Iraq : Propaganda and Reality : Contents Page

'It literally is a struggle between the forces of good and the forces of evil and we should be proud of the work our forces are doing there' Tony Blair on Iraq - Prime Minister's Questions - 3rd March 2003 New 24 3rd March 2003 12pm GMT

“As all of us know, the occupation has destroyed everything in Iraqi society, unleashed the sectarian and nationalist gangs to slaughter and jeopardize peoples’ safety.” - Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions statement November 2006

"The truth is an offense, but not a sin"Bob Marley 'Jah Live'

Photo - Iraqi waiter Baha Mousa and his family before his death under torture by coalition troops

List of Articles and introduction

• The Charge of anti-Americanism :Why the anti-war movement isn’t anti-American

• Fake Democrats and the Charge of failing to support democrats :Why the anti-war movement isn’t failing to support democrats or democracy in Iraq , Iran and Afghanistan - and why the Bush administration and the Blair government are.

• The Stop the War Coalition’s actual position – versus it’s critics’ straw man argument

• Not a war of Good Versus Evil or of Opposites - Killings of civilians and torture are carried out by both sides – not only those fighting against our troops ; and both sides are employing former members of Saddam's Mukhabarat secret police

• How the occupation undermines democracy and feeds extremist groups in Iraq : Why the presence of British and American troops is creating mass unemployment and strengthening extremists and criminal gangs and weakening democracy in Iraq

• Prophets of War :How the Bush administration and its allies profit from starting wars and keeping them going

• El Salvador in Iraq:The Bush administration is full of people with long histories of organising torture and death squads and they're organising them again in Iraq

• Iran-Contra All Over Again AND Al Qai'da : The Next Generation On Why civil war in Iraq isn’t inevitable ; Why keeping troops in Iraq isnt stopping civil wars Plus Building the next Al Qa'ida : Cheney is even indirectly backing groups similar to Al Qa’ida just as they backed Bin Laden in the 80s by fomenting new sunni extremist groups against Iran

• Wars are strengthening Al Qa'ida and doing nothing to make us safer from terrorist attacks

• Their Aims will never be our aims :Why we can't rely on the Bush administration to do the right things for the wrong reasons - they couldn't care less about Iraqi or Afghan lives or rights

• The trade union debate - Why we should support all trade unions in Iraq

• Torture - It's not a few soldiers out of control - and it didn't begin or end with Abu Ghraib

• Why Iran is not a threat to Israel or the world – and why the best way to get a more democratic government in Iran is to stop threatening it with sanctions or war

Introduction - and how to navigate articles

This is an introduction to a series of linked articles on the Iraq war and the wider war on terror. It outlines the arguments of supporters of keeping troops in Iraq and replies to criticisms of the anti-war movement and human rights organisations by critics such as Nick Cohen and other Euston manifesto signatories as well as the formidable former MP Harry Barnes and Labour Friends of Iraq - not to mention the Blair government and Bush administration ; on the disputes over which trade unions in Iraq represent Iraqis better; and finally whether Iran poses a threat to Israel and the rest of the world – and how we should react to Iran’s nuclear programme.

Are the ‘stay till the job’s done’ people right that British and American troops are in Iraq to bring democracy and human rights? And is their presence in Iraq strengthening or weaken the extremists? What's causing the sectarian conflict in Iraq? Are our troops protecting Iraqi civilians and democrats? ; and is their presence improving or damaging the prospects for democracy in Iraq? Is the cause our troops are fighting in a realistic one? Can continuing the war secure democracy and make sending more troops to kill and be killed justifiable? Those are some of the questions covered.

(The links to articles are listed under bullet points at the bottom of this page - they make most sense read in the order listed. There's a link to the next article and a link back to this page at the end of every article. Comments can be posted on any article at the bottom of each page.)