Coalition senators offered both vague laments and staunch justifications, while the Greens found an unlikely ally
As Australian politicians weighed in on the 20th anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq, there was precious little proof they had absorbed any major lessonsAlmost as soon as the Senate opened at 10am on Monday, the Greens tried to suspend standing orders to debate a motion that “in 2003, Australia was a part of a United States-led coalition which illegally invaded the sovereign nation of Iraq, with catastrophic consequences for Iraq and the broader region”.
But the attempt to bring on a fully fledged debate was opposed by the major political parties and the parliamentary ambush was denounced as a “stunt”. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Birmingham cautioned against “attempts to form a black and white view, of right or wrong, of war or conflict”, adding: “the world and Iraq are better off for being rid of Saddam Hussein and his dictatorship.”
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