With what exactly was this meant to happen? Non-existent weapons of mass destruction, a society and economy destroyed by sanctions? Though Iraqis paid a heavy price in order that Saddam Hussein be contained for 12 years, Iraq was, beyond dispute, contained. Comparisons with Germany in the 1930s only highlight the ridiculous state that those who supported the war against Iraq have now reached.
It is worth quoting the leading realist in the field of international relations, Professor Kenneth Waltz: “Iraq fought a debilitating war with Iran in the 1980s, lost decisively in the Gulf war of 1991, and endured international sanctions and occasional US-British bombardments for more than a decade. Iraq entered its most recent war with its military strength at less than half of its 1991 level . . .In 2001, Iraq’s GDP was about $15 billion, and its defence expenditure $1.5 billion. US GDP was about $10.2 trillion, and its defence expenditure $322 billion. For a giant to defeat a pygmy hardly tests a country’s military prowess or validates a ‘new way of war’.”
Yago Zayed
Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire
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ROGUES: Your editorial last week referred to “rogue states” prepared to support fanatics in their terrorist activities.
Would these be the bad rogue states? North Korea, Syria, Iran, and perhaps Libya (or aren’t we sure about that now?) But I guess it wouldn’t be a reference to the good rogue state, the mighty America. While George Bush’s war on terror has many merits — 9/11, Beslan, Bali, Madrid leave little room for doubt — the hypocrisy and sophistry which buttress it are awesome.
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Ask the citizens of Cuba who they think is “rogue” after 45 years of US-backed insurgency or the Sandinista government of Nicaragua, undermined by years of contra activity financed by America.
Given the chance, I doubt these people, or the millions of others across the world affected by 50 years of interfering and bullying foreign policy, would describe America in as noble a way as you choose to.
Brian James
Stowe-by-Chartley, Staffordshire
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NO CONTEST: I am surprised you are gloating over the “two superbly executed military campaigns”, ignoring the fact that the adversaries in question were Afghanistan, barely emerging from the Middle Ages, and Iraq, emaciated by a decade of UN sanctions.
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Ashesh Kumar Datta
Croydon, Surrey
NO APPLAUSE: No matter how Blair tries to dress it up, all of this government’s achievements lie buried in the sands of Iraq under the stench of a war fought for oil and based on lies.
It is this government that is culpably responsible for the deaths of 11,000-plus (and rising daily) Iraqi non-combatants. It is this government that has sentenced university graduates to a working life of debt and despite claiming to be Labour has built less social housing per year than the Tories in their worst year. It has totally failed in its promises over NHS dentists and has destroyed public confidence in pensions while at the same time turning the state pension into an insulting pittance.
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The paltry ripple of polite applause for Blair at the TUC conference in Brighton was far more than he deserved.
Andrew Williams
Holyhead, Anglesey
CONSCIENCE: So now we know that neither the human cost and the bloody aftermath of the war on Iraq, nor the Hutton inquiry and the conclusions of the Butler report concerning the enigmatic weapons of mass destruction caused Tony Blair any sleepless nights. It was a personal family pressure which put him under “colossal strain” and made him wish to quit. I wish he had.
Ruth Tenne
London NW6