Unpeople: Britain's Secret Human Rights Abuses

by Mark Curtis

  Few household-name NGOs were formally part of the Stop the War coalition that protested against the invasion of Iraq. Few have played any real role in enhancing the global justice movement. That these well-supported, resource-rich and potentially influential groups are failing to help sow the seeds of fundamental social change is serving to hold such change back.

  George Orwell famously wrote of the 'deep, deep sleep of England, from which I sometimes fear that we shall never wake till we are jerked out of it by the roar of bombs'.1 The process of transforming British foreign policy requires not only bringing together various opposition groups and radicalising many existing organisations, but also a personal transformation, decolonising the mind of accepted truths and received wisdom. This self-education can be a liberating experience in itself, as well as in our own self-interest.

  NOTES

  1 Occupying Iraq: The attack on democracy

  1. House of Commons, Foreign Affairs Committee, The decision to go to war in Iraq, Ninth report, Session 2002-03, 7 July 2003, conclusion.

  2 Paul Whiteley, 'Baghdad backlash', Guardian, 6 May 2003; Evidence to the Defence Committee, 11 June 2003, Q407, www.parlia.ment.thestationary-office.co.uk/pa/cm200203; 'PM: Authority of the United Nations "is on the line"', 28 February 2003, www.pm.gov.uk

  3 See Stephen Shalom, 'The United States in the General Assembly', Znet, 22 April 2003.

  4 Medialens, 'Chaining the watchdog, part 2, 3 May 2003, www.medialens.org

  5 See Web of Deceit, chapters 18 and 19, for the role of the media. See also Justin Lewis and Rod Brookes, 'Reporting the war on television', in David Miller (ed), Tell me lies: Propaganda and media distortion in the attack on Iraq, Pluto, London, 2004.

  6 'Prime Minister's speech to Congress', 18 July 2003, www.pm.gov.uk

  7 Jason Leopold, 'Wolfowitz admits Iraq war was planned two days after 9/11'. Znet, 2 June 2003; Mark Hollingsworth, 'Spies like us', Guardian, 5 November 2003; Raymond Whitaker, 'Blair told US was targeting Saddam "just days after 9/11", Independent on Sunday, 4 April 2004.

  8 There is a variety of evidence as to when Blair took the decision to join the US in the invasion, but all point to 2002: Clare Short said that, while Blair was assuring her of a commitment to secure a second Security Council resolution, Short noted that three 'extremely senior people in the Whitehall system' said that the Prime Minister had already agreed with President Bush the 'previous summer' to invade Iraq the following February (later extended to March because of Turkey's refusal to accept US troops). 'I think the US wanted to go to war in the Spring and the UK, I now think, had pre-committed to that timetable'. Short noted; Evidence to the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee (FAC), 17 June 2005. (364,83,124.129, www.pubhcations.parliament.uk/pa/cm200203; Peter Stothard's book, 30 days, indicates that Blair believed that by September 2002 the US had already decided to go to war and that Blair had already decided that Britain should be alongside them. Peter Stothard, 30 days: A month at the heart of Blair's war, Harper Collins, 2003.

  9 Review of intelligence on weapons of mass destruction: Report of a committee of privy counsellors, HC 898, HMSO, London, 14 July 2004 (hereafter the Butler report) paras 429,427.

  10 See evidence to the Defence Committee, 5 February 2004, citing previous evidence given by Air Marshall Burridge, www.publications. parliament.uk/pa/cm200304' and A.Pawson, Ministry of Defence of Defence, evidence on 12 November 2003. www.publications. parliament. uk/pa/cm 200304

  11 Cited in Glen Rangwala, 'Iraq's weapons of mass destruction: the assessment of the British government – Problems, contradictions, falsehoods', undated, and 'Misled into war', 21 March 2003, www.middleeastreference.org.uk; Hans Blix, Notes for the briefing of the Security Council on the 13th quarterly report of UNMOVIC, UN News Centre, 5 June 2003.

  12 Julian Borger, 'Intelligence was wrong, admits general', Guardian, 31 May 2003.

  13 Jim Lobe, 'Chalabi, Garner provide new clues to war', Hi Pakistan, 26 February 2004, www.occupationwatch.org

  14 Christine Spolar, '14 "enduring bases" set in Iraq', Chicago Tribune, 23 March 2004.

  15 'PM statement on Iraq', 25 February 2003, www.prn.gov.uk; Joint press conference with president Bush at Camp David, 27 March 2003, www.pm,.gov.uk.

  16 'PM thanks troops in Iraq', 29 May 2003, www.pm.gov.uk

  17 Iraq body count, 'Civilian deaths in "noble" Iraq mission pass 10,000', www.iraqbodycount.uet; Amnsety International, 'One year after the war the human rights situation remains critical, 18 March 2004, www.anmesty.org; Study by Medact in Shaista Aziz. "War killed 55,000 Iraq civilians, 11 November 2003, Al Jazeera.

  18 House of Commons, Hansard, 15 October 2003, Col.244, 1 September, Col.905.

  19 House of Commons, Hansard, 3 June 2003, Col.293.

  20 Human Rights Watch, 'Off target: The conduct of the war and civilian casualties in Jraq', December 2003, www.hrw.org

  21 Paul Brown, 'Uranium hazard prompts cancer check on troops', Guardian, 25 April 2003; John Pilger, 'A year later', Znet, 23 March 2004.

  22 Voices in the Wilderness newsletter, February/March 2004, citing the Sunday Times of 25 January, www.viw.uk; Julian Borger, 'Israel trains US assassination squads in Iraq', Guardian, 9 December 2003.

  23 Rory McCarthy, 'Gunships ram home might of US firepower', Guardian, 15 November 2003,

  24 Rory McCarthy. 'Uneasy truce in the city of ghosts', Guardian, 24 April 2004; Nicolas Pelham, 'No retreat from Falluja, says US', Financial Times, 1 May 2004.

  25 Rory McCarthy, 'None killed in US convoy as Shia militias fight on', Guardian, TO April 2004; Patrick Wintour, 'Army chiefs resist call for more Iraq troops'. Guardian, 29 April 2004; Luke Harding, '"It's hell . . . everything will be destroyed', Guardian, 30 April 2004,

  26 Michael White, 'Leaked memo reveals fear that US tactics are endangering troops', Guardian, 24 May 2004.

  27 David Teather, 'US begins crackdown as soldiers found dead', Guardian, 30 June 2003.

  28 Centre for Economic and Social Rights, 'Beyond torture: US violations of occupation law in Iraq', www.cesr.org

  29 Human Rights Watch, 'Civilian deaths need US investigation', 21 October 2002; Amnesty, 'One year after the war the human rights situation remains critical', 18 March 2004.

  30 Andrew Johnson, 'Did British soldiers lose ail control and decency at the notorious Camp Bucca?', Independent, 15 February 2004; Richard Norton-Taylor, 'Big rise in civilian death inquiries, Guardian, 9 June 2004; Phil Shiner, 'End this lawlessness', Guardian, 10 June 2004.

  31 'Violations "were tantamount to torture"'. Guardian, 8 May 2004; David Leigh, 'UK force taught torture methods', Guardian, 8 May 2004; cited in Centre for Economic and Social Rights, Beyond torture: US violations of occupation law in Iraq, www.cesr.org

  32 'British companies must play their part in Iraq, speech, 21 November 2003, www.fco.gov.uk; House of Commons, Hansard, 9 December 2003, Col.449 and 20 June 2003, C0l.499; 20 June 2003, Col.499; 1 April 2003, Col.624.

  33 Joseph Sriglitz, 'Iraq's next shock will be shock therapy', Znet, 17 March 2004.

  34 House of Commons, Hansard, 20 November 2003, Col.1308; UN Security Council, Resolution 1483, 22 May 2003, paragraph 4.

  35 David Teather, 'US set to back state control of Iraqi oil', Guardian, 8 January 2004; Glen Rangwala, 'Changing stories on Iraq', 23 January 2004, www.middleeastreference.org.uk

  36 House of Commons, Hansard, 21 October 2003, Col.163; 11 March

  2003, Col.158.

  37 Robert Fisk, 'Britain's secret army in Iraq', Independent, 28 March 2004; Julian Borger, 'US military in torture scandal'', Guardian, 30 April 2004; Bill Berkowitz, 'Mercenaries "R" us', Alternet, 24 March 2004, www.occupationwatch.org

  38 Rajiv Chandrasekaran, 'How cleric trumped US plan for Iraq', Washington Post Foreign Service, 26 November 2003.

  39 John Burns and Thorn Shanker, 'US officials fashion legal basis to keep force in Iraq, New York Times, 26 March 2004; Yochi Dreazen, 'Behind the scenes, US tightens grip on Iraq's future',
Wall Street journal, 13 May 2004; Mike O'Brien, 'Iraq stands at the dawn of a new era', 25 June 2004, www.fco.gov.uk

  40 Ewen Macaskill, 'US clings to the burdens of power', Guardian, 18 May 2004; Timothy Phelps, 'US will control Iraqi forces', Newsday, 10 April 2004.

  41 Cited in Ed Johnson, 'Blair backpedals on Iraq comments', Toronto Star, 26 May 2004; Ewen Macaskill and Sarah Hall, 'US vows to stay in control of Iraqi troops'. Guardian, 17 May 2005.

  42 'PM: Saddam and his regime will be removed', 25 March 2003, www.pm.gov.uk; Wolfowitz, 'We will completely remove Kurdish group from Northern Iraq', Turkish Daily News, 1 February 2004; Scheherezade Faramazi. 'Kurds' dream clashes with US plans', Miami Herald, 28 January 2004; Steven Weisman, 'Kurdish region in northern Iraq will get to keep special status', New York Times, 5 January 2004.

  43 'Iraq and weapons of mass destruction: An intelligence assessment', Q&A, www.the-hutton-inquiry.org.uk: Percy Cradock, note, 26 August 1963, FO371/170449/EQ1019/42.

  44 Foreign Office, 'The Kurdish problem in Iraq', August 1963, National Archives, FO371/170447/EQ1019/1.

  45 Said Aburish, A Brutal Friendship: The West and the Arab elite, Indigo, London, 1997, p. 136; R. Allen to G. Hiller, 3 September 1962, FO371/164235/EQ1015/83.

  46 Aburish. p. 98.

  47 Kenneth Roth, 'War in Iraq: Not a humanitarian intervention', 27 January 2004, www.hrw.org.

  48 See Web of Deceit, Chapter 15.

  49 See Web of Deceit, Chapters 15 and T6.

  50 House of Commons, Hansard, 15 June 2004, Cols. 34—5.

  2 The irrelevance of international law

  1 PM interview with the World Service, 9 October 2002, www.pm.gov.uk.

  2 Clare Short evidence to FAC, Q64, 83,124,129.

  3 'Prime minister's question time: the six crucial problems that Blair must solve', Guardian, 12 March 2003.

  4 'Iraqi people facing humanitarian crisis: An interview with Dennis Halliday', Between the Lines, 7 April 2003.

  5 Oliver Burkeman and Julian Borger, 'War critics astonished as US hawk admits invasion was illegal'. Guardian, 20 November 2003.

  6 Richard Norton-Taylor, 'Law unto themselves', Guardian, 13 March 2003, and other Guardian articles citing the 'near-unanimous view' among international lawyers; Mark Littrnan, 'A supreme inter- national crime', Guardian, 10 March 2003; 'Was the war justified?: Leading international lawyers give their verdicts', Guardian, 2 March 2004: Richard Norton-Taylor, 'Whitehall united in doubt on war', Guardian, 27 February 2004; Norton-Taylor, 'Disputed advice helped quash opposition to war', Guardian, 28 February 2004.

  7 Richard Norton-Taylor, 'A chance to name the guilty men', Guardian, 9 July 2004.

  8 'PM statement following UN Security Council Resolution', 8 November 2002, www.pm.gov.uk.

  9 Glen Rangwala, 'Changing stories on Iraq'. 23 January 2004, www.middleeastreference.org.uk.

  10 Jack Straw, evidence to the Foreign Affairs Committee, 4 March 2003, www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/200203, paras 151, 178.

  11 Jack Straw, evidence to the Foreign Affairs Committee, 29 April 2003, www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/200203, para 290.

  12 'Prime minister's question time: the six crucial problems that Blair must solve', Guardian, 12 March 2003.

  13 House of Commons, Hansard, 17 March 2003, Col. 2; Paul Waugh. 'Attorney General conceded doubts over legality of war', Independent, 4 March 2004.

  14 Keir Starmer, 'Sorry, Mr Blatr, but 1441 does not authorise force', Guardian, 17 March 2003: Anne Penketh and Andrew Grice, 'Blix: Iraq war was illegal', Independent, 5 March 2004.

  15 Butler report, paras 266– 7.

  16 'Prime Minister's address to the nation', 20 March 2003, www.pin.gov.uk; 'PM; Saddam and his regime will be removed', 25 March 2003. www.pm.gov.uk.

  17 Mark Liftman, 'A supreme international crime', Guardian, 10 March 2003.

  18 Helena Smith, 'Greeks accuse Blair of war crimes in Iraq', Guardian, 29 July 2003; Ewen Macaskill, 'UK should face court for crimes in Iraq, say jurists'. Guardian, 12 January 2004.

  19 A new chapter to the strategic defence review: Government response to the Committee's sixth report of session 2002–2003. 21 July 2003, p. 11,

  20 'PM warns of continuing global terror threat', 5 March 2004, www.pm.gov.uk.

  21 P. Dean to Foreign Secretary, 25 September 1963, PREM 11/4564.

  22 Cabinet Office, Steering Committee, 'British overseas obligations', 14 April 1958, T234/768; see The Great Deception: Anglo-American power and world order, Pluto, London, 1998, p.178.

  23 Foreign Office, 'Regional Studies', September 1964, FCO49/302.

  24 A. Douglas-Home, 'British policy towards the United Nations in the 1970s', 11 September 1970, FCO49/288,

  25 See Web of Deceit, p. 404.

  26 See The Great Deception, p. 179.

  27 Minutes of a ministerial meeting, 2 December 1963, CAB 130/189; Memorandum of conversation, Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS), Vol. XXI, Document 68, www.state.gov.

  28 D. Carden, Consul general, Muscat, 'Annual report on Muscat and Oman for 1965', 2 January 1966, FO1016/765.

  29 The Great Deception, pp. 188–9.

  30 Commonwealth Secretary to Lagos, 1 October 1968, PREM13/2260.

  31 D. Brighty to E, Youde, 25 April 1969, PREM13/2820.

  32 The Great Deception, p. 196.

  3 Deceiving the public: The Iraq propaganda campaign

  1 Clare Short, evidence to the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, 17 June 2003, www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ cm200203, Q63; Glen Rangwala and Raymond Whitaker, '20 lies about the war', Independent, 15 July 2003; Rangwala, 'Changing stories on Iraq', 23 January 2004, www.middleeastreference.org.uk.

  2 The quotation is from David Kelly in an email to a US journalist after giving evidence to a parliamentary inquiry. Cited in Simon Rogers (ed.), The Mutton Inquiry and its Impact, Guardian Books, 2004, p. 224.

  3 Neil Mackay, 'Revealed: The secret cabal which spun for Blair', Sunday Herald, 8 June 2003.

  4 Scott Ritter, letters. Guardian, 29 November 2003; Michael Meacher, 'The very secret service', Guardian, 21 November 2003.

  5 Meacher, 'The very secret service'; House of Commons, Hansard. .1.2 January 2004, Col. 538.

  6 Nicholas Rufford, 'Revealed: How MIS sold the Iraq war', Sunday Times, 28 December 2003; 'MIS ran "dubious" Iraq campaign', BBC News, 21 November 2003.

  7 Seymour Hersh. 'Who lied to whom?', The New Yorker, 31 March 2003.

  8 See David Miller, 'The propaganda machine', in Miller (ed.), Tell Me Lies: Propaganda and media distortion in the attack on Iraq, Pluto, London, 2004.

  9 Defence Committee, Lessons of Iraq, Third report, Session 2003/04. 16 March 2004, paras 469–83, www.publications.parliament.uk.

  10 David Leigh, 'False witness', Guardian, 4 April 2003; Stephen Dorril, 'Spies and lies', in Miller (ed.), Tell Me Lies, p. 112; Peter Beaumont, 'Allies fear Iraq plotting "scorched earth" war', Observer, 25 February 2003.