Ready To Go
Despite no clear unilateral support from the U.N. Security Council or their NATO allies, the U.S. and Britain appear ready to invade Iraq, with over 210,000 American and British troops already amassed in the region.



Turkey, at least, may have diminished as an obstacle as that country says it has reached a preliminary agreement with the U.S. on economic aid in exchange for use of Turkish military bases.

If the U.S. and Britain went it alone and invaded Iraq, how big do you think the international backlash would be?

U.S. Offers Turkey Gravy
The U.S. and Turkey continue to wrangle about how much economic aid America will provide in exchange for using Turkey as a base of operations for a possible war on Iraq.

While the political sweet talk, cajoling and saber-rattling continues, let's not forget our men and women in uniform, ready to do their duty at a moment's notice. Be sure to check out the links on the left to donate blood and/or money to our troops, or just to send an e-mail showing your support and wishing them a safe return.



Our own Paul Dynan has been called to duty in the Persian Gulf, and all of us here at Lycos can't wait to see him back here. Godspeed, Paul.

Losing Steam?
Well, the case for an American-led invasion of Iraq has had more wind taken out of its sails with several new developments. First, U.S. stalwart ally Turkey is warning Washington not to assume the country can be used for an American "launch pad" for an attack on Iraq. Secondly, French president Jacques Chirac is making new noise at EU leaders, calling for them to diminish their backing of the U.S. Lastly, it's been confirmed that a U-2 spy plane has flown its first mission over Iraq, yet another concession by Saddam Hussein that may make it difficult to garner more support.

If you were in favor of war before, have recent developments changed your mind? Tell us what factors swayed you the most.

People Power?
The U.S. and Britain are now saying they may consider giving diplomacy more time, especially in light of severe disgreements that still exist within the U.N. and NATO. But could Messrs. Bush and Blair also have been a wee bit influenced by the anti-war demonstrations that took place worldwide this weekend, with over six million people taking part? Maybe the masses can influence our world leaders, although they probably would never admit it, of course.

Did you participate in an anti-war demonstration this weekend? Tell us what it was like, and share your feelings about why the U.S. should not go to war.

Valentine's Day Hope
Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! And if you're the grumpy sort that hates this day, cheer up! Even the stock market is lighthearted on news that U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix says no weapons of mass destruction have been found so far in Iraq -- although he stresses there are still many items unaccounted for.

But even Saddam Hussein must be feeling love in his heart, because just hours before Blix made his report to the U.N., Hussein declared an official ban on importation and production of weapons of mass destruction in his home country.

And in the truth-is-stranger-than-fiction department, a report from Spain says that George W. Bush and Saddam Hussein will be standing side by side -- in wax, that is, at the Madrid Waxworks Museum. Go figure.

WELCOME
Welcome to Lycos' War on Iraq blog page, where we'll be keeping you abreast of news and developments in the potential U.S. attack on Iraq. Feel free to post your thoughts and comments. For starters, here's a photo of George W. Bush waving to Navy personnel in Jacksonville, Florida. What's Dubya's motivation for going after Iraq? Is it a natural extension of the events of 9/11? Does it have more to do with oil than weapons of mass destruction? Or does Dubya really have nothing substantial on his agenda, and wants to distract Americans from the struggling U.S. economy?