The main indictment against Saddam would have to be that, as leader of Iraq, he failed to develop weapons of mass destruction, and in an incredible act of folly destroyed even those he had been given earlier by the United States, thereby inviting the horrendous butchery of the American attack followed by the interminable mayhem and obscene brutality of the occupation.

The clear lesson of the invasion of Iraq, to all countries that might be a target for American violence...and that is almost anyone, almost anywhere...is to develop, as rapidly as possible, viable and credible weapons of mass destruction. North Korea prudently did develop such weapons. As a result, it’s extremely unlikely that the United States will attack North Korea. Had North Korea failed to take this precaution, it’s quite certain that the United States would have unleashed its trademark shock and awe against the population: terror bombing and mass murder, followed by occupation, more mass murder, rape, torture and humiliation of the inhabitants, followed by further years or decades of interminable mass murder and appalling brutality.

The United States chooses only victims it believes to be helpless. It cares not a jot for the untold thousands of foreign deaths, but cherishes each of its own soldiers like a Faberge egg. After years of propping up the inefficient Saddam Hussein and feeding him weapons of mass destruction, the United States switched to economic sanctions accompanied by almost daily bombing. Following twelve years of this softening up, the U.S. rulers believed that the Iraqi population was helpless. Although it turns out that this was a miscalculation, and the United States is now being defeated by the Iraqi resistance, actual possession by the Iraqi government of weapons of mass destruction would very likely have deterred the American attack. Instead, Saddam thought he could appease the aggressor, and unilaterally disarm. Dozens of governments around the world must now be giving higher priority to their WMD programs.

The United States spends more on its military than the next 25 biggest-spending nations combined. The United states alone has the power...in this brief window in history...to run amok all over the world, killing and maiming according to whim. Sadly, it also has the aptitude and the inclination.

It is pleasant to imagine that public opinion inside the United States might one day demand repentance from this appalling evil, conversion to non-interventionism and peaceable international dealings, and execution of the Bush cabinet for their unspeakable crimes.

The actual outcome will no doubt be different. Nearly all the major world powers other than the U.S. will combine to form a military alliance for the containment of the United States: at least three of Europe, China, Russia and India will lead this alliance. One will perhaps serve its self-interest best by becoming the stooge of the American serial aggressor; this stooge could be any of the four, but will most likely be China, where the government is least responsive to popular sentiment.

Even a world of jostling, predatory nation-states is not so collectively irresponsible that it can tolerate a chronic situation where one power is able and willing to wreak mass slaughter anywhere on Earth, at its merest whim. The future emergence of the Alliance to Contain America is by no means entirely beneficial. I don’t look forward to it with eager anticipation. It will have many unfortunate, perhaps terrible, side effects. But it is now inevitable.