Forces Forum: Have Your Say on Iraq
March 25th, 2008 by Defence Team — Forum, Iraq
As we mark the Fifth Anniversary of our invasion of Iraq, we are provided with another opportunity to look over what many may call one of the most controversial foreign policy actions of our Government in recent time.
The war has proved more costly than anyone could have imagined, in more than just monetary terms.
Although over £6.5billion has been spent on the conflict, over the five years since the invasion, 175 British service personnel have been killed and the number of Iraqi civilian fatalities ranges from between 90,000 to 1.2million.Â
Sectarian violence remains a problem and rifts between communities still need to be bridged. Although some areas are experiencing increased stability and security, there is still a long way to go before the Iraqi people have the essential public services, infrastructure and resources that were promised to them. Â
Today the Conservatives are holding an Opposition Day Debate in the House on an Inquiry into the war, an interesting change for a party that supported the original decision and has as yet shown no regret for their past position.
So today we want you to have your say on this issue and put to you these questions for debate:Â
- Are we doing more harm than good?
- Is it time we withdrew from Iraq as soon as possible?
- Is there ever going to be a good time to withdraw our forces?
- What more can be done to assist the people of Iraq in the transition to the secure, stable and peaceful state that was originally promised?
6 comments ↓
Yes we are clearly doing more harm than good. Better we withdraw now from Iraq and Afghanistan and invest the savings into real support for the people of these two beleaguered countries.
Are we doing more harm than good?
*Yes. We entered into this war with phoney intelligence - lies. We were all acting and reacting to the fear mongering and manipulation that was rampant (and still is, we just grow more numb to its existence) at the time. But the DOWNING STREET MEMOS revealed clearly that we were set to invade regardless of WMD’s or any other consideration - we were already committed…so we KNOW we acted on lies and that our acts were deemed illegal by the UN - so yes we are doing harm. Actions based on lies can do nothing else.
How do we quantify harm…there is the suffering, the death, the injustice, the waste of resources both our brave young and public money, the loss of dignity and honour as a wise country that acts with forethought and ample intelligence…the harms are numerous and very long lasting.
Is it time we withdrew from Iraq as soon as possible?
*The first thing every child is taught is that if what you are doing is wrong - you stop. We must stop and as we are part of the problem, we must withdraw ourselves. We are a big world with bodies that can be called on to help us clear the mess we have made. I am not well versed in the solutions available, but can’t a neutral force for peace and stability be formed?
Is there ever going to be a good time to withdraw our forces?
*Not without a time machine that could go back to the day before we sent them. As this is not likely (curse your promises Tomorrow’s World!!) then the least worst time would be as soon as practicably possible - by this I mean just as soon as we publicly anounce that we intend to stop causing harm, that we have been wrong and that we seek solution and require help.
What more can be done to assist the people of Iraq in the transition to the secure, stable and peaceful state that was originally promised?
*All solutions start with honesty and the honour to admit we are culpable. This is a huge undertaking that will sink us deeply into trouble before it has any hope of healing. But without truth and responsibility - we move forward from a wrong position that can never be right.
Few will want to take this route. I cannot begin to imagine what alternatives there are.
No war can ever truly be justified and this was one we went into, gung ho with the Americans, based on false informtion. Of course we all wanted to get of the Saddam regime (but we’d also love to get rid of the Mugabe regime, which is equally corrupt and brutal). But the aftermath was quite obviously not properly thought through nor planned - and it’s all very well to say we’ve had 175 deaths, the Americans 4000 - but what about the innocent Iraqis? We tend to forget them, not to mention the millions now refugees in other countries. Another aspect which exercises me is the number of injured - the stretch on Iraqi hospitals and ours back home - and the very long-term effect on these people. All that said, I don’t see how we can just walk away - we’ve laid our bed and have to sleep on it, and only leave with heads held high in the (hope) we’ve actually helped improve the state of Iraq.
I have to agree, not only do the people of Iraq need to be more stabalised in their own country, but the money spent keeping our troups there would be better spent helping them to restructure and rebuild their country. However, I too believe that this cannot happen on block and needs to be a slow process of withdrawal in order to ensure that the Iraqi people themselves are in full control. Until then we must continue this support, but also on an a gradual withdrawal basis. At least then we can ensure that the best was achieved for them and can hold our heads up high.
Its a war that we did not want and we did not wish to take part in, however, now is the time to ensure that these people are supported until it is safe to fully withdraw.
For Sue…good point on Mugabe.
For Sue & Daphne…whilst I entirely agree that we cannot leave a disaster and walk away - we are part of the cause of that disaster and I believe we need to ask for hep from the international community to find an alternative ‘peace-keeping’ presence, ideally made up of neutral countries who will work with the Iraqis to ensure the government they have is truly one of their choosing and that all who live there are indeed represented fairly and honestly.
Agree entirely with Daphne and Tina’s view point - and the sooner this is done the better!
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