Goodbye Iraq

Seven years after the United States and Britain invaded Iraq, today the last American combat brigade in Iraq leaves the country, with our fighting forces having been withdrawn last month.  Troops from both nations will now play only a support role with the Iraqi army and police.

Although I supported the original invasion, on the grounds that its dictator, Saddam Hussein, had so-called weapons of mass destruction, I was dismayed to subsequently learn that there were no such weapons.  It is now highly questionable as to whether the overthrow of Hussein had been of any benefit to the country, the Middle East or the world.

As for Iraq, it seems that stability remains elusive with continuous attacks from insurgents and an absence of government, even though there was an election a while ago.  The Middle East continues to harbour many uncertainties.  The invasion of Iraq arguably enhanced the power of neighbouring Iran, which poses a serious threat to Israel's security.  And it is difficult to see what the world has gained from the seven-year occupation.  It has cost both the US and Britain many lost lives and billions of dollars in costs, and no one can possibly say that the world is a safer place as a result of this.

History will be the real judge.  By the time you are my age, the current US President Obama and UK Prime Minister Cameron will be long gone, as certainly will their predecessors George Bush and Tony Blair, who took our troops to war.  But I hope that you will know only of a peaceful Iraq – the country which was home to the Garden of Eden.

The parents of those soldiers leaving Iraq today will rejoice in the knowledge that their sons and daughters will be out of harm's way.  My wish is that it is the beginning of the end of our leaders' often-misguided view that military action provides solutions.  Enough warfare.