
New UK records reveal Bush viewed Iraq war as a ‘crusade'
Cabinet Office papers made public on Tuesday show Bush considered the US 'God's chosen nation' tasked with ridding the world of 'evil-doers,' including Saddam Hussein.
Sir Christopher Meyer, the UK's ambassador to Washington, wrote in December 2002 in a diplomatic cable to Whitehall: 'More than anything else, he (Bush) fears another catastrophic terrorist attack on the homeland, especially one with an Iraqi connection.'
He added: 'His view of the world is Manichean. He sees his mission as ridding it of evil-doers. He believes American values should be universal values. He finds the Europeans' differentiation between Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein self-serving.
'He is strongly allergic to Europeans collectively. Anyone who has sat round a dinner table with low-church Southerners will find these sentiments instantly recognisable.'
In January 2023, Sir Tony Blair met with Bush in the US to urge him to use diplomacy, but Sir Christopher wrote Jan. 29: 'It is politically impossible for Bush to back down from going to war in Iraq this spring, absent Saddam's surrender or disappearance from the scene.'
On Jan. 30, Sir David Manning, a UK foreign policy adviser, told Sir Tony to warn Bush that a UN resolution was 'politically essential for the UK, and almost certainly legally essential as well.'
Sir David told Condoleezza Rice, Bush's secretary of state, that an invasion of Iraq without one could bring down the Labour government, and that 'the US must not promote regime change in Baghdad at the price of regime change in London.'
He added in a message to Sir Tony: 'I said that Bush could afford to gamble. He wanted a second resolution but it was not crucial to him. He already had congressional authority to act unilaterally. This was quite different from the situation you were facing.
'Condi acknowledged this but said that there came a point in any poker game when you had to show your cards. I said this was fine for Bush. He would still be at the table if he showed his cards and lost. You would not.'
The cables also reveal other aspects of Sir Tony's time in office, including a birthday message from Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2001.
'Dear Tony,' the message read, 'accept my sincere congratulations on your birthday and heartfelt wishes of good health, happiness, success and well being to you and your family.
'With great warmth I recollect our last meeting in Stockholm, I am convinced that regular contacts between us will further facilitate the development of Russian-British relations, strengthening international security and stability.'
Other revelations include a thorny diplomatic incident, when former French President Jacques Chirac had spoken in private to Sir Tony about Clare Short, the international development secretary, to complain she was 'viscerally anti-French and insupportable.'
In an effort to improve relations with Chirac, UK officials also considered purchasing a map of Afghanistan for Chirac denoting British military failures in the country for 'a laugh' for his birthday in November 2001.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Asharq Al-Awsat
2 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Trump Suggests Fed May Be Ready to Lower Interest Rates
President Donald Trump said on Friday he had a good meeting with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and got the impression that the head of the US central bank might be ready to lower interest rates. The two men met on Thursday when Trump made a rare visit to the US central bank to tour the ongoing renovation of two buildings at its headquarters in Washington. The White House has criticized the cost of the project, and the president and Powell sparred over the issue during the visit. Trump also took the opportunity to again publicly call on Powell to slash rates immediately. "We had a very good meeting ... I think we had a very good meeting on interest rates," the president told reporters on Friday. "He (Powell) said, 'Congratulations, the country is doing really well,' and I got that to mean that I think he's going to start recommending lower rates because of that conversation," Trump said. The Fed is widely expected to leave its benchmark interest rate in the 4.25%-4.50% range at the conclusion of a two-day policy meeting next week. Powell has said the Fed should wait for more data before adjusting rates. The visibly tense exchange between Trump and Powell at the Fed's massive construction site on Thursday marked an escalation of White House pressure on the central bank as well as Trump's efforts to get Powell to lower rates. The US central bank said on Friday it was "grateful" for Trump's encouragement to complete the renovation of its buildings in Washington and that it "looked forward" to seeing the project through to completion. Trump, who called Powell a "numbskull" earlier this week for failing to heed the White House's demand for a large reduction in borrowing costs, also said on Thursday he did not intend to fire the Fed chief, as he has frequently suggested he would.


Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
US states to get $608 million from FEMA to build migrant detention centers
WASHINGTON: The Federal Emergency Management Agency is preparing to send $608 million to states to construct immigrant detention centers as part of the Trump administration's push to expand capacity to hold migrants. FEMA is starting a 'detention support grant program' to cover the cost of states building temporary facilities, according to an agency announcement. States have until August 8 to apply for the funds, according to the post. The Trump administration has been encouraging states to build their own facilities to detain migrants. This program provides a way for the administration to help states pay for it. The funds will be distributed by FEMA in partnership with US Customs and Border Protection, according to the post. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, said on Friday morning the state would apply for FEMA reimbursement to pay for its new immigrant detention center known as 'Alligator Alcatraz.' DHS officials said this summer the facility will cost an estimated $450 million annually. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has said DHS will tap FEMA's $650-million shelter and services program to fund Florida's facility. Congress during the Biden administration directed DHS to distribute the money to state and local governments to cover the cost of sheltering migrants. Nonprofits were also eligible. The funding stream was separate from money Congress set aside for FEMA to cover disaster relief. 'Secretary Noem has been very clear that the funding for Alligator Alcatraz can be a blueprint for other states and local governments to assist with detention,' a FEMA spokesperson said. FEMA declined to answer a question from Reuters about whether other states would receive money for detention facilities.


Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
Trump arrives in Scotland for golf and bilateral talks as EU trade deal nears
EDINBURGH/LONDON: US President Donald Trump, dogged by questions about his ties to disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, arrived in Scotland on Friday for some golf and bilateral talks that could yield a trade deal with the European Union. Trump told reporters upon his arrival that he will visit his two golf properties in Scotland and meet with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, whom he called a 'highly respected woman.' As hundreds of onlookers cheered his arrival, Trump repeated his earlier comment about a 50-50 chance of securing a deal with the EU, adding it would be his administration's biggest trade agreement thus far, if it came together. However, he said there were still 'sticking points' with Brussels on 'maybe 20 different things.' Trump said his meeting with Starmer would be more of a celebration of the trade deal already reached than continued work on it, adding, 'It's a great deal for both.' Before he left Washington, Trump said his administration was working hard on a possible trade deal with the EU, and Brussels was keen to make a deal. Von der Leyen said later she would meet Trump in Scotland on Sunday. EU diplomats say a deal could result in a 15 percent tariff on EU goods, mirroring a framework accord with Japan reached this week and half of the 30 percent Trump is threatening to impose by August 1. Trump has sought to reorder the global economy after imposing a 10 percent tariff on nearly all trading partners in April and threatening sharply higher rates for many countries to kick in a week from now. Trump says the moves will reduce the US trade deficit and bring in extra revenue, but economists warn the new trade policies could drive up inflation. Trump, facing the biggest domestic political crisis of his second term, expressed frustration about ongoing questions about his administration's handling of investigative files related to Epstein's criminal charges and his 2019 death in prison. 'You make it a very big thing over something that's not a big thing,' Trump told reporters in Scotland, urging them to focus on other prominent Americans with ties to Epstein, including former President Bill Clinton. 'Talk about Clinton. Talk about the former president of Harvard. Talk about all of his friends. Talk about the hedge fund guys that were with him all the time. Don't talk about Trump,' he said. 'What you should be talking about is the fact that we have the greatest six months in the history of a presidency.' The Epstein issue has caused a rare breach with some of Trump's most loyal Make America Great Again supporters, and majorities of Americans and Trump's Republicans say they believe the government is hiding details on the case, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling. White House officials are hoping the controversy dies down while Trump is abroad, two people familiar with the matter said. Trump will stay at his Turnberry property on Scotland's west coast this weekend, before traveling on Monday to a golf property in Aberdeen, where he will open a second 18-hole course named in honor of his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod. MacLeod was born and raised on a Scottish island before emigrating to the US As he left the White House, Trump said he looked forward to meeting both Starmer and Scottish leader John Swinney, who had publicly backed Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in the 2024 US presidential election. The trip gives Trump and Starmer a chance to deepen their already warm ties, with key issues on the agenda to include ending Russia's war in Ukraine, British and US sources said. The deteriorating situation in Gaza is also likely to come up. Starmer on Thursday said he would hold an emergency call with France and Germany over what he called the 'unspeakable and indefensible' suffering and starvation being reported there, and called on Israel to allow aid to enter the Palestinian enclave. Gaza health authorities say more than 100 people have died from starvation, most in recent weeks. Human rights groups have said mass starvation is spreading even as tons of food and other supplies sit untouched just outside the territory. Since being elected last year, Starmer has prioritized good relations with Trump, stressing the importance of Britain's defense and security alliance with the US, while working to clinch the first tariff-reduction deal with the US in May. The framework agreement reaffirmed quotas and tariff rates on British automobiles and eliminated tariffs on the UK's aerospace sector, but left steel tariffs in place. Starmer is expected to press for lower steel tariffs, but sources close to the matter said it was unclear if any breakthrough was possible during Trump's visit. Trump has described Scotland as a 'very special place' and made a similar trip there in 2016 during his earlier run for the presidency, but he will not necessarily get a warm welcome. About 70 percent of Scots have an unfavorable opinion of Trump, while 18 percent have a favorable opinion, an Ipsos poll in March found. Scottish police are girding for protests on Saturday in both Aberdeen and in Edinburgh, the country's capital. Trump will return to Britain from September 17-19 for a state visit hosted by King Charles. It will make Trump the first world leader in modern times to undertake two state visits to Britain. The late Queen Elizabeth hosted him at Buckingham Palace for a three-day state visit in June 2019.