TMPress – United News & Press Features

(TMPress – New York – February 08, 2004) – Obviously No WMD Stockpiles in Iraq … Now It’s About Rewording WMD Intent for Bush and Blair … After expressing their celebration and astonishment, aka `dumbfoundedness’ of the lack of WMD evidence – the Coalition forces now find themselves in real `State of Chaos of Occupation.’ They know the Iraqis must now be allowed to rebuild their own country, through the good graces of the UN Charter – not the imposed military/civilian juntas of the US and Britain … this is why Iraq happened in the first place. Goodwill aside, there is a real risk that the country could descend into civil war and power-vacuum in fighting, involving the nationalists, Shi’a and Sunni paramilitary forces and the Kurds – let alone Turkey, Syria and Iran. As of now Iraq has no coordinated or compromising opposition besides the Governing Council waiting in the wings, equipped to take power … despite the best intentions of the re-involved UN brokering with the Grand Ayatollah Sistani and his supporters over direct elections.

The three main groups ñ the Sunnis, the Shi’a and the Kurds – along with multiple regional fiefdoms and rival ÈmigrÈ groups are all competing for authority and dominance once the old structure is demolished. The transition to a new civilian government is complicated by the way in which the war began … which was lacking an expressed mandate from the UN. The Coalition forces resort to military action hampers the post-war settlement, even though a so-called liberation has happened … continued incidents of civilian death and strong-arm tactics of US and Coalition forces has quickly eroded support for the Coalition presence by the Iraqi on the street.

On the other side of the coin, any interim Iraqi authority to run the country is questionable, via policing and municipal services – even if the legitimacy of the so-called liberator/occupier is maintained in the short term and dubious at best … this only leaves the UN … and/or an international force … some would say that a policing force may be legitimized by allowing NATO to enter the fray, as in the Balkans. Arguments over the precise interpretation of recent UN resolutions can go on forever, but what cannot be disputed is that the Coalition of the US and British military to mount their military campaign against the Iraqi regime without an unambiguous UN resolution makes the legal status of their action suspect. The Iraq Survey Group conclusions, David Kay, Hans Blix and the testimony of former UN weapons destruction teams in Iraq from 1991-98 about WMD make any case for the legitimacy of a lawful invasion of Iraq a dead flounder at best. Bush said even today on NBC’s `Meet the Press’ With Tim Russert, that the Kay report proved intent by Iraq to later rebuild its WMD program – nothing could be farther from the truth, Kay has said, `they found no stockpiles, no arms plants for WMD production and logistical facilities needed for a WMD rebuild’ … just contrary to what Bush, Blair, Cheney, Straw, Wolfowitz, Powell and now Tenet have all claimed – a choice rewording of David Kay’s report to Congress.

Bush and Blair built their cases for war on manipulated intelligence, we all now know that and the committees set-up in Britain and the US to investigate it are bogus and political band-aiding at best … both nations’ leaders screwed up big-time and now the `pied-pipers will pay the price.’ Severe scrutiny and probably the loss of their elected positions in both countries – no matter how many special commissions are set-up to review flaws in intelligence gathering – the aim was political, a pro-West regime in the center of the Arab world for mercantile gain.

Violation of one of the most fundamental principles of the international order – that of respect for national sovereignty has taken place. There is no modern legal precedent for the invasion of Iraq in March 2003 … Vietnam, the first Gulf War, Bosnia and the Balkans, Kosovo and Afghanistan do not provide the legality – these all were internationally sanctioned actions … in response to an aggressor attack. This is exactly why Bush and Blair are now begging and calling for a `vital role’ by the United Nations in Iraqi reconstitution of elections and legitimacy. No WMD … no terrorists … just plain old hegemony … both leaders will be held accountable not only to their electorate, but to the world on affairs of `pre-emptive war.’

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