On October 31, 2002, Levitte, spoke about the French point of view regarding the potential war with Iraq and his experiences in the U.N. Security Council in September 2001. Levitte's lecture, entitled, "World Order Today: The French View" was the second presentation in the "Ambassadors At Adelphi" series.

Speaking of the "shadowy enemy," Levitte spoke of the role of Al Qaeda in the terrorist attack and how the UN hopes to be a force of opposition to international terror. He said that France fully supported the US effort in Afghanistan to get rid of the Taliban.

Levitte could see the towers burning after they were hit from his office window at the UN building in Manhattan. He did not see the first plane hit the first tower but he witnessed the second plane crash. To emphasise France's commitment to the US and defeating terror he mentioned how Jacque Chirac, the French President, was the first world leader to visit the US after September 11, 2001.

He spoke of how Iraq disrupted weapons inspectors in December of 1998. Levitte said the policy of keeping Iraq isolated or in a "box" had been a success. He added that more weapons of mass destruction had been destroyed by the UN inspectors than were destroyed in the Persian Gulf War of 1991.

He said that George W. Bush's speech to the UN September 12, 2002 was effective in getting the UN to hurry along its passage of a resolution approving the new rounds of weapons inspectors. Levitte had high praise for Hans Blix, the man who would lead any inspection effort.

He said that Iraq was an "old story" based upon its wars involving Iran from 1980 to 1989 and its invasion of Kuwait in 1990. He said that no one in 1991 thought that Saddam Hussein could survive after their humiliating defeat in Kuwait. In 1991 there was no strong support for going to Baghdad and taking over Iraq, he said.

Levitte argued that unilateral action by the US on Iraq would have disastrous international repercussions. He said it could set a precedent whereby China may invade Taiwan, to quash its independence movement or in which Russia musn't invade its Southern neighbor, Georgia, to strangle the breakaway region of Chechnya. He said the best and most effective action is always multi-lateral.

Levitte joked that it was a "privilege to escape" the UN and come to Adelphi for a few hours.