Patrick Cockburn on the Iraq War's fifth birthday

Dick Cheney in Iraq Napoleon in Spain

I generally dislike use of the "Munich analogy", for reasons I've blogged about more than once. But I thought I would pass this one along, from A gross failure that ignored history and ended with a humiliating retreat The Independent by Patrick Cockburn 03/17/08:

How we got into this situation needs to be inquired into and also how we avoid falling into it again. The worst failings were political. In many ways Tony Blair in 2002-03, when he decided to join America in the war, resembled Neville Chamberlain in 1938. He ignored expert professional advice. He had no alternative plan if anything went wrong. He lived in a world of propaganda and fantasy. He would spring from his plane in Baghdad to be greeted by Iraqi politicians who did not dare leave the Green Zone.

But, of course, I don't like people using the "Munich analogy". So naughty, naughty, reporter for doing that!

This is a good quote, too, from Cockburn's article: "The Duke of Wellington, who had seen what had happened to Napoleon in Spain, said that 'Great powers do not have small wars'." What "happened to Napoleon in Spain" was that he ran into a nasty guerrilla war. In fact, I believe that's where and the term "guerrilla" was first used. The Spanish war of independence against France broke out 200 years ago this year, in 1808. France lost.

Tags: españa, iraq war, patrick cockburn, spain

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