CAIRO, January 6 (IslamOnline) – Political analysts Monday, January 6, stressed that a U.S. war against Iraq could hardly be prevented, even if Iraqi President Saddam Hussein stepped down, adding that Washington is not just after Saddam, but also the Iraqi security and armed forces.

The analysts, moreover, warned of an uncontrollable state of chaos in Iraq that may even extend to neighboring countries.

Professor of political sciences and deputy dean of the Faculty of Commerce, Dr. Jihad Oudah, told IslamOnline Monday that “Saddam’s stepping down is just a wish of the Arabs that lacks accurate analysis of the political scene in Iraq.

“Saddam is not the issue, the Arabs have not yet understood that. It is the Iraqi regime as a whole; the ruling Baath Party, the security bodies, and the armed forces that could maintain and contain the inner situation all these years,” Oudah added.

He further warned that Saddam’s removal “will not stop the war and will lead to complete chaos. This is due to the absence of a strong political alternative within the ranks of various groups of the Iraqi opposition.”

“Saddam has created a social base since the first Gulf war. Therefore, Iraq is not a weak state whose regime could be easily changed. The situation is more dangerous than we think, the odds, from chaos to war, will cloud the area for long years to come,” Oudah concluded.

Adopting the same line, Head of the Political Sciences Department, Cairo University, Dr. Hassan Nafa’ah, said that the U.S. goal is to replace the current Iraqi regime with another one, completely willing to cooperate or carry out the American agenda.

“It is not an option for Washington to replace Saddam’s regime with a democratically elected one that reflects the will of the Iraqis; this is not acceptable or even thinkable,” he said, adding that “it is too late, anyway, to consider convincing Saddam to step down.”

“Saddam could have launched an initiative based on open door policies, true democracy and forming parties…etc. Had he done that, it would have too tough for the Americans to beat the war drums the way they do now.

“Anyway, Saddam still has a slim chance if he declares his readiness to step down, pending guarantees, from the international community and the Arab states, to maintain the stability and integrity of Iraq, as well as a democratically elected regime that will not be an American toy,” he added.

However, Nafa’ah doubted the U.S. will give such an initiative any chances of coming through, “not after their huge military buildup and war songs that are repeated daily.”

Nafa’ah, however, dismissed the argument of other Arab rulers facing Saddam’s situation, asserting the Iraqi leader has put himself in a uniquely awkward fix. “Not even Libya can be subjected to such flagrant interference in its internal affairs.”

Another Egyptian political analyst, however, rejected the idea of Saddam stepping down in the first place, dubbing it “interference in the affairs of a brotherly Arab state.”

Professor of Political Sciences, Suez Canal University, Dr. Gamal Zahran, said; “Saddam, Arab intellects and peoples will not agree to such a provocative U.S. challenge. The Americans want to fight? Fine, let them fight and pay the price. Why volunteer to give them a priceless victory?

Zahran, moreover, asserted that “war will not erupt after all. The Americans are using all their power to intimidate not just Iraq, but all the Arabs, to convince us that it is a lost cause, hoping they will not have to fight eventually.

“They know that such a war will put an end to their hegemony worldwide, and that they will have to pay a very painful price for it.