Commentary
Iraq war: Not another whitewash, please!
By Linda S. Heard
Online Journal Contributing Writer
Jul 1, 2009, 00:15

A scheduled independent inquiry into Britain’s role in the Iraq war is long overdue. The invasion of Iraq arguably constitutes Britain’s greatest blunder since the 1956 Suez Crisis, which resulted in the then Prime Minister Anthony Eden suffering an emotional breakdown and being forced to quit office.

Today, US and British government officials still claim the war had merit in that Saddam Hussein was toppled but in light of the devastation that Iraq has suffered -- and is still suffering -- such assertions ring hollow. In the past 10 days alone, over 150 Iraqis have been killed during a series of bomb attacks while up to 200 have been injured.

Even the most conservative estimates concede that over a million Iraqis have lost their lives due to the invasion and its six-year aftermath. Millions have been robbed of family members, there are untold numbers of orphans, and millions more have been displaced from their homes.

Coalition countries have also paid a price in blood and treasure with the cost of war reaching the $800 billion mark. Knowing such horrendous statistics make US and British claims that it was all worth it to “free” Iraq from an “evil dictator” sound glib. But what else can they say, when the world knows now that Saddam did not possess weapons of mass destruction and had no links to Al-Qaeda or other groups of a similar ilk?

This disgusting conflict of choice has even broader consequences. The neoconservative dream of Pax Americana is dead. The credibility of the US and Britain has been eroded along with their ability to gain international support in the future for what can be termed “good” conflicts for want of a better word. President Barack Obama knows this only too well and this is one of the main reasons he is reaching out to lapsed friends and foes alike in an attempt to limit the damage caused by his predecessor.

As a fresh -- and very likeable -- face, the US president is well placed to draw a line on previous mistakes. He was against the invasion from day one and with a failing economy to worry about, along with growing tensions with Tehran, he is no mood to regurgitate the past.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown isn’t so lucky. There is little doubt he would like to bury the entire episode as he was in a senior government position throughout and could be implicated if any wrongdoing is brought to light. The fact that, according to colleagues, he expressed doubt about the war early but chose to display his support publicly doesn’t bode well for him. But opposition parties and a large swathe of the British public refuse to let him off the hook. Under pressure, Brown has agreed to sanction an inquiry provided the results aren’t publicized prior to the next general election.

Brown’s decision should be interpreted as good news. But don’t hold your breath. Previous inquiries related to the war, in particular the Hutton Report which covered the death of Dr. David Kelly and Lord Butler’s verdict on the intelligence used to justify the invasion were both received as establishment “whitewashes.” For instance, the latter found that “it would be rash to say now that no evidence of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction programs will ever be found.” Maybe Butler imagined they were still lurking inside one of Saddam’s mattresses.

It has been five years since the Butler Report was issued and evidence has since come to light that Tony Blair knew all along that Saddam was no real threat. Certainly, his famous “45-minute” claim has been ridiculed along with his infamous dossier filched from a student’s thesis on the Internet with typos and all. It should be easy to prove that Blair dressed up the truth to sell the war to the British public but his motives for doing so aren’t so easily proven. For what it’s worth, it is my belief that he simply decided to stand shoulder to shoulder with his best buddy in the White House in true poodle style, irrespective of the rights and wrongs. No wonder George W. Bush gave him a medal! Special relationship or not, for those millions of Britons who flooded the streets to protest Blair’s decision was a betrayal.

Word has it that Blair recently sent Gordon Brown the message that he wants the inquiry to be held behind closed doors. Brown would like nothing more but has been forced by shouts of an establishment stitch-up to compromise, promising that some sessions will be open to the public. Other Brown stipulations ensure that the real truth will remain elusive. He says the enquiry will not be mandated to apportion blame or open criminal investigations. He has implied that the investigatory committee will only have access to British citizens and documentation retained by Britain’s archives, and will not be allowed “the most sensitive information touching on Britain’s security.” In other words, nobody is to be held accountable, which means Blair can continue getting a good night’s sleep.

However, according to The Mirror, Blair and Brown are being blamed by “army bosses” for the “botched occupation” of Iraq. A 100-page leaked document, titled “Stability Operations in Iraq,” prepared by former military head honcho Gen. Sir Mike Jackson, “attacks Mr. Blair for uncritically accepting flawed US plans for the March 2003 invasion, which led to tens of thousands of deaths, including those of 179 British troops.” The report also alleges that Brown blocked vital funding for humanitarian aid, clean water and the reconstruction of Basra, which contributed toward the loss of Iraqi hearts and minds. Shamefully, this military report is destined to remain officially secret.

Will anyone ever be brought to book for willful destruction of a country? I doubt it! The establishment, as always, will close ranks as the British public’s appetite for the unvarnished truth wanes.