UK Involvement in Wars in Iraq and Other Far Away Places

Tony Blair's concern that the UK had to join in the previous war in Iraq on account of the alleged existence of weapons of mass destruction there, so convinced me, despite my not voting for his party at the general election that at the time, I fully supported the armed intervention by this country alongside others.

Hindsight in my humble opinion shows that Tony Blair was wrong as were therefore we who supported his  armed UK intervention then. As a result of that grave national  misjudgment, my conclusion now is that the UK should not involve itself in wars in foreign nations other than in cases where fundamental humanity  or should I say inhumanity, issues arise affecting mankind generally or maybe where the UK has a responsibility arising from our imperialistic past. In the latter case however we have not acted in Zimbabwe so with the colonial past ebbing more and more into history, the prospects of the UK still needing to intervene today in such a nation seem remote although the brief Falkland Islands war is a comparatively recent and positive example.

Involvement in Afghanistan where the rights of the whole female half of the population were being hugely diminished, even denying girls the right to be educated or to work as say doctors, could have been exceptionally justified had that been the fundamental reason for the UK's involvement. Sadly the pull out of Afghanistan now, tends to show that the original reason for our country's armed forces being there, was not really based on such moral high ground, as what  the plight of women  there will be once the withdrawal is complete remains unclear -  still we shall see.

What is clear however at this time  is that despite being so appallingly brutal and inhumane, the    wars of the Islamic Militants are being perpetrated against  Middle Eastern governments which themselves hardly seem much better. The matter could be kept under constant review in case the position significantly changes but unless/until it does we  as a foreign nation, should not be involved

My interpretation about which power in that part of the world is more brutal than which other power there  may be incorrect but what is clearly true, is that  the UK should not become embroiled in the hideous fighting and killings there. We have enough poverty, destitution and other ills at home  which already cost the earth to tackle and  should not be diluting the efforts at righting home-grown wrongs by throwing bombs at  the wrongs of other peoples and foreign countries.

 Of course where inhuman sufferings are caused to innocent peoples especially  in the third world by famine, pestilence, earthquake or the like, for the UK then to be involved, though with care despite the costs, must be right.

Dropping bombs in Iraq because of  the killings and torture there by  a particularly hideous foreign clique may be for Iraq's neighbours to consider but in my humble opinion has already been shown in recent times, to be quite wrong for far away countries such as the UK.