Chilcot report: Iraq invasion "not last resort"

[Skybird]

12 years late, but I assume he at least got all the homework done on assessing the conspiracy - thats what I call coups like that - that lead to the chaotic state of things the region today suffers from.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-36712735

I wonder whether there will ever come a comparable analysis from the US concluding the obvious. Probably not in our lifetime. Many Americans until today believe that at the time of the invasion and the immediate years before, Saddam still had WMD. He had (nobody ever denied that) - but but long time, many years earlier: that is the part that many people have problems with, for it spoils the official reason why Bush went to war.

This war was a war of wishes, not a war of needs.

[Jimbuna]

This is the first summary from the BBC:

Summary

Sir John Chilcot's Iraq War inquiry report is published after seven years
UK joined Iraq invasion "before peaceful options for disarmament exhausted" - military action was "not last resort"

Invasion based on “flawed intelligence and assessments” that went unchallenged

Threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction were "presented with certainty that was not justified"

Consequences of action were underestimated "despite explicit warnings", Sir John says

Tony Blair says decision to take military action made "in good faith" and what he believed to be in "best interests of the country"

Inquiry set up by ex-PM Gordon Brown in June 2009 to look into run-up to 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq and its aftermath

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-36714717

[Betonov]

That's some report :o

http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/FAD2/production/_90301246_chilcot_social_card.png

The media summaries will give me plenty of reading material for work brakes

[August]

People tend to forget that Saddam deliberately promoted the idea that he still had WMD.

Saddam Hussein told an FBI interviewer before he was hanged that he allowed the world to believe he had weapons of mass destruction because he was worried about appearing weak to Iran, according to declassified accounts of the interviews released yesterday.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/01/AR2009070104217.html

[Rockstar]

Hell, I knew we were being hustled when I watched Colin Powell use Hollywood movie props and CGI in the attempt to convince everyone the need to invade.

[Oberon]

I wonder if this'll be used to build a case to charge Blair... :hmmm:

[STEED]

I wonder if this'll be used to build a case to charge Blair... :hmmm:

Fat chance, they don't call him Teflon Blair for nothing. :03:

[Catfish]

Whatever the initial outcome was I do not think Blair acted with levity, or irresponsible. I am however glad Germany, for whatever reason, did not join this mess back then.

If you want to "court-martial" polititians for their (in hindsight) wrong decisions, where and when do we start? :03:
(insert Godwin's law, ok, but Mr. H. would surely NOT be the first one.)

[Oberon]

Fat chance, they don't call him Teflon Blair for nothing. :03:

Even John Gotti get nicked eventually.

[Skybird]

A new cave system has been found in Europe, located between the temples of Tony Blair who gets quoted by the BBC with saying that the world due to the Iraq war today is a better place to live in.

:huh:


:o


:dead:

What a load of canting bigotry. He has not heard a single of the many shots fired since then.

Well, Mr. Blair, and a thousand years ago people believed the world is a disc.

[STEED]

Even John Gotti get nicked eventually.

https://memecrunch.com/meme/BH96G/you-mess-with-me/image.jpg?w=460&c=1

[Skybird]

A new cave system has been found in Europe, located between the temples of Tony Blair who gets quoted by the BBC with saying that "the world due to the Iraq war today is a better place to live in."

:huh:


:o


:dead:

What a load of canting bigotry. He has not heard a single of the many shots fired since then.

Well, Mr. Blair, and a thousand years ago people believed the world is a disc.

[Jimbuna]

If you want to "court-martial" polititians for their (in hindsight) wrong decisions, where and when do we start?


Agreed.

[Oberon]

people believed the world is a disc.

The turtle moves! :yep:

[STEED]

I don't Believe Blair will face any kind of action what so ever and the sooner he sods off back into jungle never to be seen again the better.

[Betonov]

Well, Mr. Blair, and a thousand years ago people believed the world is a disc.

Actually, a 1000 years ago they knew that the world was a sphere.
That they thought the Earth was flat is a myth. Just like legitimate reasons for this war and Blair's justification that the world is a better place.

[Skybird]

If the war is being found to have been illegal, and the principles of the Nuremberg trials still are valid, then Bush, Blair, Cheney, Rumsfield, Wolfowitz, Powell and so on, indeed must face charges at a court - for war crimes. The same was done with the warmongerers from the Balkan, Ruanda...

Indeed, they all should be brought to trial, and sentenced to be locked away for life.

For the record, the wold is not a better place due to your little private adventure, George and Tony. It is more chaotic and dangerous and in the affected regions has seen the multiplication of bloodshed and cruelty and torturing and terrorism embracing all the globe as the direct consequences from your sanctimonious and imbecile missionary attitude. The world before your war was already bad, yes - but after and becasue of your war, it turned much, much worse now.

Incompetence and ignorance, are one thing. The intended, planned misleading of the public and the lying and cheating about the reasons for war, are a crime against humanity. Not to mention an crime against the population of the countries these great Führers claimed to represent. This is treason, and assassination of one's own nation's citizens in uniform.

[Mittelwaechter]

In the movies, Skybird! In the movies...

The winners dictate the jurisdiction.

If you start a war you simply have to win it - to get what you want, to write the history and to determine any punishment for leading an attack war or committing war crimes.

And the own people totally accept it.
To quote Catfish: If you want to "court-martial" polititians for their (in hindsight) wrong decisions, where and when do we start?

Just the victims are not too happy - and some turn terrorist - again by the winner's/our definition.

[Skybird]

Sure, the demand will not be fulfilled. However, just remains just, and wrong remains wrong. While what will be done, is subject to massive corruption by those in power, the ethical standards of good and evil nevertheless shall be considered to be untouchable. Even if they will be violated - they are what they are. This was no war of self-defence, nor a war of needs. It was a war of desire.

These criminals are responsible for thousands of their own citizens getting killed over their lies, and they betrayed the good-willingness of hundreds of thousands, and betrayed their and motivation to serve what these many - though somewhat naive - legions of people thought was a good cause and who put their life and their physical health at risk. Plus a whole region being kicked over the cliff.

They most likely never will be held responsible. But they should be held responsible. They are war criminals, and traitors to their own people, plain and simple.

[Mittelwaechter]

As long as we the people don't care for it, our politicians will not be held responsible.

Other, foreign politicians shall be held responsible for their deeds.
Our politicians tell it and our media explains it to us.

But our system grants us the responsibility for the deeds of our politicians.
We entitle them to act in our names. Bad idea to think we would question our own decisions. Resignation is the effect. No change is possible, we are doomed to accept the staus quo, you can't do anything about it...

We are not smart enough for direct democracy, you know.
But we are totally smart enough to predict the behaviour, the decisions of some other people, to make good politics in our interest.
That's what the media explains to us - and so it is the consequent opinion of the majority.