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July 19, 2006
The challenge of leadership is moral
Conflict is not inevitable, but disarmament is... - Tony Blair
The art of leadership is saying no, not saying yes. It is very easy to say yes. - Tony Blair
At every stage, we should seek to avoid war. But if the threat cannot be removed peacefully, please let us not fall for the delusion that it can be safely ignored.
If we do not confront these twin menaces of rogue states with weapons of mass destruction and terrorism, they will not disappear.
They will just feed and grow on our weakness. - Tony Blair
Guardian - United States to Israel: you have one more week to blast Hizbullah
The US is giving Israel a window of a week to inflict maximum damage on Hizbullah before weighing in behind international calls for a ceasefire in Lebanon, according to British, European and Israeli sources.
The Bush administration, backed by Britain, has blocked efforts for an immediate halt to the fighting initiated at the UN security council, the G8 summit in St Petersburg and the European foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels.
Once again Tony Blair shows that his moral fortitude endures only as long as the US remains quiet. As soon as Bush calls, Blair comes running, his claims to the moral high-ground falling from him like rags from a beggar.
And this could well result in Iraq 2.0 aka Iran. The rhetoric from London and Washington is placing responsibility for the tragedy on Syria and Iran for backing Hizbullah, once again emphasising the double standard that underpins both nations Middle East policies. Hizbullah kidnaps whereas Israel arrests; Hizbullah conducts extremist terror attacks whereas Israel defends itself.
And Britain stands shoulder to shoulder with the US in allowing Israel the freedom to continue its barbaric attacks against a weak sovereign state, targeting civilians and infrastructure indescriminately. Surely the definition of a rogue state, and with Israel in posession of nuclear weapons then Blair should, by his own standard, seek to confront Israel, not condone it.
As far as the US is concerned, Israel is effectively sending a message to both Tehran and Damascus; you're next if you don't immediately kowtow to our demands. Iran and Syria have always been issue states with regard to US regional policy, unwilling to aquiesce to the overriding principles of US hegemony. But Iraq showed America and, by default, the United Kingdon, that grounds for miltary intervention would have to be far more substantial than the WMD bullshit spouted by Blair. So what better then to effectively orchestrate a situation whereby a powerful client state (Israel) can be given a free hand to pound seven shades of s**t out of its neighbours before the UN intervenes. Then arrange for a UN aircraft to be attacked et voila, all the justification needed by the Whitehouse and Downing Street.
Posted by Clive on July 19, 2006 10:34 AM in the category War