UK MP: Britain Cannot Turn its Back on Iraq

Underscoring the UK’s “moral obligation” in Iraq, he stressed “there is almost no appetite in Britain at the moment for British troops fighting in Iraq.”  He stressed on political solutions, such as the reluctant Sunnis receiving real concessions in return for standing up to the Islamic State (IS/formerly ISIS). An edited transcript of his interview follows:

Rudaw: Do you think the failure of the West to intervene in Syria somehow contributed to the rise of the Islamic State (IS)? Could the US and European powers have done more to prevent a humanitarian and security crisis by the IS when its armies first swept through Iraq?

Rory Stewart: Many of the underlying causes that have led to the incredibly fast rise of IS -- the lack of a credible government, the tensions between Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish communities -- were already present in Iraq, independent of Western involvement. I think what the rise of IS highlights to us is a real need to invest much more deeply in our diplomatic services. We simply do not have enough experts on the ground in Iraq -- people who know the language, culture and history -- to claim within any real credibility that we understand what is going on, let alone predict how events will develop.  Given that lack of information, I think the US, UK and other Western powers have done what we can through aid and military assistance to prevent an even wider humanitarian disaster.

Rudaw: Should Parliament have been recalled to debate the UK response to the crisis, and has the UK response to-date matched the severity of the situation?

Rory Stewart: I am unsure recalling Parliament would have altered the UK's response, and MPs will have the chance to debate next Monday on whether our actions so far have been appropriate and sufficient. My own sense is, there is almost no appetite in Britain at the moment for British troops fighting in Iraq, and the prime minister has made it clear this is not something being considered. This doesn't mean we do nothing, however, and there is a huge amount we can still do in terms of providing further humanitarian aid and military support.

Rudaw: Does the UK have a moral responsibility as a result of involvement in toppling Saddam Hussein 2003, or should this crisis be judged in isolation?

Rory Stewart: We of course have a moral obligation to all Iraqis, and Britain cannot turn its back on Iraq after a decade of direct military involvement in the area. But our moral responsibility has to be limited by our capacity to help. It is clear that after a decade of troops on the ground this has done little to guarantee the long-term stability and security of Iraq and its people. Our involvement going forward needs to be much lighter, and focused much more heavily on a political solution.

Rudaw: Do you believe that IS poses a direct threat to the UK? Will such a threat increase or decrease through any UK intervention?

Rory Stewart: IS has developed a very powerful message and brand identity, which to some deeply disillusioned young men in the UK is incredibly appealing. The risk is that these people head out to Iraq and Syria to fight for a cause, and return home indoctrinated in IS jihadi philosophy and trained in carrying out lethal acts of terrorism. I am unsure whether this threat increases or decreases markedly as a result of UK intervention, but it is something we nevertheless cannot afford to ignore.

Rudaw: Could the UK do more to support the Kurds in their fight against IS, especially in terms of providing arms or other means of support?

Rory Stewart: This is something we are now looking at, and my time on the ground last week with Kurdish fighters and refugees has shown the gulf between what is needed to support the Kurdish army and to defend Kurdish refugee camps, and what is currently being provided. There is a lot we can still do to provide further military equipment and training, as well as ensure essential supplies are reaching refugee camps to support those fleeing from IS.

Rudaw: If the Kurds pursued a path towards independence, should the UK endorse their right to self-determination, as it did with Kosovo?

Rory Stewart: This is a highly sensitive issue. In the end this must be a question for the Kurdish and Iraqi people, and conducted as sensitively as possible in a situation of extreme instability. The key question remains the long-term stability and welfare of the people of Kurdistan and the rest of Iraq.