Plus ça change, plus c'est le même génocide

I am sure we all remember the sanctions régime in Iraq, which was imposed by the international community to protect the world from Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass nonexistence by depriving the country of medicines, pencils and other potential bomb components. The results were described by at least one UN official as "genocidal" and, in a charming act of doublethink, were used by the international community (viz. George W Bush and the Reverend Poodle) as a pretext for the 2003 invasion, which did at least have the virtue of killing Iraqis faster than mere disease and starvation.

Well, with the tenth anniversary of Tony's greatest triumph only weeks away, guess what: it's all happening again. As before, there is no credible evidence that the supposed weapons programme exists; as before, it certainly isn't all about oil; and, as before, Britain's leading liberal newspaper takes the international community at its word when it claims the consequences for ordinary people are "unintended". Evidently, the lessons of history are being learned in the usual fashion.