Britain Has Regrets

Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, will tell the UN today that Britain has regrets about the Iraq war.

He will say:

"In recent years we have learned – in some cases the hard way – that democracy cannot be created by diktat.

Freedom cannot be commanded into existence."

Quite!

I have said many times before that democracy cannot be imposed via the barrel of a gun, and that shouting "Yee Hah!" is not an effective tool of foreign policy.

Fantasy Merchants

It seems that George W. Bush and his advisers focused on toppling Saddam Hussein as soon as Bush took office, and discussed how to justify a war in Iraq.

AFP report that Donald Rumsfeld, US Defence Secretary in 2001, said before the invasion of Iraq:

"If Saddam's regime were ousted, we would have a much-improved position in the region and elsewhere."

What planet were these people living on?

Known and Unknown

I see that Donald Rumsfeld, George W Bush's ex Defence Secretary, is planning to publish his memoirs (entitled "Known and Unknown") in January 2011.

Doubtless these will correct any misunderstandings that people may have about him and the Iraq war.