" As the January 27th deadline for a re-port by the UN'S inspectors on Iraqi disarmament nears, is war growing more or less likely? The answer, impossibly, appears to be both. When the Security Council gave Iraq a last chance to rid itself of alleged stocks of noxious weapons last November, and gave inspectors new powers, the decision was unanimous. That show of unity, backed by the threat of American force, prompted Iraq to allow its prickly sovereignty to be trampled in unprecedented fashion. Saddam Hussein looked weaker than ever. But as the inspections progress smoothly, if inconclusively, and as America piles on pressure remorselessly, the unity among Mr Hussein's foes is eroding faster than is his own grip on power.
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