President George W. Bush has given Saddam Hussein and his sons, Uday and Qusay, forty-eight hours to leave Iraq--but no one expects them to go into exile. Uday Hussein has already said that there will be no exile for his family, that instead there will be a "bloody battle."
Are we ready for what is to come? Did President Bush’s message reach the Iraqi people? Will they heed his warning about not fighting or using weapons of mass destruction or is "Chemical Ali" ready to live up to his name in southern Iraq--and prove that Iraq has, in fact, not disarmed? How will other regional players react? And what of the "allies" who do not stand with the coalition of the willing? Will the Turks make a last-ditch effort at assistance in the final hour? How will the French spin the war? What will the fallout be in the UN if it becomes clear that we delayed too long on their insistence?
Timely analysis of the rapidly shifting events will be essential to making the necessary policy decisions about military preparations, war, rebuilding Iraq, regional stability, and relations with our European allies. Please join AEI on March 21 for this special edition of the Road to War briefings for hard-hitting analysis, thoughtful criticism, and free-flowing strong black coffee. The briefing will be Friday morning from 8:30-10:00 a.m.