James Caulfield
Tom Frame is the Anglican bishop to the Australian Defence Forces, and was the only Anglican bishop to publicly support the Iraq war and Australia's involvement in it.
Frame spoke to 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly about how his views have changed since the March 2003 invasion, and what he believes should happen now.
Having obtained information from people he thought "would be in a position to know whether the use of force against Iraq was unavoidable", Frame initially believed that Iraq possessed an arsenal of weapons of mass destruction. He also believed the various other claims made by the Coalition government about Iraq's military capabilities.
In a June 8 opinion piece in the Melbourne Age titled "Forgive me, I was wrong on Iraq", Frame acknowledged that the arguments made for war lacked "credence" and might have worked to reduce further the public's trust in military intelligence and political decision making.
"Iraq had, to an extent, complied with the UN resolutions ... it did allow for verification that it was WMD-free", Frame told 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly.
Frame also criticised the French, German and Russian government's attitudes at the time, commenting that they had negotiated in a sometimes self-serving way, which did not stress the need for preserving Middle Eastern regional stability.
Frame described the United Nations as "the largest and most representative" international body. Therefore, it should "always and everywhere be able to assert international opinion with a claim to legitimacy" in situations of conflict. It is through the participation of the UN that "a just and civil Iraq" can take root.
For example, "the parliament should be in control of the military", Frame said, "and the UN is well placed to assist in the creation of a stable and democratic political culture devoid of intimidation and violence".
The building of a democratic Iraq "can't happen overnight", and may take "a generation" to be complete. Frame also argued that it is up to the Iraqi Governing Council to decide whether Australian troops should be able to remain in Iraq or not.
"We have created the problem", Frame said, adding that the present situation in Iraq gives Australia "a different set of moral obligations" from those that were faced in deciding whether or not to go to war.
"I'm more of an activist than some people might be comfortable with", Frame said. "I am a strong believer in programs being initiated well before violence erupts and force is needed to restore civil order."
Frame names greed, grievance and poverty as things that could be better fought against and solved through more involvement by wealthier nations such as Australia, and by more international cooperation.
"Rampant capitalism believes itself to be the bedrock of western security and political stability.
"Australia is in danger of turning away from its neighbours. If you can help a neighbour, you should do so."
Frame said that public involvement in issues such as the Iraq war is higher than it has ever been, but that it is peace, and the effort that needs to be put into maintaining peace, that needs the most concentration.
From 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly, June 30, 2004.
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