UK foreign minister urges rethink of ‘war on terror’

[sabra]

Source: Reuters

MUMBAI - British Foreign Secretary David Miliband called on Thursday for a rethink of the strategy against terrorism, saying the notion of a ‘war on terror’ was misleading and mistaken in present times.

Miliband’s comments, days before U.S. President George W. Bush hands the keys to the White House to Barack Obama, implicitly criticised aspects of the strategy launched by Bush after the Sept. 11 attacks on U.S. cities in 2001.

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“As you know and I know, terrorism was not invented or started on 9/11. But since then, the notion of a “war on terror” has defined the terrain,” said Miliband at the Taj Mahal hotel, the site of a 60-hour siege in November.

“The phrase had some merit: it captured the gravity of the threats we faced, the need for solidarity amongst allies, and the need to respond urgently—and where necessary, with force.”

But for a couple of years now, the British government has used neither “the idea nor the phrase”, he said, because ultimately, the notion is misleading and mistaken.


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[maddezmom]

1. duplicate topic

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...