PRESIDENT BUSH and his military advisors were yesterday poised to announce ‘one last big push’ for victory in Iraq, and that 20,000 more US troops will be sent into the country for that purpose.
This policy is an expression of Bush’s horror at, and opposition to, the notion that he must negotiate with Iran and Syria, in order to be able to withdraw US troops from Iraq.
The new policy also has the support of the Pentagon, whose generals are not relishing a repeat of their experiences in Vietnam, where they were run out of the country. They are prepared to sacrifice the lives of thousands of Iraqis and large numbers of US troops in their frenzied attempt to avoid another ignominious defeat.
Bush’s new position comes directly after the visit of the Israeli Premier, Olmert, to the US.
Olmert will be greatly encouraged by the ‘one last big push’ policy to deal even more viciously with the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
Israel had the most to lose from any US-UK turn towards Syria and Iran.
Olmert’s enthusiasm for the new Bush turn will extend to offering to take action to assist the US. Bush may well decide on a double strike. This would mean that while US forces are making their big push in Iraq, Israel will bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The prospects however for Bush’s ‘one last big push’ are grim.
Yesterday Major General Cordingly, the British commander of its tank forces in the 1991 war with Iraq said that he was in favour of one big push, but that 100,000 more troops would be needed, not just 20,000.
A big US push in Iraq will unite 90 per cent of the Iraqi people in violent opposition and many US soldiers will be killed in the north while the positions of British troops in Basra will be stormed. 20,000 US troops will not make the slightest difference in this situation.
An even bigger military disaster for the US in Iraq will result in the toppling of the puppet regime in the Green Zone, and result in the spread of revolution throughout the Middle East.
This will strengthen the liberation movements such as Hezbollah and Hamas, while the regimes of US agents in the area, whether they be headed by Kings, Emirs or Presidents will be greatly weakened, if not overthrown.
There is also the issue that Bush lost his majority in the two houses of Congress, in the recent mid-term elections, largely because millions of Americans oppose the war in Iraq and want to see US troops brought home.
Hundreds of dead US soldiers killed in one last big push, will result in an even bigger push by the US workers to impeach Bush and drive him out of office.
There is not the slightest doubt that Blair, despite all of his recent words about negotiating with Iran and Syria, will move behind Bush, as soon as he is given the word by the US president.
The time has come when trade unions in Britain must take action to demand that all British troops are withdrawn immediately from Iraq and from Afghanistan.
For too long they have stood idly by, while the Iraqi and Palestinian masses are being slaughtered, limiting their actions to paper resolutions at trade union conferences.
In fact, the trade unions must be brought into action to bring the Blair-Brown government down and bring in a workers’ government that will carry out socialist policies at home and abroad.
These must include the withdrawal of all British troops from the Middle East and the Gulf, recognition of the Palestinian government and real support for the establishment of the Palestinian state including the sending of massive aid to the Palestinian people.
