The door is closing for a diplomatic resolution of the Iraqi crisis, and President George W. Bush has stated that only weeks remain for Saddam Hussein to disarm his country in compliance with U.N. Resolution 1441. Chief weapons inspector Hans Blix admits that Saddam has not been cooperating with the inspection regime, and the evidence against the threat Iraq poses grows each day.

However, the greatest threat to a United States-led attack might come from the very institution whose mission it is to enforce the disarmament of Saddam — the United Nations.

Of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, the French appear the most likely candidate to oppose military action in Iraq, and because they can veto any resolution, this is a serious threat indeed.

France has also enlisted the aid of Germany to oppose the American war plans, as the central Europe we brought freedom and democracy to once again repays us with insults and ingratitude.

But the last time the security of the world rested in the hands of the French was following World War I, when they were responsible for enforcing the League of Nations mandate to disarm the Weimer Republic in Germany. Needless to say, the French did not have the courage or foresight to respond to the re-armament of Germany then, and I would question leaving our own security in their incompetent hands today.

Besides, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was correct when brushing aside the opposition of Germany and France as coming from the “Old Europe.” While anti-Americanism, anti-Semitism and socialism reign throughout central Europe, the rest of the continent has been more than supportive of our position in Iraq.

Just last week, eight European powers including Spain, Italy and Poland expressed their solidarity with the United States in a letter to the Wall Street Journal, praising the “bravery and generosity of America,” and pledging their willingness to help enforce Resolution 1441 against Iraq should the situation arise.

In a Washington Post-ABC poll released Sunday, 66 percent of Americans now support an invasion of Iraq, over half approving even with U.N. opposition. The president continues to build international and domestic support for military action, and we honestly don’t need the aid of the French military, nor should we require their blessing.

Secretary of State Colin Powell will go to the United Nations Wednesday to present evidence he claims will not only prove that Iraq has failed to disarm, but will also show that Saddam has links to al-Qaeda. Because the one member of the Bush Administration most reluctant to invade Iraq is now convinced that the military option might be necessary, the Security Council would do well to heed his words.

In recent days, however, more troubling concerns have arisen regarding the integrity of the United Nations. In January, Libya was named to chair the U.N. Human Rights Commission. Although Libya has one of the most appalling human-rights records in the world, they were approved to chair the commission by a 33 to 3 vote. Human-rights groups around the world have denounced this decision, claiming that it seriously undermines the credibility of the organization.

But the fact that the United States was removed from the commission a few years ago, while such bulwarks of liberality as China, Cuba and Libya have been named as replacements, leads one to seriously question the motives of many of our U.N. allies and the value of the international organization as a whole. These countries have not only demonstrated a virulent hatred of America but also show that they possess a disturbing view of what constitutes “human rights.”

At least we still have the U.N. Council on Disarmament to rely upon, which is currently chaired by, well … Iraq.

President Bush has acted with an extreme amount of patience thus far in his dealings with the United Nations. However, he was equally justified when announcing in his State of the Union Address that “the course of this nation does not depend on the decisions of others.”

As long as the United States remains the world’s only superpower and remains an ally of the even more hated nation of Israel, we will continue to face the resentment of countless nations abroad, as well as the “Blame America First” crowd at home. It is a burden that we must regrettably bear in order to maintain international peace.

Ultimately, should Saddam fail to disarm, I believe the Security Council will approve a United States-led attack against Iraq, knowing the consequences of forever alienating the world’s only superpower would further undermine their own position. But if they chose to hold the security of the United States hostage to their petty politics, President Bush should rightly act in the interest of our country, and the United Nations should be laid to rest in the same graveyard as the failed League of Nations.

Anthony Carver ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in political science.