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EDITORIAL
Carter’s
well-deserved honor
At about the same time Congress was giving President Bush authority to
wage war against Iraq, Jimmy Carter was awarded this year’s Nobel
Peace Prize. The contrast has hardly gone unnoticed. In fact, upon awarding
Mr. Carter the Peace Prize, the Nobel committee said, “In a situation
currently marked by threats of the use of power, Carter has stood by the
principles that conflicts must as far as possible be resolved through
mediation and international cooperation based on international law, respect
for human rights and economic development.”
Jimmy Carter earned the Nobel Peace Prize for his lifetime commitment
to peace, democracy and human rights. As president he helped broker a
peace agreement between Israel and Egypt. After losing his bid for re-election
in 1980 to Ronald Reagan, he used his standing as a former American president
to do great things throughout the world. He has monitored elections in
countries worldwide, mediated potential crises in North Korea and Haiti
and negotiated a truce in Bosnia.
For his part, Mr. Carter has said he does not think the U.S. should act
unilaterally against Iraq. After it was announced that Mr. Carter had
won a Nobel, the 39th president said he would not have voted for a resolution
passed last week in the Senate authorizing the president to use force
against Iraq. Mr. Carter also said the U.S. should work through the United
Nations to meet its goal of disarming, and ultimately, toppling Saddam
Hussein.
Much of the focus of the Bush administration’s war on terror is justified,
including its efforts to destroy the terrorist network al-Qaida. But this
war is complicated, and the terrorist bombing on the Indonesian island
of Bali proved al-Qaida will not go away easily. Meanwhile, the steady
drumbeat of a war against Iraq grows louder in Washington, though the
music is confusing. The CIA, for instance, released a memo stating that
Iraq is not an urgent threat, while the Bush administration continues
to insist that if we don’t act first, Saddam will.
Before the U.S. goes to war with Saddam, it should follow the Nobel committee’s
strong message: first seek out peaceful means to resolve conflicts. A
war with Iraq may eventually be the only way to end Saddam’s tyrannical
reign, but for now, the president must work to strengthen international
support for his plans.
After a long career waging peace, Jimmy Carter should know something about
getting that job done. The president would do well to follow Mr. Carter’s
lead.
—Robert
Mihalek
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