The case against renewing Trident: the cost of renewing the UK ‘deterrent’ is disproportionate to the remote possibility of our needing it, it’s not ‘independent’ but increases UK dependence on the US, there’s noone to deter, and the policy reflects the government’s obsession with covering itself against blame for even the most improbable future disaster [more >>>]
A war crimes trial concerning events in Kosovo in 1998-99 involves charges against Kosovo Albanians for their alleged activities in the KLA, not Serbs as many might assume. Reports repeat the old myth about the ‘success’ of the NATO bombing [More >>>]
A 10-point manifesto for a new Labour leader, offered to Comrades Clarke and Milburn for their new ‘open debate’ website (but not yet approved for public exposure there) … [More >>>]
The second of a 3-part television assessment of Blair’s premiership, although damning, was flawed by too many uncorrected misrepresentations of the historical record. The verdict: a weak and self-deluded man repeatedly using dishonest means to promote what he believes to be right [More >>>]
The search for a solution to the future status of Kosovo is coming to a head. The problem was exacerbated by the 1999 NATO attack on Serbia, which (like that on Iraq, for which it was the curtain-raiser) was illegal, unnecessary and unsuccessful [More >>>]
Few politicians commenting on Saddam’s hanging have dared to condemn the ‘execution’ itself, instead sheltering behind an easy denunciation of the manner in which it was performed or, even more cowardly, its unauthorised filming and publication, which in fact performed a valuable service. Only Gordon Brown among UK ministers has so far implicitly denounced the hanging itself [More >>>]
Ten justifications for describing the killing of Saddam Hussein as “an atrocity” [More >>>]
The government’s obstruction, on nakedly political grounds, of a criminal investigation of possible bribery in the context of the huge al-Yamamah arms contracts with Saudi Arabia is being explained with multiple mutual contradictions and may be in breach of UK international obligations. I offer an alternative but unfortunately improbable scenario [More >>>]
The evidence given by Carne Ross to the Butler Inquiry on the use of intelligence in the run-up to the Iraq war was 'classified' and accordingly not published in the Inquiry's report. Ross was...
Australia is the second-best country for the good life, and Australians the best people to have around in a tight corner. Useful column on this by Engel in today’s FT. Aussie-Pom relations have an edge, but in the end we’re mates [More >>>]