Riaan Eminyakeni engamashumi amabili edlule, uMongameli uGeorge W. Bush wayala ukuba kuhlaselwe i-Iraq, kwaketulwa umbusi owayebusa uSaddam Hussein futhi kwaqala ukuhlasela. uhlobo lwesihogo ukuthi i-Iraq isabhekene nanamuhla.
Eminyakeni engamashumi amabili edlule, abezindaba abajwayelekile baleli zwe – ngaphandle kokukodwa okuphawulekayo – bathengelwa izimangalo zokuphatha zikaBush mayelana nokuqoqwa kukaHussein kwezikhali zokucekela phansi okukhulu, esiza ukujabulisa isizwe sethu engxabanweni eyaqeda izimpilo zezinkulungwane zabantu baseMelika kanye namakhulu ezinkulungwane zama-Iraqis. . Impi – kanye nokuhlelela okungalungile kwangemva kwempi engxenyeni yezikhulu zokuphatha uBush – kuphinde kwadala izingxabano ezinyantisayo zamahlelo, kwaholela ekuveleni kwe-ISIS futhi kwasusa ama-Iraqis angaphezu kwesigidi.
I-Opinion Columnist
URobin Abcarian
Leso sahluko esidabukisayo emlandweni waseMelika sakhiqiza ingxenye yaso yamagama nemishwana eyi-jingoistic: “WMD,” “i-axis of evil,” “regime change,” “yellowcake uranium,” “coalition of the willing,” kanye nokwenqaba okumnandi kodwa okwesabekayo. , izikhangisi eziphindaphindiwe zezikhulu zokuphatha zikaBush njengoMeluleki Wezokuphepha Kazwelonke ngaleso sikhathi u-Condoleezza Rice: “Asifuni ukuthi isibhamu esiwugwayi sibe ifu elibi.” (Isingathekiso esikhumbulekayo saphupha ngongasekho uMichael Gerson, owayengumbhali wenkulumo kaBush ngaleso sikhathi.)
Kunjalo, akukaze kube khona isibhamu esishunqayookumise okwekhowe noma cha.
Izikhali zase-Iraq ezazigcinwe e-Iraq zacekelwa phansi ngo-1991 ngemva kokuba i-Iraq ihlasele iKuwait futhi yaphindiselwa emuva umfelandawonye wamazwe angu-35 oholwa yi-United States. UMkhandlu Wezokuphepha weNhlangano Yezizwe nawo wawunawo kwadingeka ukuthi i-Iraq iphele izinhlelo zayo zezikhali zebhayoloji nezenuzi.
Lokhu akusho ukuthi uHussein wayeyingwe eyehlisiwe; wayengekho.
Kodwa futhi wayengeyena usongo ayevezwe eyilo. Ukudukisa umphakathi owawunyakaziswe ekuhlaselweni kwamaphekula kwangomhla ka-9/11 kwaba umsebenzi olula kuma-neocons ashisayo okuphatha kukaBush. Ngobuwula bakholelwa ukuthi bangaphoqelela intando yeningi esizweni esingenamlando wayo.
Izikhulu zikaBush nazo zakha izixhumanisi ezikhohlisayo phakathi kwe-Iraq kanye nokuhlasela kwe-9/11 igqugquzelwa iqhawe lamaSulumane u-Osama bin Laden neqembu lakhe lamaphekula i-Al Qaeda. Ekuhlushweni kwakhe okungapheli, uNobhala Wezwe ongasekho u-Colin Powell waqinisekisa umhlaba enkulumweni yakhe ayeyibhekise kuNhlangano Yezizwe ngaphambi nje kokuhlasela ukuthi impi yayifaneleka ngokuphelele ngengozi i-Iraq eyalethwa umhlaba wonke.
“Ozakwethu, zonke izinkulumo engizenzayo namuhla zisekelwa imithombo, imithombo eqinile,” Kusho uPowell. “Akukona ukugomela lokhu. Esikunikeza kona amaqiniso neziphetho ezisekelwe ekuhlakanipheni okuqinile.” Amazwi akhe, kamuva wavuma, kwaba ngamangaeziningi zazo ezinikezwe ubuhlakani base-US ngemithombo engathembekile – abadingisiwe njenga Ahmad Chalabiumholi weqembu eliphikisayo e-Iraq owaphupha ngokukhipha uHussein futhi athathe izintambo zombuso e-Iraq.
Izitatimende zikaPowell ziphakathi kwalezo ezabhalwa ngo-2008 yi- Isikhungo Sobuqotho Bomphakathieyahlanganisa amakhulukhulu amanga ashiwo uBush nezikhulu zakhe eziphezulu njengengxenye yomkhankaso okuhloswe ngawo ukunxenxa umphakathi waseMelika ukuba usekele ukuhlasela kwe-Iraq “ngaphansi kokuzenzisa okungamanga okungamanga.”
Iningi lemithombo yezindaba, kusho lesi sikhungo, “ibihileleke kakhulu ekubikeni kwayo ngokungagxeki izizathu zokuya empini.” Kwakukhona okuhlukile kulokho kuhlanganyela. Izintatheli ezintathu kanye nomhleli ehhovisi le-Knight-Ridder’s Washington babebodwa phakathi kwezinhlangano ezinkulu zezindaba lapho bebuza ukulandisa kwabaphathi mayelana ne-WMD. U-Jonathan Landay, u-Warren Strobel no-Joe Galloway, kanye nomhleli wabo u-John Walcott, bajikijela ngamanzi okuningi kwalokho okwabikwa abezindaba abavamile. Idrama ithathwe kuyo “Ukushaqeka kanye Nokwesaba,” ifilimu ka-2017 kaRob Reiner, odlala uWalcott.
Ngo-2013, onyakeni we-10 wokuhlaselaWalcott wangitshela ukuthi iqembu lakhe liqhutshwa ukungabaza, insiza eyigugu kakhulu yobuntatheli.
“Iningi lecala labaphathi kuleyo mpi lalingenangqondo neze, ikakhulukazi umbono wokuthi uSaddam Hussein wayehlangene no-Osama bin Laden. Umashiqela wama-Arab wezwe ohlangene ne-Islamist eqinile inhloso yakhe kwakuwukuketula omashiqela bezwe futhi amise kabusha ubukhosi bakhe? Lapho siyihlola ngokwengeziwe, yilapho inuka khona nakakhulu.”
Uthe futhi, kunokuba bathembele ezikhundleni eziphezulu zokuphatha, bafuna abasebenzi abasemazingeni aphansi abangaqashiwe kwezepolitiki futhi abangakwazi ukuphuca umengameli ukuze ahlale ezimeni zakhe.
Kwavela u-Knight-Ridder indaba ngendaba ukwehlisela phansi inguqulo yabaphathi (kanye ne-New York Times’, Washington Post’s kanye ne-Los Angeles Times’) yamakhono kaHussein. Amanye amaphephandaba ka-Knight-Ridder – phakathi kwawo, i-Philadelphia Inquirer – enqabile ukuqhuba lezi zindaba, ngenxa yokwesaba ukuphikiswa, ikakhulukazi yi-New York Times, eyachaza ukusabalala kwayo okukhohlisayo yokukhishwa kwe-WMD cishe izinyanga eziyi-15 ngemuva kokuhlasela.
“Kusengenzeka ukuthi kuzovubukulwa izikhali zamakhemikhali noma zebhayoloji e-Iraq,” kubhala abahleli be-Times, “kodwa kulokhu kubonakala sengathi thina, kanye nabaphathi, sangeniswa.”
Yiqiniso, kwakukhona ukuphikiswa okuqinile ekuhlaselweni kwe-Iraq e-US futhi nxazonke Umhlabanakuba ezinyangeni ezimbalwa zokuqala zengxabano, iningi labantu baseMelika okwaxoxwa nabo lalisekela.
Akuthathanga sikhathi kwaqala ukudumazeka. Phela babekuphi bonke labo ma-Iraq IPhini likaMongameli uCheney wayethembisile angabingelela amasosha aseMelika “njengabakhululi”?
U-Cheney akakaze axolise ngeqhaza lakhe ekuhlakanipheni kwe-Iraqi (ngoba ngingasho nje, usawuvikela). NoBush akazange alivume iqiniso muva nje, uma ngephutha.
Ku inkulumo ngoMeyi odlule eBush Presidential Centre e-Dallas, uthe “kwakuyisinqumo sendoda eyodwa ukuqala ukuhlasela okungenabulungiswa nokunonya kwe-Iraq, ngisho, e-Ukraine.”
Waqhaqhazela, wabe esecishe waphefumula, wengeza: “I-Iraq nayo.”
