THE B52s are on their way, the weapons inspectors have gone, and debates about UN resolutions have given way to other concerns. How many civilian casualties will there be? How long will the conflict be? And what, when the bombs stop falling, will this pre-emptive use of force have done to world security?
To answer these questions accurately you would need either a crystal ball or a degree of military foresight that this magazine does not claim to possess. But one long-term question does fall in our court: the conflict’s impact on the future effectiveness of technical and scientific inspections…
