ref date:14 Nov 1997 (CD)
Blairs attitude to Iraq Questionable
Whilst it is highly regrettable that Iraq has chosen to breach
part of the Dayton agreement once more, military action would gain
nothing for the US or UN (they are NOT one and the same even though many
American politicians think they are! Perhaps the US needs to pay its UN
dues before trying to coerce the security council?)
John Reid , the "UK" defence minister indicated he wanted to see a diplomatic solution to the Iraq crisis. However, he wanted to keep the military option open. He said a squadron of
Harrier jump jets was being put on standby and that an aircraft carrier was on its way to
Gibraltar.
All this posturing and sabre rattling is fine and dandy, but the majority of the
people in Iraq are in no position to overthrow Saddam, they live in fear of a dictator.
They have been starved by sanctions and further bombing would just give credence to
the dictators position of the 'evil West'.
It is also quite unsettling that the US, for all its good intentions, is
still guilty of quite unacceptable interference in the affairs of other countries:
El Salvador
Nicaragua
Cuba
Permitted solicitation of funds for IRA bombing campaigns in the "UK"
etc....
Sanctions are still in place against Cuba after failed attempts to alter that countries destiny
by the US. Vietnam' people suffered almost 20 years of US driven sanctions before the
wounds that they and the people of the US suffered were sufficiently buried to let the US back away from pushing sanctions.
The US also insists it will 'punish' European Community (450 million people!) companies who deal with Cuba. Quite rightly the US was told to go and threaten someone else.
It seems that a group of hard liners in the US often sulks when it does not get what
it wants and imposes sanctions that NEVER result in the overthrow of dictators
who may well deserve to be 'removed', but ALWAYS results in entire nations suffering
for decades as the US keeps up pressure on other countries to enforce sanctions.
The sanctions on Iraq are against the people of Iraq who cannot remove Saddam even if they
ALL wanted to. The US quarrel (and sulk?) is with him, military action would
be counter productive even given the fact Iraqs (peaceful) action against US inspectors
was petty and in breach of the Gulf peace agreement.
If Blair allies himself to more sanctions or military action rather than hard talking
and more eloquent political machinations, he lowers himself to the 'dog of war' mentality
so prevalent in niches within the US government.
Hopefully Blair and the European Union is more mature than that.
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