Asia Times -- Internal look, imminent war By Pepe Escobar

There's growing indication now that a massive US attack against Iraq is practically set for January, no matter what is contained in Iraq's weapons declaration and no matter what United Nations inspectors find out on the ground. An ambassador to the UN who insisted on remaining anonymous assured Asia Times Online that "at any moment we could be facing an official statement from the White House saying Iraq is in material breach of Resolution 1441. We are all helpless against it at the UN."

Asia Times also points out the Flawed assumptions on war which draws attention to the Committee of International Security Studies of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences: "War with Iraq: Costs, Consequences, and Alternatives" report. You can get the report here - pdf file. This is a collection of three papers which discuss the new foriegn policy of the United States, a specific look at the US policy in Iraq, and a breakdown of costs under different war scenarios. Professor Steven Miller of Harvard University finds that "when the potential costs, risks and consequences are fully assessed, the war looks very much like a dangerous gamble that could well be damaging to American (and Western) interests and the cause of a safe and congenial international order."