Despite everything, however, life does not stop, and the new is always born of the rubble of the old. A new moment was on the way to being born, and as Garudi said, for thousands of years, the pains of labour have fortunately not prevented our mothers from giving birth.

What is the nature of this new moment? What are the features it forms? We shall leave it to Saddam Hussein, with his strategic sense, to give us the picture:

"In our vision, the next twenty years will see new centres of power and polarization, in addition to the two existing ones, which will have a leading influence in international politics. China will be a large center of influence and polarization, and Europe, with France playing an important role, will become a pivot distinct from America in the process of influence and polarization. Japan will have a vital part internationally in the formation process in South-East Asia, particularly if it decides to enter the strategic arms industry. The Arab world too will be a center of effective movement in terms of influence and polarization.

"The world today with its major pillars in international politics is being refashioned, and more quickly so than in past years. It closely resembles the political development, which occurred during and after World War II, even if its formulae are different, and even if it is more momentous and comprehensive.

"When the world is being formed with its major elements which effect international politics, and when the process assumes its final forms for a specific time, the main factors involved will continue to influence international politics, and their movement, aims and methods for a long time to come (I)."

Such are the features of the image as seen in the future by Saddam Hussein, and these constitute the theoretical basis of the logic governing Iraq's international relations. The assumption implicit in this logic is that "all participate in the formation process of international politics, whether as major elements or as those which assist, and this they do from their own position, and according to circumstance and the ability to influence (2)".

What then is Iraq's contribution? And how is the method of dealing with other nations defined, not on the basis of current conditions, but on the basis of possible future conditions, whereby light is thrown on the fundamental aspects of foreign policy with all current and possible future formation centres?

Saddam Hussein does not regard the patch of land on which he stands in Iraq as being the ultimate hope of struggle, since it is only part of a larger piece of land, namely the entire Arab world. Hence, the Iraqi people are again only part of a larger people now numbering more than 150 million. "Division is unnatural, and must end in unity (3)."

Here, Saddam Hussein begins talking more practically and realistically about unity than ever before: "This time, unified action must not ignore two essential factors. The first is the economic factor with the influential role it plays in achieving unity, whilst the second is the influence our nationalist struggle and the trends and movement of international politics have on each other (4) .The first factor means creating mutual interests and benefits between the citizens of the various Arab countries by forming economic ties. On this basis, the struggle for unity becomes a struggle for the sake of interests as well as principles. The second factor means giving attention to the difficulties, which may face unity on an international scale, and simultaneously

heeding the possibility of a strategic meeting between certain international centres of polarity and the struggle for unity.

" As Arabs and Iraqis within the nation, we must not therefore rely on the movement of time. Instead, we must play a part in the formation process, which will occur. We must also move it in the direction which will make a considerable portion of the center of polarization, in its general strategy, realize that unified struggle is not in contradiction with its general policy and overall aims in the region during a stage of realization of maturation of the essential conditions for unified action (5)."

This vision has its requirements as regards international conduct on a practical level in terms of weight, volume, degree, and the extent of the relationship between Iraq and other nations. Hence, "we have been careful to create a distinct form of relationship with France, as in our estimation, it will play an essential, and even decisive role in European unity (6)". France is therefore the center carrying most weight in Iraq's relations with Europe, but Saddam Hussein also says: "we must not disregard China's role in international politics, which has not yet been proportionate to its size. The reasons for this are well known, and not least of all is the fact that it is so technically underdeveloped in comparison to the United States, Japan, and some of Western Europe. However, the situation will change a great deal in the years to come, and certain European countries, and perhaps Japan in a limited capacity, will play an important role in China's technical development (7)". Saddam Hussein, however, attaches importance to the part Japan may have, and the influential position it may hold, in the process of forming new poles in South East Asia. This influence will increase "the more Japan makes a convincing approach to entering specific strategic arms industries. In a few years, it will have reached a high and sophisticated degree of armament, both electronic and atomic (8)". But how can Japan play this role in the arms industry with the Americans controlling its direction in this field after the World War II defeat? Saddam Hussein thinks differently on the matter: " A basic factor which will lead to the possibility of wide scale armament in Japan is the development of its need to secure its communication lines. This is due to the fact that it will import all primary industrial materials and energy, quite apart from the developments and other considerations in international politics. The formation process in international politics, including events in South East Asia, the emergence of China as a force with additional weight, and Soviet influence in the region, will make it possible that, with a certain measure of flexibility and maneuver of the part of some, including

Japan itself, American influence and pressure on Japan will decrease over the next few years)."

According to Saddam Hussein, therefore, two issues link the volume, weight and extent of relations between Iraq and other states. These are "joint interests", and "the degree to which the different strategies meet or interact". The starting point for this is the vision of Iraq's future with its spontaneous movement in international society and the Arab region, and the future vision for the other country or countries who are the second party to the relationship, again with their movement and influence within international society. On this basis, as he was demanding good relations with all other countries of the world, he was also pressing an attempt to influence the new centres of polarization, and in particular the countries which will have a prominent role within these centres. Dealings with France, therefore, differ from those with West Germany, Britain and Italy, for instance, just as dealings with the Soviet Union differ from those with Poland, Hungary, and Bulgaria.

Notes

1) Saddam Hussein,

2) Ibid., p. 16.

3) Ibid., p. 17.

4) Ibid., p. 18.

5) Ibid., p. 19.

6) Ibid., p. 20.

7) Ibid.

8) Ibid., p. 22.

9) Ibid., pp. 23-24.

Translated by Hassan Selim