LONDON: What is one to make of George Bush’s remarks at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, on the big questions of war and peace in 2003? Making his first public statement since Christmas, the US president said he was determined to avoid new conflicts. “This government will continue to lead the world toward more peace,” he said. “And we hope to resolve all the situations in which we find ourselves in a peaceful way. That’s my commitment.”

Almost exactly half-way through his term, Bush remains in many ways a puzzle. Perhaps these were merely the emollient words of a national leader to fellow citizens alarmed by constant talk of war and terrorist attack. Perhaps the president wished to lull his enemies into a false sense of security; or to reassure nervous friends that he is no reckless warmonger. But there is another possibility. Perhaps, on the three international issues that are likely to dominate 2003, Bush does not yet know his own mind. Asked by a reporter about an “inevitable” attack on Iraq, he snapped back: “I’m the person who gets to decide, and not you.” That response suggested more than a degree of uncertainty and not a little inner tension.

Bush has a history of dithering. The “axis of angst” that may have disturbed his holiday break comprises Iraq, North Korea and Israel-Palestine. On the latter issue, the Bush administration has gone back and forth repeatedly but has little to show for its efforts.

Two years on, its road map for peace is stuck in a lay-by and it stands accused of debilitating partiality towards Ariel Sharon’s government. On North Korea, Bush initially scorned the diplomatic engagement championed by South Korea’s leader, Kim Dae-jung. Now, after provoking Pyongyang into dangerous nuclear brinkmanship, Bush says diplomacy is the only way forward.

But it is Iraq that poses the biggest test of Bush’s personal mettle. He has failed to persuade Americans, let alone the wider world, that Iraq poses a significant military threat to the region or to the US. The UN inspections have not been impeded, as Bush predicted they would be, and no evidence has yet been found that Iraq has lied about its weapons programmes. In short, Bush lacks just cause. If he means what he says about peace, and if he wants to show brave and decisive leadership, he should persevere with the UN process and call off the war.—Dawn/The Guardian News Service.