Steve Savicki
07-18-2005, 02:56 PM
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050718/wl_nm/security_britain_iraq_dc;_ylt=An0IZVi3Xvmf44cN9ZYr qF4UewgF;_ylu=X3oDMTA3b3JuZGZhBHNlYwM3MjE-
LONDON (Reuters) - A growing number of voices linking the London bomb attacks with Britain's role in the Iraq war make uncomfortable listening for Prime Minister Tony Blair's government. Just as Iraq finally appeared to be fading off the political agenda, a report by an influential think-tank struck at what is probably the most controversial policy of Blair's premiership.
ADVERTISEMENT
Britain's support for the United States in the war had put the country at greater risk from terrorist attacks, said terrorism experts at London's widely respected Royal Institute of International Affairs (RIIA).
Their report said the war had boosted recruitment and fund-raising for al Qaeda, which is suspected of being behind the bombings on July 7 that killed more than 50 people.
"The UK is at particular risk because it is the closest ally of the United States," said the report.
"Riding pillion with a powerful ally has proved costly in terms of British and U.S. military lives, Iraqi lives, military expenditure and the damage caused to the counter-terrorism campaign," it said.
Ministers responded angrily, in a sign the Labor government remains acutely sensitive to an issue that has caused it more damage than any other since taking power in 1997.
The danger for Blair is that the strongly worded report will pave the way for more criticism from politicians, who have generally rallied behind him following the bombings.
"This does revive the issue of Iraq which has been so damaging," said Warwick University politics professor Wyn Grant.
Chris Bellamy, professor of military science at Cranfield University, said he agreed with the report's assessment that controversy over the treatment of detainees in Iraq and at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, had created fertile ground for al Qaeda.
"It's pretty obvious ... that our role as America's principal ally must make us a more attractive terrorist target," he said.
MOMENTUM GROWING
The arguments add to a handful of similar comments from minor political figures including maverick ex-Labor politician George Galloway and Charles Kennedy, leader of the country's third biggest party, the Liberal Democrats, who opposed the war.
Iraq, where escalating violence and a surge in suicide bombings left more than 100 people dead this weekend alone, has already cost the prime minister dear.
His personal trust ratings have slumped and his party's parliamentary majority was more than halved in May's general election, widely seen as a referendum on Blair's leadership.
But he strongly refutes the notion that Britain's role in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has made the country less safe.
He argues that terrorism was a threat well before those conflicts and has affected many different countries.
Foreign Minister Jack Straw articulated the government's view in strong terms.
"The terrorists have struck across the world, in countries allied with the United States, backing the war in Iraq, and in countries which had nothing whatever to do with the war in Iraq," he told reporters in Brussels.
"It is the responsibility of people in the civilised world to stand up to that terrorism and not provide them with any excuse whatsoever."
But even if the RIIA report brings the awkward issue of Iraq to the fore, analysts doubt it will do Blair much more serious damage, as he has already been battered by it.
Blair, who has vowed to stand down before the next election, has seen his standing improve in the last few weeks, helped by a Group of Eight summit, a decision to hold the 2012 Olympics in London and the way he responded to the bombings.
There is no sign so far that the majority of Labor party members are accusing Blair of making Britain a target.
<center>http://us.news3.yimg.com/us.i2.yimg.com/p/nm/20050718/mdf613234.jpg?</center>
LONDON (Reuters) - A growing number of voices linking the London bomb attacks with Britain's role in the Iraq war make uncomfortable listening for Prime Minister Tony Blair's government. Just as Iraq finally appeared to be fading off the political agenda, a report by an influential think-tank struck at what is probably the most controversial policy of Blair's premiership.
ADVERTISEMENT
Britain's support for the United States in the war had put the country at greater risk from terrorist attacks, said terrorism experts at London's widely respected Royal Institute of International Affairs (RIIA).
Their report said the war had boosted recruitment and fund-raising for al Qaeda, which is suspected of being behind the bombings on July 7 that killed more than 50 people.
"The UK is at particular risk because it is the closest ally of the United States," said the report.
"Riding pillion with a powerful ally has proved costly in terms of British and U.S. military lives, Iraqi lives, military expenditure and the damage caused to the counter-terrorism campaign," it said.
Ministers responded angrily, in a sign the Labor government remains acutely sensitive to an issue that has caused it more damage than any other since taking power in 1997.
The danger for Blair is that the strongly worded report will pave the way for more criticism from politicians, who have generally rallied behind him following the bombings.
"This does revive the issue of Iraq which has been so damaging," said Warwick University politics professor Wyn Grant.
Chris Bellamy, professor of military science at Cranfield University, said he agreed with the report's assessment that controversy over the treatment of detainees in Iraq and at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, had created fertile ground for al Qaeda.
"It's pretty obvious ... that our role as America's principal ally must make us a more attractive terrorist target," he said.
MOMENTUM GROWING
The arguments add to a handful of similar comments from minor political figures including maverick ex-Labor politician George Galloway and Charles Kennedy, leader of the country's third biggest party, the Liberal Democrats, who opposed the war.
Iraq, where escalating violence and a surge in suicide bombings left more than 100 people dead this weekend alone, has already cost the prime minister dear.
His personal trust ratings have slumped and his party's parliamentary majority was more than halved in May's general election, widely seen as a referendum on Blair's leadership.
But he strongly refutes the notion that Britain's role in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has made the country less safe.
He argues that terrorism was a threat well before those conflicts and has affected many different countries.
Foreign Minister Jack Straw articulated the government's view in strong terms.
"The terrorists have struck across the world, in countries allied with the United States, backing the war in Iraq, and in countries which had nothing whatever to do with the war in Iraq," he told reporters in Brussels.
"It is the responsibility of people in the civilised world to stand up to that terrorism and not provide them with any excuse whatsoever."
But even if the RIIA report brings the awkward issue of Iraq to the fore, analysts doubt it will do Blair much more serious damage, as he has already been battered by it.
Blair, who has vowed to stand down before the next election, has seen his standing improve in the last few weeks, helped by a Group of Eight summit, a decision to hold the 2012 Olympics in London and the way he responded to the bombings.
There is no sign so far that the majority of Labor party members are accusing Blair of making Britain a target.
<center>http://us.news3.yimg.com/us.i2.yimg.com/p/nm/20050718/mdf613234.jpg?</center>