George W. Bush and his agencies picked Iraq and Afghanistan. They would receive the fury. They would listen to the song of vengeance and listen good!
Going back to the kamikaze actors who boarded the four planes, there were nineteen in all. Fifteen were from Saudi Arabia, two were from The United Arab Emirates. One was from Egypt and one was from Lebanon. None of the hi-jackers were from Iraq or Afghanistan.
Thousands of British citizens remain ashamed and angry that our then prime minister, Tony Blair hung on to George W. Bush's shirt tails, helping to legitimise the so-called "War on Terror" in Iraq. To this day, Blair refuses to apologise for what he did even though there never were any "weapons of mass destruction" to be found in Baghdad or elsewhere in Saddam Hussein's homeland.
What good was achieved in either Iraq or Afghanistan during the War on Terror? Many died including innocent citizens and it is calculated that 7000 members of the US military were killed along with some 8000 "contractors". Since those "wars", hundreds of US military personnel have committed suicide and many others came back without limbs or were disabled in several other ways.
I would be interested to know how ordinary American citizens reflect upon The War on Terror. Was it worth it and was terrorism defeated? Perhaps the aggressive military response was counterproductive - stoking up terrorism instead of squashing it out of existence. Was this really the right way to respond to 9/11 which wasn't really about nation states anyway - but crazy extremists who could have come from just about anywhere?
Maybe there was more to all of this than I could possibly comprehend but standing here on the sidelines, it always seemed to me that the quest for vengeance was an impossible task. This "enemy" was elusive and as 9/11 proved, it did not play by the usual rules of engagement.
Bush and Cheney should have been tried for war crimes.
ReplyDeleteInnocent citizens in both Iraq and Afghanistan were collateral damage.
DeleteBlair & co's "dodgy dossier" with it's fictional weapons of mass destruction represents a black day in recent UK history, and for me yet another black mark against a power and money mad megalomaniac who wrought massive destruction not just in the Middle East, but also to the UK constitution.
ReplyDeleteBlair's first term was excellent in my view - a sea change. But in 2001/2002 he was at odds with much of The Labour Party - as if he wasn't really with them any more.
DeleteThey struck out blindly at whoever seemed to be in the way.
ReplyDeleteThat is how it seemed to me - a kind of blood lust.
DeleteI think there is immense pressure on a leader in this type of situation and with a crowd baying for blood, it takes a remarkable wisdom to take the high road.
ReplyDeleteI'm not excusing it, you are right. I'm commenting on human nature and generally speaking human nature dictates that vegeance on any innocent is better than inaction.
The attitude displayed there was the fore runner to todays insanity but I for one, didn't know it then
War has often been driven by simple human reactions instead of being put through the colander of strategy and cool consideration.
DeleteWe are all still paying the price now.
ReplyDeleteYes. The beat goes on, and on.
DeleteI think like citizens of the US, most Australians never followed the detail and never picked up that there wasn't a reason for attacking Iraq and Afghanistan, perhaps justifying the response to 9/11 was against Arabs rather individuals. Of course our PM at the time, Little Johnny Howard, dragged us into the mess. If the might of the Russian Army couldn't win a war in Afghanistan, how the west thought it could beggars belief.
ReplyDeleteLook at how it all ended. A disgraceful mess. No victory there.
DeleteLike the Russians, the US/UK did not heed the warnings of what lay in wait for an invading army that had been the British experience in the 19th century. Those who ignore history are condemned to repeat it.
DeleteThere is always retaliation after a terrorist attack. America always thinks they have the biggest gun. Hiroshima and Nagasaki are classic examples. Even Labour believe in weapons of mass destruction that can never be used.
ReplyDeleteNot the power of love but the power of money and military might.
DeleteI had misgivings about invading Afghanistan at the time, but at least there WAS a connection between 9/11 and Afghanistan. Al-Qaeda at the time was based there, Osama bin Laden was believed to be there, and some of the hijackers (as I recall) trained with Al-Qaeda there. Afghanistan was seen as a weakly governed state that not only tolerated but fomented international terrorism. I did feel like SOMETHING needed to be done post-9/11, and purging Afghanistan of Al-Qaeda seemed like a risky and dangerous but potentially worthy response.
ReplyDeleteIraq, though, is a whole different story. Iraq had no connection whatsoever to 9/11 and when Bush pushed to invade, many, many Americans were opposed to it. There were huge demonstrations against it. We saw it as Bush and Cheney using 9/11 as an excuse to take down Saddam Hussein, which was basically a personal goal of George W. Bush based on old resentments from his father's term in office. We knew the WMD excuses were baloney. The Iraq invasion was a nightmarish mistake and a disaster that still hasn't fully played out -- and one that ultimately torpedoed the Bush administration's goals in Afghanistan by drawing their attention elsewhere.
Thank you for your well-considered reflections Steve. Of course Osama bin Laden was finally taken out in Pakistan - not Afghanistan. And look at the chaotic way in which the so-called "War on Terror" ended in Afghanistan. Mission accomplished? I do not think so. It was a total mess. The buck has been passed into the future.
DeleteI guess at the time, I was against going into Iraq and taking out Saddam Hussein because I was worried that after doing so the country would just implode and be worse on than before as far as ruthless leaders and harboring terrorism. I think time has played that one out unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteLike Steve, I think there was more of a case of going into Afghanistan due to the leader of the terrorism cell that committed the atrocity living there at the time. What went wrong was that we stayed behind and tried to nation build which as history points out repeatedly is pointless when in a religious war, which is what the terrorists feel this is.
To a large extent the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have formed my current views that we (America) needs to stop getting involved in wars that have no real direct impacts on our lives. This is why I think we shouldn't be sending weapons to Ukraine. We are also doing the same thing to Taiwan though I think we have a lot more to lose if that one becomes a war.
It was a terrible, terrible decision and many Americans were horrified.
ReplyDeleteAt the time, I thought it was wrong, still do. You can't go to war if you don't know who the enemy is. We destroyed a couple of countries and made long lasting enemies in the world. Cheney and his defense contractor friends got richer. He was an evil _astard.
ReplyDeleteGeorge Bush was not a good president, but compared to the Felon, he doesn't look quite so bad in hindsight. I do think his military campaigns were wrong, and as you many commenters and you have stated, nothing really changed.
ReplyDeleteThe US couldn't blame or attack Saudi Arabia and hold them accountable because of their love affair with oil and gas. That would be akin to biting the hand that feeds you.
ReplyDeleteWar begets war. When I look at Gaza and Israel, I see a whole new generation born to feel angry and justified in their hatred of an other. Humans suck.
As an American, with some age, looking on it now it seems somewhat forgotten. Almost. When Bush called for the invasion into IRAQ I would venture 90% of America was with him. As things drug on people started to get weary, especially seeing caskets on the nightly news. Then a push into Afghanistan. More resources gone. No weapons of mass destruction found. Just a goldmine in profits for defense contractors. People still (perhaps always) honor 911. We do in our house. But there are times when one must stand back and say "did we do the right thing? What was gained?" The answer is far beyond me.
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