Iraq: Cowen:—An Irish Pontius Pilate?
Iraq Very Much The Master Of Its Own Destiny—that’s the title of an article by Irish Foreign Minister Brian Cowen (Examiner Jan 20). It is as great a lie as has ever been told by a Foreign Minister anywhere. The fate of Iraq will be decided by America and Britain on grounds that have little to do with Iraq. It also has little to do with Britain, which has signed a blank form on which the White House can write what it pleases.
In a bygone era, women had to wait until they were married to find out who they were, and then they became whatever their husband was. And that is the position of Britain’s New Labour Government today. Blair is betrothed to Bush. But Bush, in this matter, has not yet decided what to be, so Blair only knows that he will become whatever Bush decides to be. At present he is going through a difficult period in which he must appear to be decisive while waiting for the decision to be made for him.
Meanwhile, Brian Cowen fantasises: “Resolution 1441 brought the entire question of the use of military force against Iraq back within the framework of the UN”.
In fact, the USA and Britain have stated in the clearest possible terms that, if they decide to use force, they will treat a refusal by the UN to authorise them to do what they have decided to do as unreasonable. They will treat the UN as an irresponsible body which is fecklessly putting the world in danger, and will act independently of it. They have given the UN an ultimatum to support them or be bushed aside.
Cowen says that Resolution 1441 “sends the arms inspectors back into Iraq with a reinforced mandate”, and that, “A successful outcome of the arms inspections would lead to the suspension of sanctions”.
In fact, the return of the arms inspectors last October was delayed for months by the White House. They were pulled out by Clinton in 1998 when he wanted to do some bombing. They might have returned unconditionally last September. Hans Blix said he had ample authority to return under existing Resolutions. The White House told him he must not return. Following a private showdown he decided not to return. Although the White House and Whitehall said the world was in imminent danger from Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, Blix kept his team sitting around for months while the Security Council bickered over a new resolution.
An American General in the Vietnam War said that the only way to save a particular village was to destroy it. Today Hans Blix appears desperate to save the UN, and he appears to be thinking that the only way to save it might be to destroy it.
If America and Britain make war on Iraq independently because the Security Council does not deliver them another Resolution of the kind they want, they will not be in breach of UN law. There is a breach of UN law only when the Security Council says so. And with the USA and Britain both having the power of veto, the Security Council cannot say so. Nevertheless, an unauthorised Ameranglian war on Iraq would destroy the UN by demonstrating its powerlessness. And that is why Hans Blix, who did not have the nerve to act under UN authority last October, when he might have done so in a way that boosted the status of the UN vis a vis the USA, now appears to be trying to concoct evidence (empty shell cases etc) to persuade the Security Council to give the USA a mandate for war. If it is to be war anyway, let it be a UN war so that appearances can be saved. But making the UN an American rubber stamp will destroy it too.
Blix’s spokesman said in late January that UN Resolutions presume Iraq to be guilty of possessing weapons of mass destruction, and that Iraq must therefore become “pro-active” against itself, instead of merely facilitating the weapons inspectors. Does this mean that it must prove it has not got such weapons?—which is impossible, because a negative cannot be proved—and must not be proved because would be a flat contradiction of positive assertions made by the White House and Whitehall, which is too awful to contemplate. Or does it mean that Iraq must deliver up its weapons of mass destruction—getting some from somewhere, if it is in the difficult position that it actually hasn’t got any? But that would be proving itself guilty!
Brian Cowen’s world is not the world of real life.
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