The real objective behind the US strike against Iraq was not the destruction of weapons of mass destruction but to topple the regime of President Saddam Hussein. Secretary of State Colin Powell made this abundantly clear when, in December 2002, he promised the people of the region a concerted effort on behalf of the US to achieve democratic change, fight unemployment and work for the improvement of women’s position in society. American neocolonialist advance into the region will not offer the local elites clinging to their coattails anything but humiliation. It was also not help those in regimes that in a desperate effort to avoid becoming its victims subscribe to the American strategy. Nor will it improve the situation of the declining middle class, or lead to an era of stability and prosperity as some still expect.
