Here's some very relevant copy/paste's from my comments on another board - i've tried to take a step back from the 'Is it right?' question and look at the wider ramifications of the UN, the EU and the future of international stability amongst the super powers.
Post 1:
...The fact remains that we are well and truly in to the propaganda stages now. 'peace talks with senior Iraqi officials', true or just trying to undermine Saddam's confidence in his inner circle? We wont know until the books are written - and what we learn then will depend upon who wins as history has a way of being written by the victor.
The point is that America has not provided a single shred of evidence that Saddam is a terrorist, and it is a hard cold fact that they have not provided quantifyable evidence that he has weapons of mass destruction. It is solid fact that inside America you are innocent until proven guilty.
It is a fact that Saudi Arabia has been funding Al-Qeeda, it is a fact that almost all of America's oil comes from Saudi Arabia, it is a sad commercial reality that in order to declar war on Saudi then America must first obtain another large oil reserve.
It was announced today by the Pentagon that American forces will stay in Iraq as a staging post for further invasions with Iraq's neighbours if they do not fall in line. Saudi Arabia is on the border with Iraq, as is Iran and Turkey who may prove to be distractions first.
Of course there are many other facts about this campaign - but I feel this selection of them gives a very strong picture of how we got to where we are.
Post 2:
It is my belief that the current situation of the UN was brought about by a combination of Bush and Blair and not the failing of the UN itself - it has been systematically undermined deliberately.
America cannot afford a European superstate. If such a state is founded it will be significantly more powerful than the resources of the US could compete with in terms of resources, infrastructure and military capacity. If the EU continues on it's current path then America would be demoted to a second rate nation again, as if the competition from China is not enough alone!
The tearing apart of the UN is highly desireable from the American point-of-view, as the divisions in the UN will spill over into the European Community - infact they already have as Britain stands poised to repeat it's 1.5 war a century record against France and seems quite happy to brand that insignificant German guy whats-his-name as the next threat to European stability after Chirac.
Britains allies stand poised upon diplomatic disaster and now Britain must choose it's side: America or Europe.
We've already heard suggestion from No.10 that Britain intends to pull out of the Geneva convention and is considering it's stance on the European Court of Human Rights in order to deal with our immigration-terrorism problem.
For Britain, her empire and her commonwealth, there really is only one choice and that is America - France, Germany, Italy and Spain are completely unable to provide the protection that the commonwealth needs even if they ever could be talked in to doing so.
Our long standing strategic alliance with America has equipped much of the commonwealth with modern military technology, sure we have our own too - but as a nation with a small and consistently underfunded military for so long we do not have the technology to field a fully diversive force using our own meens. In short we are dependant upon allied military forces to maintain our position in the world order - a former super-power still nipping at the heals of the current super-states.
Britain has chosen America over Europe. After Iraq the world will face a political shake-up this much we can be absolutely sure on. The face of the UN will change, and I believe that will affect the EU too. America must continue to undermine the EU by what-ever meens possible, and now that the political battle lines have been drawn I hope they are successful because if the EU goes ahead without Britain I fear the divisions between my little island and Europe will lead the world in to a dark age of international tension.
Pneumatic Dryll, Outrageous epic cleric of EQ/Xev
God made the world in 7 days, but we're still waiting for the patch.
