US EditionGeorge Bush saw Iraq war as religious crusade against 'evil-doers', newly-released files reveal
UNITED KINGDOM, JUL 22 – Newly released files reveal diplomatic efforts failed as it became politically impossible to withdraw from Iraq without Saddam Hussein's surrender, reflecting President Bush's firm resolve.
- President George W. Bush launched the invasion of Iraq on March 20, 2003, viewing it as a mission to rid the world of evil-doers.
- Bush’s decision was influenced by fears of a terrorist attack with Iraqi links and framed as a religious crusade, despite lack of clear evidence tying Iraq to terrorism or WMDs.
- British officials sought a second UN resolution to legitimize military action but abandoned efforts after France and Russia vetoed it, while warning of likely post-war violence.
- A confidential memo warned Blair that joining an invasion without UN support risked his political career, encapsulating the tension between UK domestic opposition and alliance pressures.
- The war lasted over seven years, costing $3 trillion and resulting in 3,482 U.S. military deaths and about 200,000 Iraqi civilian deaths, highlighting its severe and prolonged impact.
15 Articles
15 Articles
George W. Bush saw Iraq War as ‘crusade,’ declassified British reports say
President George W. Bush viewed the 2003 invasion of Iraq as a “crusade” by “God’s chosen nation,” according to newly released documents from Britain’s National Archives. The documents, previously labeled as classified by the British government, paint a largely negative portrait of Bush and other U.S. officials on the eve of war. In private, the documents show, British officials expressed skepticism in late 2002 and early 2003 of the Bush admini…
UK warned US that Iraq war could topple Tony Blair
Tony Blair’s senior foreign policy adviser warned Washington that an invasion of Iraq without UN backing could cost the British prime minister his job, newly released documents reveal. David Manning, Blair’s foreign policy adviser at the time, told US national security adviser Condoleezza Rice that America’s drive for regime change in Baghdad risked triggering “regime change in London”. The warning came during a meeting in late January 2003, day…
George Bush saw Iraq war as religious crusade against 'evil-doers', newly-released files reveal
Britain’s ambassador warned that President George W Bush was bent on the overthrow of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein as part of a “mission” to rid the world of “evil-doers”, according to newly released government files.
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