Ghosts of Iraq, Syria Make Cameron Slow to Join U.S. Air Strikes

[Purveyor]

By Robert Hutton Aug 28, 2014 1:43 PM ET

The ghosts of Britain’s past experiences of Syria and Iraq hang over Prime Minister David Cameron’s response to the threat posed by Islamic State.

Stung by a historic parliamentary defeat over Syria last year as the U.K. still smarts from the last Iraq war, Cameron is in no rush to press for any move to combat the Islamist militant group that would require another vote. Nine months before a U.K. general election, that also applies to any U.S. calls for military backing with air strikes or more.

“These sorts of decisions are going to be influenced by how well things have gone in the past,” Justin Fisher, a professor of politics at Brunel University London, said in an interview. “Military action isn’t on the agenda, Britain is not involved in military activity and is unlikely to be at the moment.”

President Barack Obama is seeking support as he decides whether to extend air strikes against Islamic State in Iraq to military action against targets in Syria. Along with U.S. diplomatic and military officials, he has been in contact with U.S. allies to discuss the next phase in efforts to stem advances by the Islamic State, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said yesterday.

For Cameron, such a move could require a vote. Last year he was forced to abandon plans for strikes against the Syrian government over the use of chemical weapons, after becoming the first prime minister in at least 150 years to lose a parliamentary vote on military action.

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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-08-28/ghosts-of-iraq-syria-make-cameron-slow-to-join-u-s-air-strikes.html

[gordianot]

1. Infants learn well to avoid things labeled "Hot". But you broke it then you need to fix it.

Fixing "it" is something the old British empire usually found difficult. The USA is no better. Must be all those highly regarded Anglo-Saxon values.