To the Point

Preparing for War and its Possible Outcomes

The European Union and Arab leaders reportedly are trying to persuade Saddam Hussein to step down from the presidency of Iraq. Though nobody gives the effort much chance of success, the last-minute move is a measure of how hard the parties involved are trying to avoid a war. Meantime, as America-s military buildup continues, Iraq-s neighbors are getting ready, not only for war, but for its aftermath. We hear more about how Iraq-s neighbors are preparing for possible outcomes from former policy advisor to the UN-s Secretary General, a Middle East specialist, and journalists based in Jordan, Israel and Turkey. Newsmaker: Blix Updates Security Council on Iraqi Inspections The UN-s chief weapons inspector updated the Security Council today on his work in Iraq over the past two months. While Hans Blix reported that Iraq-s 12,000-page report is inadequate, he admits that there is no smoking gun. Colum Lynch, covers the United Nations for the Washington Post, says that Blix is most troubled by Iraq-s underlying lack of cooperation in providing complete and accurate data. Reporter's Notebook: Conference Board Issues Guidelines on Corporate Governance During last year-s financial scandals, handcuffed business leaders did the -perp walk- for TV as their companies- stock values collapsed. Congress passed new laws even though the private sector promised it could reform itself. Today, the Conference Board issued its findings. Nell Minow, editor of the Corporate Library, an online resource on corporate governance, reports on the commission-s most striking recommendation.