Mr Bush lays out his case

摘要

Iraq is "a grave and gathering danger", George Bush told the General Assembly of the United Nations on September 12th― not just to the United States but to the world. In a powerful and well-judged speech, the president called on governments everywhere to recognise that fact, and challenged the UN to respond to Iraq's "flagrant violations" of resolution after resolution. Mr Bush demanded no specific steps, proposed no timetables. He made it clear that America, in the end, would act alone against Iraq if need be. But he also made it plain that America would rather move in concert with others. He praised the UN, then called on it to live up to its responsibilities. His speech aimed to shift the burden of proof-and in some measure did so. In the face of the Iraqi government's crimes, he asked, how can the UN justify failing to act?