Secret Cabinet memo admits Iraq is fuelling UK terror

In a speech last month Tony Blair said that the suggestion that Britain's military action in Iraq and Afghanistan has served as a recruiting sergeant for Islamist terrorist groups was "enemy propaganda".

Now it transpires that a secret memo from his own Cabinet makes the very link that Blair is denying publicly.

It admits that, in an ideal world, "the Muslim would not perceive the UK and its foreign policies as hostile" – effectively accepting the argument that Britain's military action in Iraq and Afghanistan has served as a recruiting sergeant for Islamist terrorist groups.

The memo goes on to list an extraordinary "wish list" of how the government would like the world to look in ten years time:

After a decade, Iraq must have "stable central and local government, accepted by all sectarian groups". Afghanistan must be "stable, democratic, with all territory under central government control".

Israel must have "secure borders" and live in "peaceful co-existence" with its Arab neighbours, while Iran must have a "representative, tolerant government … no nuclear weapons" and "no sponsorship of terrorism".

The document concludes: "If all or most of the above were in place, threats from other sources of Islamic terrorism (eg Indonesia, Philippines, Nigeria) would be manageable or on the way to resolution. Any remaining deployments of the British armed forces should be seen as contributing to international stability and security."

No Downing Street spokesperson was willing to comment on the memo.

Blair's argument that there is no link between our foreign policy and potential attacks on UK soil is simply fantastical. He argues that we had not attacked Iraq or Afghanistan before 9-11.

This is true, but 9-11 was an attack on the US against their foreign policy, specifically their troops presence in Saudi Arabia and their support for Israel's behaviour in the Occupied Territories.

Blair is being disingenuous when he argues against a link. His own intelligence services have already made the link.

Michael Jay, head of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, gave warning a year earlier that Britain’s foreign policy was a key factor in recruitment by extremist organisations.

He cited disillusion among Muslims over Britain’s position on Iraq and the Middle East peace process as a “recurring theme” in the Muslim community.

Sir Michael’s warning was set out in a letter in May last year to Sir Andrew Turnbull, the outgoing Cabinet Secretary, in which he said Britain was now being seen among Muslims as a “crusader state” alongside America.

Quite how Blair and the likes of John Reid expect the public not to make such an obvious connection is beyond me. Perhaps he feels that blame for 7-7 would be laid at his doorstep. I personally do not think that attaching such blame would be fair or wise; nevertheless it is ludicrous to deny links that are plainly obvious.

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tag: Iraq, Afghanistan, foreign policy, terrorism, links, recruiting agents,