The UK is still in the throes of a decision by the majority to break away from the European Union. The leaders of Brexit have deserted centre stage and the country is facing a serious leadership vacuum. Now added to this is a report that unravels how former prime minister Tony Blair took his country to war with Iraq on the basis of falsified intelligence reports. Nothing can be worse than this for the British people, who had opposed the war, but had their opinion cast away by Blair who was hell bent on helping the ignorant George Bush.
The John Chilcot report, about 2.6 million words long, is a departure from two earlier reports on the war which skirted the main issue of who was responsible. It bangs the nail on the head of Tony Blair, who for some very odd reason still believes that the world is a better place without Saddam Hussein. Blair is oblivious to the several bombings in Iraq -- the Sunday suicide blast claimed the lives of over 250 people, all a consequence of the flawed idea that the world is a better place. Over a quarter of a million people died in Iraq following the war and over 3.5 million women and children have been displaced. All this misery and death is lost on the former British prime minister who is still believes that invading Iraq was the right decision.
The Chilcot report concluded that there was no imminent threat from Saddam Hussein. (We all know how the US invented intelligence reports to show that Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction). The report said that the strategy of containment could have been continued for some time, but Blair chose war. The report also stated that despite explicit warnings, the consequences of the invasion were underestimated and the preparations for an Iraq after Hussein were wholly inadequate.
It seems that Blair gave George Bush a blank cheque, aligned Britain with the military plans of the US and adhered to the timeline for invasion. The report refers to several private notes sent by Blair to Bush with the most damning one stating, “I will be with you, whatever”. In many ways Blair undermined the democratic system, ignored the will of the people and pushed Britain into a war on a false premise. And it is the people of Iraq who are paying for this misadventure with their lives every day.
The colossal failure of the plan to Invade Iraq is there for all to see. The war has totally destablised the Gulf and the rise of the ISIS can be directly attributed to it. A bitter civil war is on in Syria. Turkey has been sucked into it and so has Russia and the US. In hindsight, the world would have been a better place is Saddam Hussein were still around because, even though he was brutal, he was efficient in smashing terrorist organisations, including al Qaeda.
The Chilcot report gives a clear picture of how democratic institutions can be undermined by politicians who assume larger-than-life roles for themselves. Instead of protecting the interests of the UK, Blair and his team hitched his wagon to the US. In the end Blair and Bush achieved exactly the opposite of what they set out to do. John Chilcot is one of the few honest Britons who showed immense courage in exposing the lies and nailing culprits. He deserves praise.
