Britain's wings have been clipped by Iraq and Afghan folly

by mark austin, Sunday Mirror
6/03/2011

So a madcap dictator with chemical ­weapons at his ­disposal is killing his own people and a young British Prime Minister warns that “we will not stand idly by”.

For Tony Blair on Iraq now read David Cameron on Libya. The parallels are irresistible but the world has changed.

The Prime Minister, just like Mr Blair, may mean what he says and feel just as passionately about it.

But his own party, let alone the Lib Dems or Labour, are not up for the fight, the country at large doesn’t have the stomach for it and even the Americans are reluctant to get involved.

David Cameron tried to lead a charge from the trenches this week, but when he looked over his ­shoulder no one was there.

There is little enthusiasm even for the enforcement of a no-fly zone. When Mr Cameron ­suggested planning was under way, he was quickly slapped down by the ­Pentagon who urged caution.

They pointed out they would first have to bomb Libya’s air defences, which would be an act of war.

And the reason for the widespread ­reluctance to act can be summed up in three words: Iraq and ­Afghanistan.

The costly mess that the Iraq invasion became has proved a ­salutary ­experience for Britain and America.

And there is no guarantee that the conflict in Afghanistan will end at all satisfactorily. It ­certainly won’t end in victory over the ­Taliban.