Al-Harb (War)

I suppose I should write something re: the impending US expedition to Iraq. I haven't the heart to become enthused, although I was more or less opposed to the 1990 Gulf war and to our 2001-2002 campaign in Afghanistan. I guess I'm just haunted by the idea of a Sicilian expedition. I understand the rationales, both explicit (removing Saddam Hussein and preempting use of WMD) and implicit (protecting Israel, freeing up oil, democratizing the region). Yet the whole thing seems to set dangerous precedents.

On one level, I feel like a stoic observer of human nature in noting that the natural state of states and kings and peoples is war and strategic competition for scarce resources. What would Vitoria say? :)