This week the U.S., the U.K. and Australia will once again plead their case to the UN Security Council. They will insist that Iraq is in "further material breach" of UN resolution 1441. I believe that this will be the last such opportunity for the UN to authorize force before the allies go it alone.

The United States has made no secret of its offer to Saddam Hussein - and his top officials - of immunity to war crimes prosecution in exchange for political exile. As tensions have mounted on Saddam to take an active hand in avoiding war, he has placed his Minister of Defense under house arrest.

U2 spy planes are patrolling the skies over Baghdad. The U.S. threat of finding and killing Saddam within the first 48 hours of an invasion are very real. So the question remains, can this situation end peacefully before such an invasion unfolds?

The cost to the U.S. - regardless of the outcome - will be untold billions of dollars.

One way or another, Iraq will be occupied by either the U.S. or the UN. Inspections and disarmament will continue. In the aftermath, the Bush administration will enter an election year with 200,000 troops abroad, and a possible continued nuclear crisis on the Korean peninsula. Osama Bin Laden will likely still be at large.

Then of course there is the economy. Will U.S. investors rally following a resolution to the situation in Iraq? Is that all that is keeping them from rallying now?

I continue to search for the answers to these questions. Your thoughts are always appreciated.

Labels: iraq, saddam hussein, UN