War With Iran: What Would You Do?
Libertarians can honourably be for or against war with Iran. In any event, President Trump has forced it upon the world. What would you do?
The UK military role in Iraq ended a very long way from success.
The Government failed to achieve its stated objectives.
– Conclusions of The Iraq Inquiry, taken from The Good Operation
Since the war against Iran started, much has been said about the lessons learned from Iraq. The Iraq Inquiry may be found here: the executive summary runs to 150 pages. The implications for those “involved in operational policy and its implementation” have been summarised in The Good Operation. It is a tragic read: it shows what happens when a just‑sounding cause is pursued without clear analysis, realistic scenario planning and a robust exit plan.
The government suffered groupthink and “Didn’t properly understand the situation it was getting involved in.” It lacked foresight and suffered impediments to proper decision making. As a result, The Chilcot Checklist was produced. I understand it is now widely insisted upon in the Ministry of Defence and MI6.
Vision: why do we care?
Analysis: what is happening now?
Scenarios: what might happen next?
Options: what should we do?
Legal implications: how do we ensure action is lawful?
Policy and strategy: what does success look like?
Resource: what do we need to deliver?
Planning and doing: how should we do it?
Policy performance: how will you monitor performance?
Evaluation: is the policy working?
I commend The Good Operation to you, not least to see how necessary it turns out to be to insist upon these basic questions, even amongst professionals. The Iraq war was shaming and amongst the reasons I entered politics: to oppose unjust and inappropriate use of armed force. I voted as I thought best throughout my time.
War is the enemy of everything we hold dear. Peace, free trade and market competition are essential for human flourishing. And yet – paradoxically – it is our willingness to prepare for and, when necessary, to wage war that ensures the freedom and security we cherish.
Choosing war is no small step. It is expensive in suffering, blood and treasure. What attitude should be taken by those of us fighting for a free future?
