War on Iraq

Iraq inquiry delayed until after election?

Nu Labour, Numpties, War on Iraq
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That’s what The Guardian is speculating:

Gordon Brown will announce by the autumn a “long” inquiry into the Iraq war, indicating that the potentially embarrassing report will be delayed until well after the general election expected next year.

Ministers have decided that the inquiry should be wide-ranging, possibly dating back to Margaret Thatcher’s tacit support for Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. Its main focus will be on the conduct of the 2003 war and the breakdown of law and order afterwards.

David Lidington, the shadow foreign minister, said: “I think the government are determined to avoid the report being published before the general election. But they do not have even a figleaf of an excuse for a further delay.”

Brown has agreed that an inquiry will be held after the withdrawal of all British combat troops from Iraq, which must take place by 31 July. Government sources insist that no final decisions have been made on the format and timing of the inquiry, though it is expected to meet in private and to be given a lengthy timetable.

Which is depressing enough, but the most depressing bit comes at the end of the article:

Tony Blair would probably welcome any delay in publishing the report. The former prime minister is making active plans to assume the new role of president of the European Council if Irish voters pass the Lisbon treaty in a referendum this autumn.

That this is even a realistic prospect is enough to make you want to slit your wrists (down, not across).

War on Iraq: not quite over yet

video, War on Iraq
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The activities of al-Qaeda in two of Iraq’s most troubled cities could keep US combat troops engaged beyond the June 30 deadline for their withdrawal, the top US commander in the country has warned.

US troop numbers in Mosul and Baqubah, in the north of the country, could rise rather than fall over the next year if necessary, General Ray Odierno told The Times in his first interview with a British newspaper since taking over from General David Petraeus in September.

He said that a joint assessment would be conducted with the Iraqi authorities in the coming weeks before a decision is made.

Combat troops are due to leave all Iraqi cities by the end of June. Any delay would be a potential setback for President Obama, who has pledged to withdraw all combat forces from Iraq by August 2010 as he switches his focus to Afghanistan.

Imagine our surprise. Via Eli.

Holland can has Iraq inquiry — but not yet

Dutch politics, War on Iraq
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Yesterday was the big parliamentary debate about whether or not there would be an inquiry into the Iraq War. Over the weekend Balkenende had proposed to let an independent commission take a look at Dutch participation in the war, while the opposition wanted a proper parliamentary inquiry. But because the governmental parties had a majority in government and even though many of the social democrats did want a proper inquiry, the result was one of those typically Dutch compromises. Balkenende dropped his resistance, but only if parliament would agree to his ideas about an independent commission first. The upshot is that a proper inquiry has been kidked into the long grass, as the commission will have six months to research all questions about Dutch involvement in Iraq. What’s more, during this time the government will also refuse to answer any new questions about Iraq, in order to “give the commission room to work”.

In all, Balkenende has done well. He”s bend to the will of parliament and defused what could’ve become a government crisis without actually having to compromise. The danger is that with this long delay the inquiry will disappear of parliament’s radar and hence never happen, which he won’t mind much…

Holland can has Iraq inquiry?

Dutch politics, War on Iraq
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coverup

This past month the Dutch participation in the War on Iraq has been put back in the spotlight. Ever since we got involved there has always been a feeling we haven’t so much been lied into the war, as muddled into it, with the then government at first only offering political support for the war, whatever that means, but afterwards providing several thousand troops for the occupation. The leftwing parties, led by the Dutch Socialist Party ever since have pressed for a proper parliamentary inquiry into why and how Holland got into the war, but successive governments have always held the boat off –not surprising since Balkenende led each one of them…

Last month however it was revealed that top legal advisers to the Foreign Ministry had doubts about the legality of the war and that contrary to what it said at the time and since, the then government was planning to take active part in the war. This slow drumbeat of revelations upped the pressure on the government to give in to the demands of the opposition for a parliamentary inquiry, especially since there already was a majority in the Eerste Kamer (Dutch equivalent to the Senate or House of Lords) for one. However the coalition agreements the governmental parties entered into at the start of their government explicitely ruled out such an inquiry, while Balkenende himself was always adamantly opposed.

So it came as a bit of a surprise yesterday to see Balkenende announcing an inquiry into the War on Iraq, especially since it was timed for a normally very quiet newsday. The reasons for that became clear very quickly. What Balkenende announced was not a proper inquiry, but just another try at punting the ball into the long grass. Instead of an inquiry led by parliament, Balkenende wants an “independent” commission which will take the questions asked in parliament about the war and report back to parliament about them when their investigation is finished. It’s clear that Balkenende hopes to confront parliament with a fait accompli by removing control of the inquiry from parliament this way. The opposition is of course less than impressed with this and is still pushing for a proper investigation. Debate on this will happen tomorrow, so we’ll have to wait and see who’ll win.

Dutch government did want to help invade Iraq

Dutch politics, War on Iraq
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After last weeks revelations about the covered up legal advice not to participate in the occupation of Iraq, comes new evidence that the then government also wanted to participate in the actual war. Dutch broadcaster RTL, has gotten hold of several primary documents which made clear that the ministry of defence had already started preparations for Dutch participation while the government was busy laying the groundwork for a vote in parliament. This while Balkenende, then leading his first government, has always insisted military support for the invasion had never been considered.

All of which only strengthens the cause for a parliamentary inquiry, as so much still remains unclear about what the government knew and did not know about the War on Iraq. This, the question whether or not the Dutch participation in the occupation was legal, whether or not the government realised the weapons of mass destruction didn’t exist…

In a roundabout way it also shows that the protests against the war were not completely futile. The documents also revealed that while the government was considering military participation, the protest and widespread opposition amongst the Dutch against the war ultimately dissuaded them from it. Granted, it wasn’t a complete succes for the anti-war movement, as we still helped with the occupation, but it does show that protest can work.