Terror lurks everywhere, or so the US government says. And with the memory of the 9/11 "terrorist" attacks still fresh, the task of sowing fear is anything but Herculean.

Ingeniously, US President George W. Bush employs this fear and paranoia to oil his borderless war against alleged terrorist organizations and countries around the world. Months ago, the US waged war against the Talibans, resulting in the death of innocent Afghan civilians, whose number, incidentally, far surpasses that of the 9/11 victims. Now, fresh from war, the US is again plotting another one. This time, Bush has his fingers pointing to Iraq.

White House accuses Iraq of manufacturing biological and nuclear weapons of mass destruction. Although UN nuclear inspections in Iraq are already ongoing, the Bush administration is still not slowing down. Bush now claims that the US is already preempting war by being the first to strike Iraq, a justification that by reason is utterly obtuse, if not at most damnable.

For how could a nation prevent war by starting one, the lamest reason of eradicating terrorism notwithstanding?

Truth is that the ensuing US-Iraq war is not actually entrenched on the annihilation of terrorists. It is rather founded on a different motive - the US' bolstering of worldwide political domination and the redemption of its plunging economy.

History reveals that the US' economic recession, usually if not always, precedes war. World War II, for instance, happened after the Great Depression when the US stock market crashed, workers were laid off, and businesses went bankrupt. After the war, though, the US economy surged while the state as well gained political stronghold among the nations it "neo-colonized."

In truth, the US invests in war economy through the manufacture and sale of weaponries. It is the largest supplier of tanks, missiles, guns, and all other ammunitions to countries at battle. Oddly, even its enemies are its customers.

The US, in waging war hits two birds with one stone. While it salvages its economy, it also gains political power over countries.

History, unfortunately, is repeating itself. Again, the US is experiencing economic turmoil, with an astounding six percent unemployment rate and 59 percent profit decline among big companies last year. The recently concluded and short-lived US war on Afghanistan bolstered the dying economy of the US through sales of arms and gave the country control over a crucial oil pipeline that would spell more than billions of profit. The US government had also widened its political influence on the Middle East bloc, with Afghanistan added to its list of "neo-colonized" nations. The US, in its war against Afghanistan, did not combat terrorism. The US government only strengthened its political and economic position.

Now, Iraq faces the same fate as Afghanistan. Under the guise of combating terrorism, the Bush administration is in fact advancing its political and economic interests with its war against Iraq. Aside from gaining profit through war economy and expanding political domination, the US would also take hold of the largest oil deposits in the world if it prevails in the war. Ultimately, the war against Iraq would mean death to thousands or even millions of innocent civilians.

Apparently, the US war against Iraq is not without repercussions to our country. For one, it would directly result in the displacement of 1.5 million Filipino workers in the Middle East. Furthermore, it would mean excessive oil price hikes and an increase in prices of basic commodities.

It is in these outright reasons that our government should condemn the looming US-Iraq war. Many countries have already decried the unwarranted actions of the US. We should not let war break out in Iraq. After all, enough terror has been sown.