kaffra Posted July 26, 2005 Share Posted July 26, 2005 Decades of British and American intervention in the oil-rich Middle East motivated the London bombers, Ken Livingstone has suggested. The London mayor told BBC News he had no sympathy with the bombers and he opposed all violence. But he argued that the attacks would not have happened had Western powers left Arab nations free to decide their own affairs after World War I. He replied: "I think you've just had 80 years of western intervention into predominantly Arab lands because of the western need for oil. "We've propped up unsavoury governments, we've overthrown ones we didn't consider sympathetic He also denounced "those governments which use indiscriminate slaughter to advance their foreign policy, as we have occasionally seen with the Israeli government bombing areas from which a terrorist group will have come, irrespective of the casualties it inflicts, women, children and men" source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4698963.stm i found it interesting the Mayor would mention these things, and mentioning israel in negative light. Is his term ending or something? :hmmm: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MasterSpy Posted July 26, 2005 Share Posted July 26, 2005 Though of course we'll never know, I think that some of the terrorist attacks seen around the world today would still have occured, even if the British hadn't interfered in Middle East affairs. However, I do think that Tony Blair, his immigration and foreign policies, including the wars in Iraq did not help. Perhaps if the operations had been soley British affairs, then it may have been different, however, siding with the Americans (in the eyes of the terrorists) is what caused the biggest problems I fear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaLiVa Posted July 26, 2005 Share Posted July 26, 2005 I dont think England can be blamed for the hatred in the Arab lands. Everyone is jealous of everyone else and everyone is competing on Holy soil. England retreating from Arab lands after World War I wouldn't have stopped the Crusades. It wouldn't have stopped the dictators of those lands from gaining power. It will not stop the violence between religious groups who fundamentally believe in the same thing... That there is a God... With all of these tragic events going on around us I wonder if God cares anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaffra Posted July 26, 2005 Author Share Posted July 26, 2005 but most of the dictators there are/were backed by western powers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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