The Great Iraq Debate

Lloyd Evans, The Spectator’s theatre critic, reviews last night’s Spectator / Intelligence Squared debate on the future of Iraq which featured Tony Benn, William Shawcross, Sir Christopher Meyer, Ali Allawi, Rory Stewart and Lt Peter Hegseth.
Full audio of the debate is available here.

The Future of Iraq

Speakers and motions

Proposition 1

Go. ‘Allied forces should leave Iraq as soon as is practical’
Rt Hon Tony Benn
Rory Stewart

Proposition 2

Quid pro Quo. ‘A withdrawal of troops as part of a negotiated settlement on the future of Iraq’

Sir Christopher Meyer
Dr Ali Allawi

Proposition 3
Stay. ‘The Surge is working. Let’s win before we leave.’

William Shawcross
Lt Peter Hegseth

Led Zep, eat your heart out. Iraq was the biggest pull this week. The final Intelligence Squared debate of the year was staged in Westminster Methodist Hall where more than three thousand punters thrust their way in to hear an all-star panel. The presentation was a bit glam-rock too. A huge Iraqi flag was draped melodramatically across the podium and the motion was as expansive and flared as the issue. Three pairs of speakers proposed a trio of propositions. To quit Iraq now, to mount a negotiated withdrawal or to leave only after we’ve won. Tony Benn, favouring an immediate pull-out, affirmed his belief in the UN as the arbiter of international law. ‘Iraq is like Vietnam,’ he said, ‘an unwinnable war’. Displaying his preference for seductive imagery over convincing argument he added that ‘the Statue of Liberty has moved to Guantanamo Bay.’ His aside that ‘there’s no difference between a suicide bomber and a Stealth bomber’ got him into trouble later on. Christopher Meyer, former British ambassador to Washington, proposed a phased withdrawal and called for a ‘diplomatic surge.’ This had to involve Iran which is ‘too big a player to be shunned.’