Hans Blix Speaks!

[G_j]

Published on Friday, March 19, 2004 by Reuters
Blix Says Iraq War May Have Worsened Terror Threat
by Andrew Stern

CHICAGO - The invasion of Iraq has polarized the Middle East and may have worsened the threat of terrorism, former United Nations weapons inspector Hans Blix charged on Thursday.

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0319-02.htm

<snip>
Blix said his task of seeking weapons of mass destruction in Iraq was undermined by the Bush and Blair governments, which probably knew they were exaggerating the threat to justify the invasion. "(The war) was more punitive than preemptive," he said.

Apart from removing Saddam from power, Blix said he saw no benefit from the invasion and was skeptical of U.S. claims that Libya's subsequent decision to disarm was based on a fear that it could be next.

What bothered him most, he said, was the manipulation of intelligence on Iraq and the lack of support for the weapons inspections process and the UN in general.

"They are politicians, and we understand the need for hype. But still, as citizens, as voters, we want critical thinking, we want sincerity, not advertising hype," he said
<snip>

----------------------------------------------------------------
**This is a fine interview with Terry Gross of "Fresh Air". Highly recommended!!
http://freshair.npr.org/day_fa.jhtml?todayDate=03/17/2004

In his new book, Disarming Iraq, Blix writes about what happened in the months leading up to the war in Iraq last year. Blix, formerly the head of the U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission, has been named chairman of the newly formed International Commission on Weapons of Mass Destruction, which began its work in January 2004
---------------------------------------------------------------------

[The Backlash Cometh]

1. Critical thinking & sincerity.

Hans is right. We need critical thinkers who are sincere. We certainly don't have those qualities in the oval office today. The Bush Administration had an agenda since it came into office and advertised hype is all we've been getting.

[G_j]

2. critical thinking from the media

would have also been nice. It seems to be a dying art in the US.

[mzmolly]

3. He's been speaking for a loooong time, but the corporate media hasn't

been *sharing* with us ... imagine that.