Blair's War
Tony Blair and George Bush may have won the war in Iraq, but they
are losing the peace at home. How did Blair come to support the
US-led invasion of Iraq? Why did he risk taking Britain into a
conflict which so imperilled his premiership? Was he justified in
doing so?
These are just some of the questions which David Coates and Joel
Krieger seek to answer in Blair's War - the most
authoritative and complete record of the conflict to date. Written
by two of the most experienced and perceptive observers of British
politics and New Labour, the book explains how his stalwart
commitment to stand 'shoulder to shoulder' with America
after 9/11 trapped Blair in a tragic logic that took the UK to war
in Iraq. It reveals how Blair was bushwhacked into exaggerating the
Iraqi threat, seduced away from New Labour's ethical foreign
policy, and drawn into Bush's imperial campaign.
Blair's War blows a hole through each of the
justifications for war and offers a detailed, original and
compelling set of proposals to return the UK to an ethical foreign
policy.
With an exquisite sense of the unfolding drama and an eye for
detail, the authors develop the arguments for and against the war
and, with unerring fairness, test each argument against the record
of what was known, what was suspected, and what was misrepresented.
The book provides a unique perspective on this latest unsettling
turn in the 'special relationship', and is essential
reading for voters on both sides of the Atlantic, who must soon
determine the political fates of both the President and Prime
Minister.
1: The Problem of Blair's War.
PART 1: HOW THE WAR HAPPENED.
2: New Labour: A Leading Force for Good in the World?.
3: The American Call to Arms.
4: Answering the Call.
PART 2: WHY THE WAR HAPPENED.
5: The Justifications for War.
6: Motives and World Views.
PART 3: THE ALTERNATIVE TO WAR.
7: Reflections and Lessons.
8: Towards an Ethical Foreign Policy.
Notes.
Index.
wrong to support the US war in Iraq. They conclude that he has
severely undermined the efforts of the '97 government to act as a
force for good in the world. But they do not stop there. They go on
to outline how the UK could get back to an ethical foreign policy
and the word move forward following 11 September 2001 and the Iraq
war. This is an invaluable contribution to an urgent debate."
Clare Short, MP
"This fine book describes how the formidable tag-team of Tony
Blair and George Bush manipulated intelligence and rationales to
gain support for their imperial adventure in Iraq. It is a
depressing and disturbing story told well."
John J. Mearsheimer, R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished
Service, Professor of Political Science at the University of
Chicago
"Blair's War offers a detailed analysis of the
circumstances in which the Neo-Conservatives in America persuaded
President Bush to launch a new imperialist crusade and of how Mr
Blair went along with it, so losing his credibility with the
British people by presenting the case for war in a way that visibly
falsified the facts. This is a book for all those who care about
the world, the UN and peace."
Tony Benn
at Wake Forest University, North Carolina.
Joel Krieger is Norma Wilentz Hess Professor of Political
Science at Wellesley College, Massachusetts.