Jeremy Corbyn
JEREMY CORBYN demands a full public inquiry into the Afghan and Iraqi wars.
THE House of Commons has once again rejected its basic function of holding the government to account.
This time, a Conservative motion calling for an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the Iraq war to be held at an unspecified date was rejected by a majority of 35.
While 288 Labour MPs voted against it, 11 supported the motion and the rest abstained or disappeared.
The courage of many MPs who bravely opposed the war in 2003 seems to have left them when it comes to exposing and discussing the consequences of the government's misleading information and the many deceptions surrounding the build-up to the Iraq war.
One of the arguments against an inquiry was that it should not be held while British troops were in the "field," as this would undermine their confidence.
But this stance is undermined by many historical precedences, the most famous of which amply exposes this point as nonsense.
After the disaster of the Dardanelles campaign during WWI, Parliament did indeed hold an inquiry. It found that decision-making had been woefully inadequate and that the whole strategy behind the campaign, which was the brainchild of Winston Churchill, was seriously flawed. During WWII, after the debacle of the Norway campaign, an inquiry was held into this too. In both cases, the war was still going on.
So far, parliamentary inquiries have been conducted by the foreign affairs committee, the defence committee and the intelligence committee. The first two suffered from a serious lack of co-operation by government officials and ministers and the third, by the intelligence select committee, came up with no satisfactory evidence at all - possibly because the committee, uniquely within the British parliamentary system, is wholly appointed by the Prime Minister.
Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett made several arguments for not holding an inquiry during the parliamentary debate, including her claim that it would deeply undermine British forces.
An inquiry would mean that the troops can be told about the whole sequence of events which led to the current disaster in Iraq.
The death toll is now approaching 700,000. Two million people have been forced to flee from their homes. Now, the consequences of the Iraq war are clearly spreading to neighbouring countries.
Britain is deeply complicit in this whole disaster. After the September 11 2001 attack on the World Trade Centre, Tony Blair went further than any other leader in pledging unqualified support for the US in any actions which it chose to take.
Ten weeks later, we were at war in Afghanistan.
Blair travelled to the US many times during this period, but, crucially, when he met George Bush in Texas in spring 2002, he appears to have made a decision at that point that he would support the US in turning its attentions to Iraq.
The US always presented this as part of its "war on terror," despite the lack of any evidence whatsoever that al-Qaida was involved in Iraq.
The build-up to war then became inexorable and the decision to curtail the work of the weapons inspectors in January 2003 was symptomatic of the pre-ordained course before the invasion in March 2003.
'The new oil law in Iraq is almost identical to the oil law that the Shah of Iran introduced at the behest of the British in 1952.'
There are many reasons why the US has pursued this strategy. It stems from a combination of the philosophy of the Project for a New American Century, which is essentially one of military supremacy and global reach, together with US energy insecurity and the demand to be able to access Middle Eastern oil.
The new oil law in Iraq is almost identical to the oil law that the Shah of Iran introduced at British behest in 1952 following the overthrow of the Mossadeq government. That law gave British oil companies pre-eminence and the ability to make enormous profits for themselves.
The new hydrocarbon law in Iraq hands the mineral wealth over to Western oil companies. Signalling their determination to push this through, the leaders of the oil workers union, which has been trying to stage a nationwide strike to ensure that Iraqi oil remains in local hands, have been threatened with arrest.
The need for an inquiry goes far wider than just the decision-making leading up to the war itself.
We must also examine the whole philosophy behind the war in Afghanistan and the consequences for the Afghan people.
It is now clear that the meltdown of the conflict in Iraq has spread to Afghanistan, with more sophisticated weapons appearing in the hands of the Taliban and the war spreading beyond Helmand province to other parts of the country.
A recent International Committee of the Red Cross report confirmed that instability is rising in Afghanistan, with fighting in all parts of the country and more attacks on NATO forces.
The Iraq war will be the defining feature of Blair's prime ministerial career.
It demonstrates an arrogance towards Parliament, public opinion and the dissemination of information. It also demonstrates a deep and abiding belief that the north Atlantic axis has a moral superiority over the rest of the world.
Blair will be remembered for fundamentally undermining international law and for his support for the arrogance of a supremely right-wing US administration.
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have provoked a huge international debate and opposition.
Some people choose to separate the conflict in Iraq with that in Afghanistan and believe that, while there is no justification for the war in Iraq, there is some justification for the battles in Afghanistan. The contrary view is that they are part of the same strategy and should be equally opposed.
The dangers for the whole world are that the conflict will deepen and intensify in Afghanistan and spread rapidly into Pakistan and neighbouring countries.
The very least that Parliament can do is hold a serious public inquiry into how decisions were made and what the underlying philosophy is. Once again, Parliament has refused to do its duty and hold the executive to account, the very thing that MPs are elected to do.
Jeremy Corbyn is Labour MP for Islington North. He can be contacted at corbynj@parliament.uk.
