Monday 17 March 2003

Senior British Official Resigns Over Blair's Iraq Policy. Robin Cook resigned today after disagreeing with the government's decision to back military action against Iraq without U.N. approval. By The Associated Press. [New York Times: NYT HomePage] I must admit that I wasn't a great admirer of Robin Cook when he was British Foreign Secretary, but he has gone up considerably in my estimation because of this principled stand. 6:03:09 PM  Your view

An excellent cover article from Newsweek This sums up in a single article what it takes the Ziauddin Sardar and Merryl Wyn Davies book 'Why Do People Hate America?' over 200 pages to describe. A particularly telling phrase, and certainly the actions which instilled my own concern about US policy since Dubyoo came to power, is this: 'In its first year the administration withdrew from five international treaties, and did so as brusquely as it could. It reneged on virtually every diplomatic effort that the Clinton administration had engaged in, from North Korea to the Middle East, often overturning public statements from Colin Powell supporting these efforts. It developed a language and diplomatic style that seemed calculated to offend the world.'       Today is St Patrick's Day. Bertie Ahern, leader of the Irish government, headed off to Washington for the weekend for the celebrations as so many of our politicians tend to do. This would usually be greeted with a fair share of contempt, but on this occasion it was seen as a last chance for the Irish government to inform the US administration of the strong anti-war feeling in Ireland and hopefully to impress on the US President that it cannot depend on refueling or overflight rights in Ireland if there is an American attack on Iraq without UN backing. Mr Ahern has been asked over and over again to state the government position on this issue but has consistently refused to do so, saying that it would be unwise to preempt a reaction to a hypothetical situation. The coming week will be crucial. Ireland will be asked to state its position on a fundamental moral issue: do we or do we not provide support for a 'war' launched outside the ambit of international law? Mr Ahern has already stated that the reality of our dependence on American investment must be faced up to, but if he fails to adopt a stand on moral grounds I dread to imagine the political consequences. 12:44:39 PM  Your view

U.S. Advises Inspectors to Leave Baghdad [AP World News] This sums up the whole thing really, doesn't it? The UN sent in the inspectors, but it's the US who advises them to leave! 12:00:45 PM  Your view

A Long, Winding Road to a Diplomatic Dead End. A train of miscalculations and misunderstandings over Iraq has set back American diplomacy and world standing. By Steven R. Weisman. [New York Times: NYT HomePage] This is an excellent read and a fairly perceptive analysis of the many heavy-handed mistakes made by the US during the unfolding of the Iraq situation. It neatly sums up the inept manner in which the Bush administration has succeeded in a short space of time in undermining the delicate balance of international relations which have built up over the past fifty years. The shift in Irish public opinion is indicative of how things have changed. What used to be perceived as a 'friend' in international terms has now turned into a nation whose leaders have lost all respect. The bullyboy tactics, the blatant disregard for international institutions, the petulant reaction to any criticism of their policy (that notorious 'old Europe' comment!), the simplistic gung-ho phraseology employed by the so-called 'leader of the free world', the cynical assumption that principles can be bought by threats and bribes, the general inept high-handedness which has epitomised the conduct of the Bush administration -- all this has resulted in a quite extraordinary shift of attitude in a very short space of time.       Whatever the true motives behind this obsession with Iraq and Saddam, the way in which the whole thing has been handled only serves to reinforce the initial impression of this man who stole the presidential election: he's a cowboy with a John Wayne approach to problems. God help us all! 8:25:11 AM  Your view

U.S., Britain and Spain to Make Final Push for U.N. Support. After holding crisis talks at the Azores, President Bush said today that "tomorrow is a moment of truth for the world" in the effort to disarm Iraq. By Warren Hoge. [New York Times: NYT HomePage] So it's come down to a cynical show, designed to save face for the British and Spanish leaders and to shift 'blame' onto President Chirac, even though anyone with eyes in their head and even a modicum of brain knows that it's all about the US calling the shots and George W Bush losing patience because he didn't get his own way in the UN. The cynicism behind it all is quite disgusting. The play-acting. The treating of innocent lives as pawns in some game of powerplay. The spinning of the situation so as to try to divert attention from the real facts, which are that Bush and Blair totally miscalculated the will of the international community.       A final irony behind it all as far as we Irish are concerned is the contrast between the actions of two American presidents, with one displaying true and determined statesmanship in his efforts towards peace in the difficult ciscumstances of Northern Ireland and brokering negotiations which led to the Good Friday Agreement, while his megalomaniacal successor slaps us in the face by setting St Patrick's day as 'a moment of truth for the world'. Truth? What is truth? Must it from now on be whatever the White House tells us it is? I pray God that France and Russia and China maintain their principles and not further tarnish the name of the United Nations by granting 'legitimacy' to the amoral agenda of the US administration and its misguided supporters. 2:03:06 AM  Your view

		© Copyright 2003 Jim MacCormaic . Last update: 21/03/2003; 12:59:50 am .