Stable door still open

IN 2003 Colin Powell, former US secretary of State, warned the UN general assembly that Saddam Hussein possessed biological weapons.  That information, although Powell did not know it, was false and he now wants explanations from the CIA.  Obviously this will not be forthcoming: George W Bush wanted war and was never going to let the truth get in the way of a good excuse for it.

Question of priorities

“DEATH is everywhere.  Why is the world silent?” asked a Tripoli resident as Libya erupted and Gaddafi said he would “die a martyr.” The question is more easily answered from the hand-wringing, hand-washing safety of countries that lack but require uninterrupted supplies of gas and oil.  The intensity and impartiality of the West’s response to tyrants always diminishes in direct proportion to its energy needs.

Piper and tune

EGYPT allowed two Syria-bound Iranian warships to cross the Suez Canal.  They were the first to do so since 1979 and Binyamin Netanyahu observed – not incorrectly – that Iran was exploiting unrest in the region.  The US gave ex-president Mubarak’s Egypt $2 billion a year precisely prevent this but having backed democratic change, how long will this generosity continue once it no longer does Washington’s bidding?