US and Britain are in denial over failed policy, says former envoy - Independent

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"On the departure of troops, frankly in the UK and US most of the time people are talking about solving the US/UK problem, not solving the Iraqi problem"... The United States and Britain have created a vortex in Iraq that may drag the entire Middle East into war, which of course would mean interrupting the flow of oil while they all kill each other and that would mean a worse energy crisis than the 1970s. On the other hand they might decide to save themselves and sit down and talk it out on a regional level, which will mean a solution not midwifed by the USA, which of course means the practical collapse of US power in the region. Certainly Ted Turner was not exaggerating when he compared Bush's decision to start a war of choice with Iraq with Hitler's similar decision to invade Russia. Both were catastrophic errors. Nothing in US history can compare with its far-reaching and disastrous effects. And of course, the most horrible thing is what the Iraqis who have never harmed the United States have had to suffer because of criminal stupidity. That is simply unforgivable. DS

Abstract: Iraq needs a new government to begin a process of national reconciliation leading to the withdrawal of foreign troops, because the US, Britain and Iraqi leaders are in a "state of denial" about their failed policy, a former UN envoy to the country says. "There is a refusal to accept that the so-called process is not working. It collapsed a long time ago. They should sit down and put something else up. What we need is a serious attempt at national reconciliation that has never taken place," said Lakhdar Brahimi, the Algerian diplomat who put together the first blueprint for the transfer of sovereignty to Iraqis after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003. Mr Brahimi, who has testified to the Iraq Study Group led by the former US secretary of state James Baker, emphasised that he was speaking in his personal capacity. "On the departure of troops, frankly in the UK and US most of the time people are talking about solving the US/UK problem, not solving the Iraqi problem,"(...) Mr Brahimi said the US and the UK should consult Iran and Syria on ending the violence in Iraq, but he warned that these two states alone do not hold a "miracle solution". All of Iraq's neighbours, including Turkey, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, as well as the Arab League, should be involved in a negotiated solution, he said. Asked whether the "window of opportunity" had already closed for Iraq, Mr Brahimi replied: "It's never totally closed. The thing is to know how to reopen it, but after how many thousands more are dead?" READ IT ALL