast repeatedly since Wednesday afternoon, caused consternation and a sense of shame. The fact that there was little resistance to US troops as they pushed through Baghdad sparked Arab speculation that senior leaders might have struck a deal with the Americans.
“If Baghdad had fallen heroically and had resisted then women would have ululated and rejoiced,” Taher Adwan, an editor in the daily Al-Arab Al-Yawn wrote. “But Baghdad fell without resistance, without fighters confronting American tanks, and with even some Baghdadis rejoicing, chasing others to take revenge or to loot.”
Morocco’s Le Matin newspaper described the toppling of Saddam’s statue as “a highly theatrical, orchestrated gallows-scene, backed up by plenty of images”. Some Moroccans doubted that the war was over. “A street war will probably erupt between the Baathists and US forces,” retired civil servant Abdelkamel Chaoui said.
Several Asian governments welcomed the fall of Baghdad and made pledges of aid for postwar Iraq, but the overall mood was one of cautious optimism. Some countries expressed concern about the whereabouts of Saddam Hussein and the lack of formal acknowledgment of defeat from his regime. “The war is still going on. We wish that the people of Iraq will drop their guns and walk on the path to peace,” Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda told reporters.
Australia’s leaders, who have contributed a small military force to the US-led invasion, are now also tasked with defining their country’s role in Iraq. “There are difficulties ahead, the first difficulty is in effect to complete the war,” Defense Minister Robert Hill said.
