Chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix, however, is a key figure in the United States’ current stand-off with Iraq. Blix gave a mixed report to the United Nations on Friday, saying Iraq is somewhat complying with international demands to disarm, but still needs to do more to avoid “serious consequences,” as stated in a U.N. resolution.

Blix’s speech “reinforced both sides of the debate,” Eau Claire political science professor Stephen Hill said.

Countries, such as France and Germany, chose to see the positive changes Iraq has made to comply with the U.N. resolution, while Great Britain and the United States demanded more cooperation, he said.

Blix’s speech to the United Nations was followed Saturday by a worldwide protest to the possible war.

Larger cities, such as Rome, London and Madrid, each witnessed crowds of protesters of at least 650,000. New York City’s streets were filled 20 blocks deep and two blocks wide with an estimated 500,000 protesters.

Even so, President Bush said the worldwide protests would not alter his decision.

Saying war is still a last resort, he “respectfully disagree(s)” with the protests and added that “the risk of doing nothing is even a worse option as far as I’m concerned.”

Hill said he doesn’t think the protests will slow Bush’s call for war. What it will do, he said, is “cause him to reflect.”

That is exactly what many countries are doing. A coalition will be formed that suits what the Bush administration wants, Hill said, but “the question is how long it will take?”

That coalition would be one of “the willing” and not one of a “true international” caliber with a majority of countries backing U.S.-led action against Iraq, Hill said.

Iraq complied with one long-standing demand of U.N. inspectors. A U-2 spy plane loitered over Iraq for the first time late last week.

“It’s another weapon in the armory of the inspectors,” Hill said. U-2 flights create a “lot more confidence in inspectors.”

The gesture is considered by some to be too little, too late. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice repeated Bush’s warning Sunday on a television talk show that Iraq has “weeks, not months.”

“It is time for this to end, enough is enough,” Rice said on the show. “Putting this off is not an option.”

The buildup of troops is continuing rapidly. The Pentagon announced a week ago its goal of having 150,000 troops in the region primed for attack by this time.

A number of issues point to an intervention in March, Hill said. He argued that cooler temperatures and a new moon giving near total darkness provides ideal conditions for an attack by the U.S. military, who prefer to fight at night.

Meanwhile, diplomatic pressures joined with military threats are being used while the world.

The conflict is centered about one man, and the timetable for a possible attack remains in his hands. Hill said exactly how much is a “question answered only by Saddam Hussein.”

— The Associated Press contributed to this story.