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Ambassadors

Bush's Crusade Against Saddam: Newly Released Files Reveal British Officials' Fears

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

President George W Bush had become "bent on the overthrow" of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein as part of a "mission" to rid the world of "evil-doers", Britain's ambassador to the US, Sir Christopher Meyer, warned in January 2003. Tony Blair's foreign policy adviser, Sir David Manning, met with Bush at Camp David to urge him to allow more time for diplomacy, but the Americans were increasingly impatient with the lack of support from France and Russia. Blair's team was hoping for a new UN Security Council resolution authorising military force, but the Americans were unlikely to back down from war.

Key Takeaways:

  • Britain's ambassador to the US, Sir Christopher Meyer, warned that President Bush was "bent on the overthrow" of Saddam Hussein as part of a "mission" to rid the world of "evil-doers".
  • Tony Blair's foreign policy adviser, Sir David Manning, met with Bush at Camp David and urged him to allow more time for diplomacy, but it was "politically impossible" for Bush to back down from war.
  • British officials were still hoping for a new UN Security Council resolution authorising military force, but the Americans became increasingly impatient with the unwillingness of France and Russia to agree to a resolution.
  • Bush saw his mission as a "crusade against evil" and believed American values should be universal values, according to Ambassador Meyer.
  • The US and UK ultimately abandoned their efforts to get agreement on a new Security Council resolution, claiming that the French president, Jacques Chirac, had made it clear he would never agree.
  • Sir David Manning warned that the options for a peaceful solution had effectively run out after Bush's annual State of the Union address to Congress.
  • The "Manichean" worldview of President Bush, according to Meyer, led him to see simple moral dichotomies between good and evil.
  • Ambassador Meyer, in a cable sent in January 2003, wrote that Bush was "scornful" of what he saw as the "self-serving" reservations of the Europeans.

Statistics:

  • The UN Security Council was still hoping to agree a new resolution authorising military force against Iraq as of January 2003.
  • The French president, Jacques Chirac, had made it clear he would never agree to a resolution, leading the US and UK to abandon their efforts.
  • As of January 2003, US and UK forces had not yet launched their invasion of Iraq, with the invasion taking place in March 2003.

Sources:

  • Government files released to the National Archives at Kew, west London, show Britain's ambassador to the US, Sir Christopher Meyer, warned of Bush's intentions.
  • A cable sent by Ambassador Meyer in January 2003 is referenced in the released files.
  • Sir David Manning's meeting with President Bush at Camp David is documented in the released files.
  • The State of the Union address by President Bush is mentioned in the released files.

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