Reply #12: Trying to rehabilitate themselves after they supported the Iraq war [View All]

[muriel_volestrangler]

The leading members, such as Norman Geras (professor) and Nick Cohen (journalist) are prominent commentators on the left who supported Bush's invasion of Iraq. They have since received a lot of criticism from the rest of the left (and centre, for that matter) and the reason for this manifesto seems to be to 'draw a line under the Iraqi invasion'. They know they sided with a right wing money and power grab, are are trying to gloss over that.

They say they are against "picking through the rubble of the arguments over intervention" ('intervention'? They make it sound like the US was a referee stepping in to stop a boxing match), but still claim a right (indeed, a responsibility) to intervene (there's that word again) in states that don't meet basic human rights standards - saying the state no longer has sovereignty in that case. But this 'right' goes to "the international community", without the United Nations being mentioned once, or how the international community makes such a decision to invade (sorry, 'intervene'). So they haven't addressed the elephant in the room - what stops Bush making up shit as a justification to invade another country, and calling himself the 'international community' because the Marshall Islands agree with him?

They won't get taken seriously until they have gone through the arguments for intervention. Otherwise they'll find themselves supporting the next annexation of an oil rich country, and all they'll be able to say is "well, there are other countries we'd like invaded first, but it's up to that nice Mr. Bush to decide which order he does it in".