AFTER IRAQ, WHO NEXT?

"Our armies do not come into your cities and lands as conquerors or enemies, but as liberators." Lieutenant-General Sir Stanley Maude, March 11, 1917, on the occasion of the Anglo-Indian Army of the Tigris entering Baghdad. "Not as tyrants have we come, but as liberators." Adolf Hitler, February 27, 1933, on the occasion of the Third Reich's invasion of Austria. Both Maude and Hitler vainly fancied they could 'free' other nations and help them develop and progress by crushing …

…Salahuddin's tomb, and exclaimed, "Awake Saladin, we have returned. My presence here consecrates the victory of the Cross over the Crescent." There's no doubt that their presence in Baghdad has changed the world, but will it really be for the better? It's ironic that the land of Iraq, the cradle of civilisation and democracy, is now the target and potential springboard for American-lead aggression throughout the Middle East. The neighbours must be asking, "Who's next?"