Former U.S. president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Jimmy Carter on Sunday condemned preparations for a unilateral U.S. attack on Iraq, saying it would be an unjust war "almost unprecedented in the history of civilized nations."
In an article in The New York Times, Carter wrote profound changes in U.S. foreign policy had reversed "consistent bipartisan commitments that for more than two centuries have earned our nation greatness."
Carter, who served as president from 1977 to 1981, said that during his term he was "severely provoked by international crises." "I became thoroughly familiar with the principles of a just war, and it is clear that a substantially unilateral attack on Iraq does not meet these standards," he said.
Carter added Iraq did not directly threaten U.S. security. "But now ... despite the overwhelming opposition of most people and governments in the world, the United States seems determined to carry out military and diplomatic action that is almost unprecedented in the history of civilized nations," he said.
Carter described Bush's attempts to link Iraq to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on America as unconvincing and said the president had no international authority to establish a "Pax Americana in the region, perhaps occupying the ethnically divided country for as long as a decade." (Albawaba.com)
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