Iraqi war

CIA Interrogator: At Time of U.S. Invasion, Saddam Hussein Was Focused on Writing Novel, Not WMDs

During his interrogation, Hussein revealed that by 2003 he had largely turned over power to his aides so he could concentrate on writing a novel. There was no program of weapons of mass destruction. Saddam Hussein was also deeply critical of al-Qaeda and other Islamist groups inspired by Wahhabism. During the interrogation, Hussein also had a warning for the United States about Iraq. He said, "You are going to fail. You are going to find that it is not so easy to govern Iraq. You are going to fail in Iraq because you do not know the language, the history, and you do not understand the Arab mind." We speak to former CIA analyst John Nixon, author of the new book, "Debriefing the President: The Interrogation of Saddam Hussein."

Iraqi war

Saddam Hussein should have been left to run Iraq, says CIA officer who interrogated him

Booth President Obama and President-elect Donald Trump believe the United States never should have invaded Iraq in 2o03 (or, at least, Trump claims he now does). The war in Iraq and its chaotic aftermath in many ways prefigure the present moment in the Middle East; it triggered a sectarian unraveling that now haunts both Iraq and Syria and looms large in the minds of an Obama administration wary of further intervention in the region's conflicts.

In a new book coming out this month, John Nixon, a former CIA officer who interrogated Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein after he was captured by coalition forces in December 2003, details his encounter with the toppled despot and the varied discussions that followed. Early on, Hussein warned that the occupation of Iraq wouldn't be as much of a "cakewalk" as Washington's neoconservatives assumed at the time.

Iraqi war

CIA Analyst to Iraq Tribunal: Wolfowitz Pushed Multiple Investigations of “Pure Fiction”

I retired in 2010 after a 27-year career with the CIA and for the first 20 years of my career, I was a senior political and media analyst with the CIA’s open source arm. That department monitors and translates speeches by foreign leaders, newspaper editorials and other foreign news of interest to US policymakers.

Our job was to analyze the speeches of foreign leaders and the political spin of foreign media content and help the policymakers we worked with understand the implications for US policy and interests. It was exciting, challenging and very interesting work.

In early 2003, just prior to the launching of the US attack on Iraq, I was the senior analyst in charge of Iraqi media at the Open Source Center. The political atmosphere around the Beltway had become very charged amid allegations that Saddam Husayn possessed WMD and there were active efforts afoot to link him to al-Qa’ida and the events of 9-11. The drumbeat for war was in full swing.

Iraqi war

America's unlearned lesson: the forgotten truth about why we invaded Iraq

The US primarily invaded Iraq not because of lies or because of bad intelligence, though both featured. In fact, it invaded because of an ideology.

A movement of high-minded ideologues had, throughout the 1990s, become obsessed with deposing Saddam Hussein. When they assumed positions of power under Bush in 2001, they did not seek to trick America into that war, but rather tricked themselves. In 9/11, and in fragments of intelligence that more objective minds would have rejected, they could see only validation for their abstract and untested theories about the world — theories whose inevitable and obvious conclusion was an American invasion of Iraq.

Iraqi war

Iraq lessons learned: intelligence

John Howard didn’t have too much support from Australian intelligence in deciding to go to war against Iraq.

The Prime Minister got just enough cover from the Office of National Assessments to meet political needs. Beyond politics, though—as a basis for war—the Oz intelligence supporting war was thin stuff.

So thin, in fact, it was wrong. Iraq didn’t pose a threat because it didn’t have the Weapons of Mass Destruction that was the casus belli used by the US, Britain and Australia.

Intelligence is the starting point for this lessons learned exercise, as discussed in the previous column.

Iraqi war

Iraqi Leader Says Would 'Welcome' Russian Air Strikes In Iraq

Iraq's prime minister says that he would "welcome" air strikes by Russia in his country if Moscow made such a proposal, but that hasn't happened yet.

Haidar al-Abadi told France 24 television in an interview made available October 1:  "If we get the offer, we [will] consider it. In actual fact, I would welcome it." Abadi noted that he has been in contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said October 1 that Russia has no plans to extend air strikes to Iraq, but would do so if Iraq invited it.

Iraqi war

Emma Sky: Why Iraq is the 'worst strategic failure since the foundation of the United States'

According to Sky, the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush believed that democracy would take hold on its own; they had no roadmap for how to make that happen.

"These plans drawn up in Washington were all wishful thinking," she said.

At one point, Sky recounts in the book, Donald Rumsfeld showed up for a military briefing in northern Iraq, and didn't know where neighbouring Iran was on the map.

Iraqi war

Hillary Clinton slams Jeb Bush for blaming Iraq problems on Obama instead of on his brother

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Saturday hit back at comments from Republican Jeb Bush that President Barack Obama’s policies on Iraq created instability that led to the rise of the Islamic State militant group.

Clinton, who served as Secretary of State in the Obama administration, directed the blame toward Bush’s brother, former President George W. Bush, who launched the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and also signed the agreement for withdrawing U.S. troops.

Iraqi war

IS top command dominated by ex-officers in Saddam's army

Under its leader, Iraqi jihadi Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the Islamic State group's top command is dominated by former officers from Saddam's military and intelligence agencies, according to senior Iraqi officers on the front lines of the fight against the group, as well as top intelligence officials, including the chief of a key counterterrorism intelligence unit.

Iraqi war

Dick Cheney should — and eventually will — be tried as a war criminal: former International Court judge

The world’s most distinguished expert in international human rights law believes Dick Cheney should – and eventually will – stand trial for war crimes.

Thomas Buergenthal, who served as a judge at the International Court of Justice for the first 10 years of this century, said he believes the former U.S. vice president could be brought before the International Criminal Court, reported Newsweek.

Iraqi war

Technology will not help if you do not want to fight

The US Defense Minister, Ashton Carter expressed his dissatisfaction from the war and from the performance of the Iraqi military, who gave up the city of Ramadi, last week. In an interview to CNN he argued that the success in the war against ISIS is completely dependent on the performance of the Iraqi military.

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Iraqi war

Obama Wants to Re-Examine Assets in ISIS Fight

Looking to boost Iraqi fighting forces, President Barack Obama said the U.S. and its allies need to examine whether they are deploying military assets effectively against Islamic State militants as Iraq mounts a new offensive to recapture critical territory west of Baghdad.

Iraqi war

The Great Iraq Mistake

Ivading Iraq was a mistake.

That's the consensus now even among Republicans, whose presidential candidates in recent days have largely fallen in line behind Jeb Bush and denounced the 2003 invasion initiated by his brother. After first telling Fox News this month he "would have" invaded Iraq, Bush subtly changed his answer three days later, saying in a subsequent interview he would not but couching the reversal in a qualifier that blamed the decision-making on a failure of accurate intelligence.

Iraqi war

Defense Secretary Ash Carter’s criticism of Iraqis raises policy questions

The Islamic State group’s takeover of the Iraqi provincial capital Ramadi has prompted criticism from Defense Secretary Ash Carter and raised new questions about the Obama administration’s strategy to defeat the extremist group.The Islamic State group, which had already seized a strategically important swath of the Middle East, seized Ramadi in central Iraq a week ago, which has revived concerns about U.S. efforts to fight the group.

Iraqi war

Why ISIS Can Still Defeat the Iraqi Army in Spite of U.S. Help

The U.S.-led coalition pounded the forces of the Islamic State in Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) over the weekend near the Iraqi city of Ramadi but that didn’t stop them from taking the city.On Sunday videos appeared that seemed to show Iraqi soldiers clinging to the sides of vehicles speeding out of Ramadi as ISIS moved in. 

Iraqi war

Iraq, Bad Intelligence or a Lesson in Bad Policy?

Jeb Bush tripped over himself for days before acknowledging that he would not have invaded Iraq in 2003 had he known then what we know now. He is not alone in his struggles. But some have argued that a question not of hindsight but of foresight would be more instructive.

Iraqi war

William & Mary Honors War Criminal

Exclusive: Condoleezza Rice has crossed the threshold into esteemed celebrity – a welcomed speaker at this year’s College of William and Mary commencement – despite her record as the liar who sold the illegal war in Iraq and choreographed torture at CIA “black sites,” writes ex-CIA analyst Ray McGovern.