May this loss of life be for a greater good (The War Against Terrorism)

Member Name: opinions4u

Product:	The War Against Terrorism
Date:	27/03/03 (67 review reads)
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As we move in to the second week of the latest stage of the War Against Terrorism, an array of mixed feelings rush through my mind. Here are some observations. You may wish to compare them to what I wrote on this site on 25th September 2002.

While it is obvious that Saddam has terrorised his own people and is a potential menace to others, that menace is no greater than that offered by North Korea, Libya and others. In other words, there was a case for waiting for him to strike first. That said, a direct hit of chemical warheads on Tel Aviv could have caused a skirmish far more serious than anything we are witnessing on Sky News at the moment.

Iraq's links to Al Quaeda are tenuous. Therefore fitting this in as a direct link to the destruction of the Twin Towers in New York is at best misleading. In truth, George Bush Jr is taking Dad's advice. And Dad regrets never having finished the job off.

The allies in Gulf War part one gave up after expelling Saddam from Kuwait. The job was done and public opinion in the UK and US was against regime change at that time. Additionally, the United Nations was against marching on Baghdad. This directly contributed to Saddam brutally putting down the uprisings in the north and south of the country, and forced many Kurds to flee. We are now discovering, much to our discomfort, that the Iraqi people do not trust us and they are therefore scared to stand up against their leader.

For twelve years, Saddam has been subject to an order to give up weapons with a specification that goes beyond basic border defence. Specifically, long range missiles and chemical or biological weapons. Whether he still has these weapons or not, the recent UN inspection reports clearly state that the regime has been unwilling to disclose full information about where such weapons have existed or proving their destruction. In other words, why would a few months more make any difference?

The French
, Germans, Russians and Chinese led the objections to military force being used. Strong evidence suggests that the Russians have spent recent years supplying the Iraqi nation with military hardware. The Chinese have fulfilled contracts to provide Iraq with fibre optic telecommunications. The French and Germans do 15 times as much trade with Iraq as the UK. And the French owned Elf oil company has significant market potential in a post sanctions Iraq. In other words, all significant parties to recent UN debates we basically trying to look after their own national interest. US and UK included.

This war is apparently not about oil. Personally, I find this laughable. Iraq is sat on the second largest oil reserve on the planet. Despite efforts to find new energy sources, oil will have to be a significant source of energy for years to come. With 85% of the nations on the globe needing access to oil (because they don't have their own oil, or their oil is of the wrong grade), the reliable supply of Iraqi oil will, in the medium term, become essential to the world economy. While there will doubtless be commercial benefits to the companies that help Iraq to extract and export this reserve, and tax revenue to the home nations of these companies, there is an importance to each man, woman and child on the planet to a stable oil price.

Iraq is a relatively wealthy nation. It is floating on oil and, unlike countries like Saudi Arabia, has major water resources in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Wars and the greed of the leadership have clearly deprived the people of sharing in this wealth. Saddam is, I read, the richest leader on the planet, comfortably able to outspend the Queen and even the Sultan Of Brunei.

So, we find ourselves at war. Our soldiers are killing Iraqis. They are killing our own soldiers too. While it makes enthralling television it is undoubtedly distressing. But we are at war. And I cannot see either Bush or Sa
ddam backing out now.

So what will happen next? Well, if you are reading this opinion at some point in the future, you may well be able to tell me how wrong I was. History will tell.

So far, the Allied forces seem to have captured a port in the south, sent significant numbers of troops north towards Baghdad and tried to avoid entering towns where it is not essential. This has provided the defenders of Iraq with a chance to cause mischief. Casualties are relatively low, by the standards of armed conflict. A lot of bombing has gone on, most missiles apparently deadly accurate. No comfort if you were on that Syrian bus. Or flying the Tornado shot down by a US missile. The pictures of aid being delivered are nice. But there is a lot of unpleasantness to come. All is fair in love and war and, if I was defending my country, the Geneva Convention would not be top of my list of priorities. In other words, I would break the rules of war and make life as difficult as possible for my enemy. After all, there is no referee to blow up for a foul!

I believe the towns in the south will fall in the next few days. A combination of uprisings, bombings and street searches by Allied troops will achieve this. Casualties will continue to be relatively light.

The north is a little bit of a problem. While Saddam cannot defend the Kurdish areas, the Turks have been a little unhelpful to their Nato allies by refusing to allow ground forces to enter from the North. But to ensure that the defence of Baghdad is split, it is essential for the Allies to provide some sort of threat from the North. So major numbers of personnel and equipment need to be flown in and soon. And they need to be able to support a march from the North on Baghdad. Soon. Inadequate numbers could be overwhelmed by the Republican Guard at the gates of Baghdad.

While the attack from the south appears to be well prepared, it would be better to take on the crack Ir
aqi Guard in the desert. While it is possible that there will be some battles fought in this way, sooner or later the order will go out to pull back to the city itself.

How you then take a city half the size of London, with light casualties, is beyond my armchair general skills. I think we need to brace ourselves for large numbers of Allied deaths in and around Baghdad. It is going to be messy. While I do not doubt the imperial aggressors of the Great Satan will overcome Uncle Saddam, it will not be quick and it will not be easy.

Saddam himself will either disappear for good. Maybe he will move in with Mullah Omar in Afghanistan. Alternatively, he will do a Hitler and point his own handgun at his head. The sooner the better.

While I would have preferred this war never to have begun, I now support the actions of Bush and Blair. I admire their strength of character when faced with French refusal to support the enforcing of numerous UN resolutions. Saddam has been taking the piss for 12 years with weapons inspections and would have continued to do so. Let us not forget his previous development of nuclear capabilities and his use of nerve agents against 60,000 Kurds.

Loss of life is terrible. Friendly fire deaths are so painful for the families involved. Civilian deaths in Iraq are totally unwelcome. There will be more of these incidents in the coming few weeks.

But an Iraq without Saddam, supported by major foreign investment and the exploitation of the natural resources of the nation will be a more prosperous place. At present 20% of children die before the age of five. This can and will be changed. The people of Iraq can then think for themselves. Make decisions for themselves. The number of lives lost in this war will be significantly fewer than the number of deaths that would have continued in Iraq as a direct result of Saddam being in charge. Little comfort to the grieving mother of a dead serviceman
. But a fact nonetheless.

I hope that a post Saddam Iraq comes soon. I hope that the US and UK military can get out soon and can stay out. I hope that a new government in Iraq, democratic
or otherwise, will act on behalf of the people and in the interests of the people.

Above all, I hope the cowardly French for all their selfishness have no say in any of it!

I dislike bush and Blair as politicians. But the may just have got this one right. I hope so.

As for me, I'll keep watching it from my front room and occasionally remind myself how lucky I am not to be dropped in the desert to fight for my country.

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