Newly released files from the UK’s National Archives reveal that former US President George Bush saw the Iraq War as a divine mission to rid the world of “evil-doers” by “God’s chosen nation.
” In a December 2002 diplomatic cable, Britain’s then-ambassador to Washington, Sir Christopher Meyer, reported that Bush viewed the planned invasion of Iraq through a deeply religious and ideological lens.
Christopher Meyer wrote, “His view of the world is Manichean. He sees his mission as ridding it of evil-doers,” adding, “He believes American values should be universal values
.” The ambassador also noted that Bush was driven not just by a desire to remove Saddam Hussein but by fear of another catastrophic terrorist attack on the United States, particularly one with a potential Iraqi connection.
In another cable dated January 29, 2003, Meyer warned British officials that Bush had effectively closed the door on diplomacy.
He wrote, “It is politically impossible for Bush to back down from going to war in Iraq this spring, absent Saddam’s surrender or disappearance from the scene.
” Meyer also expressed doubt that Bush would wait for then-UN weapons inspector Hans Blix to complete his investigations into Iraq’s alleged weapons of mass destruction.
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