THE EDITOR, Sir:
Many people in Britain question why Britain went to war with Iraq. Tony Blair, the Prime Minister, told the Parliament that the reason was because of a threat of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), which could be made ready for use withing 45 minutes. Since the occupation of Iraq no such weapons have been found. In the absence of WMDs, he now attempts to justify the invasion by virtue of having rid Iraq of a dictator, Saddam Hussein. However, this reason smacks of hyprocrisy as Britain has, and still does, support some vile dictators throughout the world when it suits their national interests.
One answer could be that Britain has some difficulty separating itself from the mentality of an imperialist country with a relatively recent colonial past.
In 1966 I served in Aden as a Sergeant in the Royal Engineers in a situation rather similar to that which British and US soldiers are experiencing in Iraq today.
Despite several Iraqis welcoming the demise of Saddam, it is inevitable each day that passes the US and British troops are seen as foreign forces of occupation. How would Jamaicans feel if they were invaded and occupied by foreigners?
Predictably, as the killing of US and British soldiers increases, so does the soldier's hate for those who kill their comrades resulting in an increase in incidents of brutality being committed by the occupation armies.
For the foreseeable future British and US troops will be trapped in Iraq risking their lives thanks to Bush and Blair, who had not properly thought through the post-war situation which would prevail. Sadly, because of this failure in strategy many more US and British soldiers and many hundreds of Iraqi civilians are destined to die.
I am etc,
DAVID SPARKS
London E6 3EZ
ENGLAND
