An example to the Middle East

When all of their lies and evasions about weapons of mass destruction and "imminent threats" had been disproven, George Bush and Tony Blair and their warmongering cheerleaders fell back on one argument. The ends would justify the means. From their conquest and looting of Iraq would emerge a secular democracy, which would respect human rights and be an example to the Middle East of what the west could offer.

Four years on, it hasn't worked out like that. Two major reports out today, from the Oxford Research Group and the Red Cross have exposed the true consequences of George and Tony's war. According to the Oxford Research Group, the war has "spawned new terror", turning Iraq into a giant terrorist training ground and providing cause for terrorists across the world. Meanwhile, the Red Cross reports that the war has brought immense suffering to Iraqi civilians. "Shootings, bombings, abductions, murders [and] military operations" have forced hundreds of thousands from their homes; the health system is collapsing under the strain (where it is not being targeted by combatants); there are food shortages, unemployment, poverty and malnutrition; and basic infrastructure such as electricity, sewage, and water treatment plants have been destroyed and still not repaired. The most heartbreaking part is this quote from an Iraqi woman:

"If there's anything that anybody could do that would really help us today would be to help us collect the bodies that line the streets in front of our homes every morning and that we find nobody dares to touch or remove after security reasons"

Tony and George's war has turned Iraq into an abattoir where people can no longer even collect the dead. And if that's their example to the Middle East, then people are right to reject it.