[UK] Prince Andrew rebukes America over Iraq

International Herald Tribune ^ | February 4, 2008 | Stephen Castle

[Aristotelian]

LONDON: While Prince Andrew declares himself a fan of the United States - and his cellphone ring tone comes from the American TV drama "24" - the man who is fourth in line to the British throne has some critical words for America's Iraq policy and thinks that Washington should have listened to advice from London.

In a rare Buckingham Palace interview ahead of his departure Tuesday for a 10-day U.S. trip to support British business, the prince described the United States as Britain's No. 1 ally but conceded that relations were in a trough. There are, he added, "occasions when people in the U.K. would wish that those in responsible positions in the U.S. might listen and learn from our experiences."

The prince has a full-time role as a trade envoy for Britain but for 22 years he was in the Royal Navy, serving as a helicopter pilot during the Falklands conflict, and Iraq is a preoccupation.

Because of its imperial history, Britain has experienced much of what the United States is going through, Prince Andrew said.

"If you are looking at colonialism, if you are looking at operations on an international scale, if you are looking at understanding each other's culture, understanding how to operate in a military insurgency campaign - we have been through them all," he said. "We've won some, lost some, drawn some. The fact is there is quite a lot of experience over here which is valid and should be listened to."

Prince Andrew's view that post-invasion chaos in Iraq could have been avoided if President George W. Bush's administration had listened more is widely shared in Britain.

[thundrey]

I’m sorry, but the US did not ‘lead the charge’ when it came to the abolition of slavery. The British Empire abolished slavery a good 30 years before the US Civil War, and during that time the Royal Navy was engaged in operations to intercept slaveships and liberate their human cargo.
The American Civil War only liberated the slaves in the US. It was the British Empire and the Royal Navy which effectively ended the global slave trade....

[thundrey]

I doubt it, condsidering the Germans didn’t have the resources to mount a successful invasion of Great Britain and Hitler was stupid enough to declare war against the USSR...

[mylife]

Did you spill blood? for it?

WE SEALED IT prior to that it was just airy talk in guided halls

[mylife]

Gilded

[mylife]

Why do you come to an American forum to declare Brittania rules the waves?.

I love that we have thinkers in Britain and I admire the ones with fight.

BTW what happened to “FreeBrittania” It hasnt been online in the years I have been here.

Canadas “FreeDominion” is still up and kicking

[mylife]

Steven Harper revived my faith in Canada

Sarkosy even has me watching the French

[MinuteGal]

Everyone is barking up the wrong yew tree. Always look a little deeper........

Andrew knows better than to break protocol. They just don't do it. In my opinion, he was the mouthpiece for the whole royal fam damily. It's no coincidence he was chosen to say these ugly words.....because he's the one with the actual shooting war experience.

I think they're trying to influence our election with these words.....anti-Bush, anti-war, therefore pro-Democrat appeasement.

Leni

[thundrey]

My defination of imperialism, or, more relevently defines imperialism thus: im·pe·ri·al·ism Listen to the pronunciation of imperialism Pronunciation: \im-ˈpir-ē-ə-ˌli-zəm\ Function: noun Date: 1826 1: imperial government, authority, or system2: the policy, practice, or [b] advocacy of extending the power and dominion of a nation especially by direct territorial acquisitions [/b] or by gaining indirect control over the political or economic life of other areas; broadly : the extension or imposition of power, authority, or influence Expanding westwards and taking control of land that belonged to somebody else, as happened with the Native Americans was a form or imperialism. WRT to your other point, the Phillipines was treated exactly like a colony and the independence movement that had fought the Spanish authorities was brutally crushed by the Americans. Other examples of European-style colonialism include Hawaii and Puerto Rico. The only difference between British and American Imperialism was that American Imperialism was geared towards incorporating the colony as an integral part of the US by giving it statehood if possible. Whereas the British policy was to leave a colony as a self-governing entity...

[Centurion2000]

Oh yes, you’re right I do apologise. British, French and Dutch imperialism didn’t actually displace the native populations concerned and take them to the brink of extinction like American imperialism did.

Tell that to the South Africans and the Aborigines mate.

[mylife]

Pretty good insight. and damn uncalled for from our so called brothers in arms

[thundrey]

“Yet somehow they won. Could it have been the blood of the Yanks?”

Only partly, I’m afraid the bulk of the credit has to go to the USSR, for the reasons I’ve already stated...

[mylife]

But I thought the defeat in Russia was because Hitler was an ego maniacal dumbass.

BTW Thanks to you Brits, and the Indians in Burma

[Truthsearcher]

Sure, I wasn’t implying they did it for altruism.

Capitalism isn’t built on altruism either, it still benefits the parties involved despite the participants being only motivated by selfish motives.

[thundrey]

“Did you spill blood? for it?

WE SEALED IT prior to that it was just airy talk in guided halls”

Well, the Officers and Men of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines certainly fought for the liberation of slaves on the high seas. Don’t know how many of them were killed in the process, I imagine some did.
But in the broader sense, no, we didn’t, because we didn’t need to. The MPs at Westminster debated it, passed a bill into law, and abolished it throughout the British Empire in 1833, whereupon the Royal Navy and the colonial authorities enforced the law without the large-scale bloodshed that was neccessary in America...

[mylife]

I have spent my life in opposition to the soviet foe, and they are admirable opponents. Dont underestimate us mate.

I often wonder about the A$$holes in charge, particularly during this election cycle, but dont underestimate us or misread our words. What you see here at FR is what is boiling underneath

[mylife]

I imagine some did.

There ya go

[SoCal Pubbie]

Let’s forget all that for a moment. Was Andrew even listening to Tony Blair?

[thundrey]

As I said, I spent 3 of my formative years living in the US, I went to school there and made friends there. I am therefore more interested than my average compatriot in American affairs. In many ways, I almost think of the US as my second homeland.
I should point out that I have had a lifelong interest in History and am about to finish a History degree, and I’ve done a load of American history moduals as well as British because of my interest in the US....

[SoCal Pubbie]

Wrong! Even British historians have dropped that old chestnut. The reason for the war was British relations with the United States, chiefly kidnapping American citizens. Moving on Canada was a side issue, not the reason for the war.

[thundrey]

“I imagine some did.

There ya go”

Look, I know for a fact that the Royal Navy was engaged in anti-slavery operations on the high-seas and was attacking slavery outposts on the African coast.
I would think therefore, that some Britons did die in the cause of slave liberation, it would be difficult to imagine otherwise...