Questionable Legitimacy

Sir Jeremy Greenstock, the UK's ambassador to the UN in 2003, told the Iraq Inquiry (source BBC):

"If you do something internationally that the majority of UN member states think is wrong, illegitimate or politically unjustifiable, you are taking a risk in my view.

I regarded our participation in the military action against Iraq in March 2003 as legal but of questionable legitimacy in that it did not have the democratically observable backing of a great majority of member states or even perhaps of a majority of people inside the UK."

Quite!

The Iraq Inquiry

The Iraq Inquiry, currently being held in London, is gradually peeling back the layers of obfuscation (much like an onion) put up by politicians and civil servants.

Seemingly the newly elected Bush administration was looking at plans to enforce regime change sometime before 9/11.

Additionally, some 10 days before the war started, Blair was told that Iraq had no WMD.

As the inquiry goes on it will become increasingly clear that the US and UK public were conned by their governments into this unnecessary war.

No Whitewash

Sir John Chilcot, Chairman of the Iraq war inquiry, has promised that it will result in a "full and insightful" account of event and that there will be no whitewash.

Didn't Nixon once say the same about Watergate?

Sir John was also at pains to point out that the inquiry will not deliver a verdict as to whether the war was legal or illegal.

Evidence from senior government figures will start tomorrow, Tony Blair will be called early in 2010.

A Shambles

The double suicide bombing in Baghdad on Sunday that claimed more than 130 lives, and wounded hundreds more, highlights that the situation in Iraq is still far from stable.

Other news from that troubled country indicates that even the construction of the world's largest and "most secure" embassy (the US embassy) has been spectacularly botched.

Despite the US spending $700M on construction, the yet to be completed complex is riddled with serious flaws eg; "safe areas" that were not constructed according to contract specifications, walls and walkways that have begun to crack and a power distribution system that used nonstandard wiring.

There are also plumbing problems in 200 locations in the embassy compound, eg the deputy ambassador has the pleasure of airconditioning that pumps noxious sewage fumes into his residence, and deficiencies in a water treatment plant.

The cost of repairs is estimated at being a "mere" $132M.

However, the cost of running the new complex is expected to be so exorbitant that the US may well be forced to rent out part of the space.

Why on earth was such an unwieldy building commissioned in the first place?

As some local wags point out, if the Americans cannot even build their own embassy without botching it, how can they possibly expect to build a nation?

Iraq War Inquiry

Sir John Chilcot, Chairman of the official inquiry into the Iraq war, has invited submissions from members of the public who believe they have information useful to the inquiry.

The inquiry will consider the UK's involvement in Iraq, how decisions were made and will identify lessons that can be learned.

There are many who want former prime minister (and possible president of Europe), Tony Blair, to be held accountable for taking the UK into the war.

Submissions can be made in writing or via the inquiry website:

- www.iraqinquiry.org.uk

The address for written submissions is:

Submissions,
The Iraq Inquiry,
35 Great Smith Street,
London
SW1P 3BQ.

Imperial Folly

The Telegraph reports that the soldier and former American football player Pat Tillman who was killed in Afghanistan thought George W. Bush was a "cowboy" and the Iraq an "imperial folly".

Slowly, but surely, the truth behind the hype over this invasion will come out. Bush, Cheney et al will be kept very busy trying to defend their reputations in the coming years.

Deja Vu

Isn't this what the so called "regime change" meant to stop?

Iraqi shoe-thrower: I was tortured with electric shocks

Aziz Jailed

Tariq Aziz, Saddam Hussein's right hand man, was found guilty yesterday of crimes against humanity and jailed for 15 years.

Watban Ibrahim al-Hassan and Sabawi Ibrahim, director of public security (half-brothers of Saddam) were sentenced to death on the same charges.

Aziz will appeal against the sentence. However, he still faces charges for the killing and arrest of hundreds of Kurds in the early 1980s.

Mission Accomplished

President Bush has finally admitted that it had been a mistake to hang a banner saying "mission accomplished" on a US battleship, where he declared major combat operations in Iraq over in 2003.

"Clearly, putting a 'mission accomplished' on an aircraft carrier was a mistake."

Quite!

British Troops To Finally Come Home

Gordon Brown has stated that most of the 4,100 British troops would leave Iraq by the end of July 2009. However, he has ruled at an enquiry into this most misguided of wars.