This morning (March 17), the United States has pulled the plug of diplomatic relations with Iraq. Here is an overview of the events of the last 48 hours:

• Germany has closed and evacuated their embassy in Baghdad.
  
• The United Nations moved up a Security Council meeting, which was to take place this afternoon, to 10:00am EST.
  
• US Secretary of State Colin Powell has issued an advisory to the United Nations that UN Inspectors in Iraq leave within 24 hours.
  
• After the UN meeting above, the Security Council says they will comply with the US warning; the Inspectors will leave Tuesday morning (Iraq time).
  
• US President George W. Bush will address the nation from the White House tonight at 8:00pm (EST)
  
• President Bush's speech to the nation will include an ultimatum to Saddam Hussein to leave Iraq in self-imposed exile, or face military action.
  
• The new proposed UN resolution will not be voted upon and will be allowed to "die" (Today is the expiration date).
  
• The US will utilize the authority of UN Resolution 1441, passed unanimously in November, and the Resolution passed after the Gulf War of 1991 as the basis for the authority to take action against Iraq.
  
• NBC News is pulling out their news team in Baghdad.
  
• Robin Cook, Secretary of the British House of Commons, has tendered his resignation to Prime Minister Tony Blair, in protest of the diplomatic breakdown.
  
• Preliminary reports state that either Saddam Hussein or his military commanders has opened oil pipelines southern regions of Iraq, in an effort to slow any US military advance.
  

Stay tuned; this is far from over.

(SOURCE - MSNBC)

Why do they always schedule these 'address to the nation' things during my favourite shows...?

Anyway, on a more serious note. We knew it was coming. It's been snowballing for months.

I was wondering if perhaps Britain was trying to play a game of brinkmanship with Chirac. Saying give us the resolution or we will just attack anyway. If you give us the resolution we can still save some of the UN's dignity. But that Blair would not go to war with Bush if there wasnt a second resolution, explicitly authorising it. Now the UK is saying a nother resolution isnt necessary, but they know they are on shaky legal ground, i guess they are banking on the fact that if the US is unimpeachable when it comes to international, law, then by going along with it, they will be too. However this places Blair and the british cabinet in a perilous situation, if the war is deemed illegal in the future....members of his cabinet could conceivably be accused of acting with unprovoked aggression against another UN member.

This just in:

• The Turkish Prime Minister will propose a vote authorizing use of its airspace for US planes. Air bases, however, will not be used. Also, no American ground forces will be permitted in Turkey (at least, for aggressive purposes). The vote is expected from the Turkish Parliament tomorrow.
  
• There have been unconfirmed reports regarding the disposition of Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz. Conflicting reports are saying that he is either attempting to seek asylum, trying to leave Iraq, or that he has been shot. Stay tuned.
  
• Major League Baseball's season-opening trip to Japan (scheduled for March 25) has been cancelled.
  
• The Academy Awards, to be held on Sunday, will not have a "Red Carpet" this year. The bleachers for the "Red Carpet" have been removed for security reasons. This is the first time in the history of the Oscars that the "Red Carpet" pre-ceremony has been cancelled.
  
• On Tuesday (3/18), President Bush has filed legal paperwork regarding Iraq to the U.S. House of Representatives. The extent of this paperwork is not known at this time, but for the United States to legally declare war against another sovereign nation, it must be approved by Congress. The Speaker of the House will address Congress later this morning.
  
• Former UN Chief Weapons Inspector Hans Blix will make a speech from the United Nations at 10:30am (EST). The speech, originally intended to address the Iraqi weapons issue, will apparently focus on life in a "post-Saddam" Iraq.

(SOURCE - MSNBC)

NYC is at a very High state of alert--it's really "Orange Plus".

http://www.wnbc.com/news/2049296/detail.html

There is no doubt we are on the brink of war. It's really very frightening.

A couple of hours ago we got the official order to open our gas-mask kits and keep them with us at all times.

snm, our prayers are with you and your nation. Hold tight and hopefully this will be over soon. Best case scenerio is that Syria will pull out of Lebanon as a result of this war.

I want to second that thought snm, take great care.

Thank-you Sue & Diehard!
Diehard, Syria have made a few symbolic gestures in the pulling-out-of-Lebanon arena lately, but at the same time Hizballah (who are for all intents and purposes a Syrian organization) have increased the number of Katyusha rockets along the border and lately they've constantly been firing anti-aircraft missiles into Northern Israel (and not necessarily at aircraft).