Iraq war Follow

Tens of thousands more US soldiers are set to land in Iraq. George Bush promises a "surge" in troops to secure a "final victory".

George Bush’s decision to send more US troops to Iraq means still more death, devastation and misery for its people.

The imperial project in the Middle East is damaged but not destroyed. It is damaged in part because of the successive blows that have rained down on it from the Iraqi, Afghan, Palestinian and Lebanese resistance since 2002.

By sending thousands more troops to Baghdad, Bush and the neocons have shown their inability to accept defeat but, argues Chris Nineham, the move will expand tensions at home.

For George Bush "staying the course" remains the order of the day but for most people the war is already lost. Anne Ashford spoke to award winning Iraq correspondent, Patrick Cockburn, and Iraqi exile Sami Ramadani about the resistance, the roots of sectarian violence and about "exit strategies" for the occupiers.

Last week saw the release of a long awaited report by the Iraq Survey Group (ISG) – a panel of senior US ruling class politicians – into the future of US imperialism in Iraq.

Demonstrators against the Iraq war, who were detained during a protest in 2003, have won a legal victory against the police's action.

On 19 March 2003, a week before the start of the invasion of Iraq, Tony Blair wrote a furious letter to BBC director-general Greg Dyke and BBC chairman Gavyn Davies. He accused the BBC’s coverage of being biased against the war.

Media coverage overwhelmingly reflected the Blair government’s spin about a "moral" case for war. Over 80 percent of press and TV stories about the war’s justification reflected the official line, with less than 12 percent challenging it.

Sometimes there are strange coincidences in history. One occurred last month. George Bush made an official visit to Vietnam just as leading figures in his own Republican Party were saying that the Iraq war had indeed turned into the new Vietnam. The US was in danger of a repeat of the ignominious defeat it suffered 31 years ago, and had to find a way of getting out of the morass.

The arguments for maintaining the occupation of Iraq crumbled a little further this week.

The high command of the British Army officially sanctioned the hooding and mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners, a court martial has been told.