VOL. XL

No. 47

24 November 1997

The Political Scene

Thanks to some vigorous Russian diplomacy, the UNSCOM inspectors are back in Iraqand the threat of American military action has receded. However this was not anunqualified victory for the US, since the Russians appear to have committed themselves tolobbying for the lifting of sanctions once Iraq has satisfied UNSCOM's disarmamentrequirements, setting the scene for an eventual confrontation with the US in the SecurityCouncil (assuming the...