The Hubris and Arrogance of Tony Blair

Tony Blair, George W. Bush and their governments using the press as a conduit for selling the invasion of Iraq to the British and American peoples based upon false intelligence and lies to this day feel little remorse for what the undo harm, death and destruction they brought to iraq.

Today Tony Blair published an essay defending actions taken by his government for the 2003 armed incursion into Iraq.  A country ruled, yes by a ruthless dictator whose ability to threaten the security of the United Kingdom or the United States existed only in his wild delusions rather than reality.  

Mr. Blair claims that those policies implemented by him and George W. Bush have no bearing on the current situation.  If true then how does one explain the explosion of violence which took place in Iraq following the conclusion of hostilities and proclaimed by President Bush on the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln in May of 2003 or on the 23 of that same month L Paul Bremer civilian head of the  Provisional Coalition Authority announcing the disbanding of the Iraqi army and the de Baathification of the countries governing institutions.  All of which led to resentment  of the Sunni population and the start of the civil war.  Those people could have stabilize Iraq instead they helped it fall into chaos.

     The civil war in Syria with its attendant disintegration is having its predictable and malign effect. Iraq is now in mortal danger. The whole of the Middle East is under threat.

We will have to re-think our strategy towards Syria; support the Iraqi Government in beating back the insurgency; whilst making it clear that Iraq’s politics will have to change for any resolution of the current crisis to be sustained. Then we need a comprehensive plan for the Middle East that correctly learns the lessons of the past decade. In doing so, we should listen to and work closely with our allies across the region, whose understanding of these issues is crucial and who are prepared to work with us in fighting the root causes of this extremism which goes far beyond the crisis in Iraq or Syria.

 It is inevitable that events in Mosul have led to a re-run of the arguments over the decision to remove Saddam Hussein in 2003. The key question obviously is what to do now. But because some of the commentary has gone immediately to claim that but for that decision, Iraq would not be facing this challenge; or even more extraordinary, implying that but for the decision, the Middle East would be at peace right now; it is necessary that certain points are made forcefully before putting forward a solution to what is happening now.

Mr. Blair like Mr. Bush should hold the same place in history for these terrible events as curveball the lying asshole who sold western governments on the idea that Saddam Hussein was hell bent on acquiring weapons of mass destruction, when his only goal was to remain in power. These fools should tried as war criminals.