The question is the morning after. What sort of Iraq do we wake up to after the bombing? What happens in the region? What impact could it have? These are questions leaders I have spoken to have posed.

Annan frames the looming military action against Iraq in terms of consequences rather than capability: the real test is not whether bombing can be carried out, but what follows it. By calling it “the morning after,” he invokes the idea of responsibility for aftermath—governance, civilian suffering, regional stability, and geopolitical ripple effects. The quote reflects a diplomatic, precautionary stance associated with the UN’s emphasis on collective security and post-conflict planning. It also signals that his concerns were shared by other leaders, suggesting broad international anxiety about unintended consequences and the difficulty of reconstructing a viable Iraq and maintaining stability in the wider Middle East.