The Iraq War

[najaB]

I was in favour of the Iraq war, I don't think Blair is a war criminal and I voted for Brexit.

Knowing what you know now, do you believe it was a good idea?

I also don't think Blair is a war criminal - but that's just because of how the term is defined.

 

[edwin_m]

Where do I start?

Led directly to the deaths of several hundred Britons and several hundred thousand in total.
Left the way open for terrorists to move in, leading directly to ISIS.
Discredited western governments in the eyes of may - Trump took advantage.
Made it politically impossible for the West to intervene in cases such as Syria where it might have made a difference.
Permanently scarred the record of the Blair government, which otherwise did quite a few pretty good things.

 

[najaB]

Where do I start...

But were you in favour at the time? I'm more wondering if people still hold the view that it was as good idea, and how they justify it.

 

[NoMorePacers]

I wasn’t alive at the time of the Iraq War, so I can only comment on it from a post-event perspective.

I could say plenty, but I can’t be bothered right now.

 

[edwin_m]

But were you in favour at the time? I'm more wondering if people still hold the view that it was as good idea, and how they justify it.

No, certainly not. And I can't understand why Blair was not only in favour at the time but still is.

 

[greyman42]

Knowing what you know now, do you believe it was a good idea?

I also don't think Blair is a war criminal - but that's just because of how the term is defined.

It is hard to say, but if Sadam or his sons had been left in power, who knows what might of happened. The allies should of got rid of him first time around.

 

[DarloRich]

The war was the right thing to do. Having no plan how to deal with the aftermath was not.

Please dont try to lecture me on this. I am well aware of the cost. A small part of that cost was carried by family members

 

[Busaholic]

BlaIr - the Iraq war, Cameron - the Referendum, both stupendously stupid decisions that were originally framed by their instigators as being enlightened and far-reaching. Well, they certainly were both the latter, but not the former. If only Gordon Brown had come out against the Iraq invasion, I think it might just have been averted, but that was never going to happen so long as Brown's arch enemy Robin Cook led the opposition to it, and GB almost provided the template of a brilliant, but paranoid, thinker absolutely devoid of common sense.

 

[najaB]

The war was the right thing to do. Having no plan how to deal with the aftermath was not.

I don't intend to lecture anyone on anything, but I'm not convinced that the war was the right thing. Saddam wasn't a nice guy by any definition of the word but that war, at that time, on those grounds is hard to justify. It just gave strength to the "the West hates Muslims" narrative.

Not having a plan for the aftermath was definitely criminal.

 

[DarloRich]

I don't intend to lecture anyone on anything, but I'm not convinced that the war was the right thing. Saddam wasn't a nice guy by any definition of the word but that war, at that time, on those grounds is hard to justify. It just gave strength to the "the West hates Muslims" narrative.

Not having a plan for the aftermath was definitely criminal.

So why ask the question if you dont want answers different to your view?

I think Saddam Hussein was a nasty piece of work who stoped being our ba$tard a long time ago. He should have been removed in 1991.

I am happy to agree that getting rid of Saddam and then allowing a massive power vacuum to suck in any nut job with an ak and an IED was a vast mistake.

 

[najaB]

So why ask the question if you dont want answers different to your view?

I never said I don't want answers different to my own. That's not the point of a discussion forum.

Hence why I didn't say something like "You're wrong because..."

 

[DarloRich]

Hence why I didn't say something like "You're wrong because..."

you are more than welcome to say I am wrong because......!

 

[RichmondCommu]

Saddam Hussein was a nasty piece of work but I was against the war because I didn't think his regime was a threat to British citizens.

However I certainly view ISIS as being a threat to my safety and without the 2nd Iraqi conflict I'm pretty certain that ISIS would not exist.

That said I think Tony Blair was a good Prime Minister and best of all the Tories were scared of him.

 

[najaB]

you are more than welcome to say I am wrong because......!

I don't agree with you, but your opinion is just as valid as mine. What I'm interested in is the reasoning behind it.

I think that the goal of changing the leadership of Iraq was a good one, but a war at that time, with that justification was a terrible mistake.

 

[AlterEgo]

I was ambivalent at the time and now I think it was definitely the wrong thing to do.