March 9, 2003
THIS YEAR IN BAGHDAD:
Bush Sr warning over unilateral action (Roland Watson, March 10, 2003, Times of London)The first President Bush has told his son that hopes of peace in the Middle East would be ruined if a war with Iraq were not backed by international unity.Drawing on his own experiences before and after the 1991 Gulf War, Mr Bush Sr said that the brief flowering of hope for Arab-Israeli relations a decade ago would never have happened if America had ignored the will of the United Nations.
He also urged the President to resist his tendency to bear grudges, advising his son to bridge the rift between the United States, France and Germany.
“You’ve got to reach out to the other person. You’ve got to convince them that long-term friendship should trump short-term adversity,” he said.
The former President’s comments reflect unease among the Bush family and its entourage at the way that George W. Bush is ignoring international opinion and overriding the institutions that his father sought to uphold. Mr Bush Sr is a former US Ambassador to the UN and comes from a family steeped in multi-lateralist traditions.
Folks would do well not to underestimate the degree to which Bush the Younger is driven by the desire to trump the Elder. Considering how royally the father screwed up Iraq, it shouldn't be hard for the son to best him here. Posted by Orrin Judd at March 9, 2003 9:08 PM
Well, that's the best news I've heard in a long time. If Jim Baker would only denounce our going forward despite France's veto, I would be content.
Posted by: David Cohen at March 9, 2003 9:27 PMTo be fair to Bush I, there was little consensus about removing Saddam directly at the time. The success of Gulf War I was a big surprise which few people waned to squander and it was commonly assumed that Hussein would fal victim to an internal plot like Galtieri or one of his predecessors.
Posted by: M Ali Choudhury at March 10, 2003 12:55 AMMr Ali's memory and mine coincide well. It looks like a failure now
but back then any further action would have been unsustainable politically.
The failure was in allowing him to repress the rebellions.
Posted by: oj at March 10, 2003 11:49 AM