Britain stands in the dock with America

[T_i_B]

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,6903,1212627,00.html

It is right that the shock delivered by the photographs from Abu Ghraib prison should have been mostly felt on the other side of the Atlantic. The perpetrators of these acts were American and the product of the peculiar alarm and righteousness affecting US society at the moment.

But we must share responsibility for the unravelling situation in Iraq. Militarily we are America's junior partner, but in terms of the moral burden we are its equal. We provided the only significant support for the war and were in a position to insist on certain safeguards and standards of conduct. So we can be sure that the fire will be trained on Britain soon, particularly if, as seems likely, it is established that some of our troops have been abusing Iraqi prisoners of war.

The evidence from Abu Ghraib has provoked cold fury on both sides of the debate about the war. Those who supported the war on the grounds that it would bring relief and democracy to the Iraqis are appalled that they have been so betrayed. And the millions who were opposed to the invasion feel their pessimism has been more than vindicated by the brutality on show in the papers last week.

We no longer have to argue the toss about weapons of mass destruction or whether it was possible to install a democracy in Iraq because the only live issue is whether Iraq is being run humanely and efficiently. On the evidence of Major-General Taguba's report into Abu Ghraib we can all agree that it is not. More important, it must be plain to us all that there never was a coherent plan for the physical and institutional restructuring of Iraq, at least none that has been evident in the last year, and any hope of mustering some sense in the situation has been overwhelmed by the Pentagon's arrogance, incompetence, careless brutality and inability to learn from its mistakes.

[BlueMole]

1. Here, Here

:beer: