Echoes of Iraq invasion in Trump’s Iran plan

At the final meeting prior to the invasion of Iraq between UK chiefs of staff (of which I was one), the then prime minister Tony Blair, the defence secretary, senior Ministry of Defence officials and the foreign secretary, in the Old War Office building in March 2003, I asked what the plans were for phase four of the war that was about to start (ie what were the plans for actions after we had won).

“At the final meeting prior to the invasion of Iraq between UK chiefs of staff (of which I was one), the then prime minister Tony Blair, the defence secretary, senior Ministry of Defence officials and the foreign secretary, in the Old War Office building in March 2003, I asked what the plans were for phase four of the war that was about to start (ie what were the plans for actions after we had won)”

The Guardian

We were told by the prime minister that the Americans had this all in hand.

The Guardian

I asked if we could see their plans and was told we would.

I saw nothing before or after the war started.

Beating Iraq was clearly going to be relatively easy – what happened then was much harder and not clear.

The same seems to be true of Donald Trump’s war against Iran.

Alan West Labour, House of Lords

America isn’t really an enemy to the UK specifically, but it is no longer a friend to the free world.

For most of us, it is heartbreaking to see our long-lasting democracy crumble.

The Guardian

Spencer Hines Germantown, Maryland, US

Report, 8 March), maybe we should send our aircraft carrier to Greenland, where it could deter any power that may have evil intent.

“At the final meeting prior to the invasion of Iraq between UK chiefs of staff (of which I was one), the then prime minister Tony Blair, the defence secretary, senior Ministry of Defence officials and the foreign secretary, in the Old War Office building in March 2003, I asked what the plans were for phase four of the war that was about to start (ie what were the plans for actions after we had won)”

The Guardian

Margaret Squires St Andrews, Fife

The contributions collectively highlight worries about poor post-conflict planning, concerns about America’s political direction and democracy, and a rhetorical suggestion about military posturing as a deterrent.

Each writer attributes these concerns to specific events or observations: Alan West links current planning to the failures after the 2003 Iraq invasion, Spencer Hines expresses a sense of loss regarding the US role and democracy, and Margaret Squires offers a provocative proposal about deploying an aircraft carrier.

The Guardian

These letters reflect alarm over strategy, alliances and the consequences of unclear planning.