Americans have always been my heroes. My formative years were spent in post-war Britain in the days when only the rich had televisions. Instead, starved of entertainment, we queued up every Saturday morning outside the local fleapit to watch re-runs of Laurel and Hardy, Bob Hope in his 'Road' series, World War II movies and the ubiquitous John Wayne cowboy film.

   Knowing the endings in advance never spoiled our enjoyment. The good guys would invariably win and the good guys were always the Americans. The cavalry never failed to turn up at an opportune moment and the Sheriff always got the desperado.

   Our history lessons and our parents taught us that it was the Americans who saved us from Hitler's occupation and we were grateful to what we thought was a nation of Steve McQueens bravely burrowing tunnels out of wretched Nazi camps dragging our more naive boys in tow. 

   When our own fathers mumbled phrases such as "Americans were overpaid, over-sexed and over here" we put this down to envy. We knew that everything across the Atlantic was bigger and better than anything our dinky little land had to offer.

   I recall with clarity my own father, a wartime radio officer, telling me that the most exciting day of his life was when his ship sailed into New York harbour and there, before him, was Lady Liberty herself. He was bowled over by the lights contrasting with the darkness of Europe and amazed at the 24-hour availability of everything anyone could possibly desire.

   As the years passed, Great Britain became less 'great' than before as its colonies gained their independence, yet, thanks to Uncle Sam we felt just as important in the scheme of things by association. After all, the Americans were our cousins, British history and culture was inextricably bound up with the U.S. and we opened our minds, our hearts and our stomachs to the icons of the 'New World'.

Shining beacon of democracy

    As we got older, we knew that America, had sometimes made mistakes as in South East Asia, but we were also sure that its collective heart was in the right place. The U.S. was a shining beacon of democracy, civil liberties and human rights. If the world decided it needed policing, then the US was the logical choice for many.

   It wasn't only the British who looked up to you then. Most of the world did, including the Arabs. Don't believe me? Ask any Arab you meet what he or she felt about the U.S. prior to 9-11. You are likely to be very surprised by the answer. Britain was perceived as the colonialist bad guy, not the U.S., which, as Colin Powell recently said only wanted a small plot of land in a foreign field to bury its dead.

   Sure, America had corrupt politicians like the rest of the planet but it always ultimately rejected them because deep down Americans knew the difference between right and wrong.

    When the U.S. led the charge into Iraq during the 1991 Gulf War with Britons and others at its side, we were proud of America’s leadership. Saddam Hussein was wrong to invade his neighbour and he was punished for it. 

    Kosovo was perceived as a just war too by most of us Brits. We respected the U.S. because it had waged that war not for gain, not from selfish motives but just because it was the right thing to do.

    America didn’t see the Kosovars in terms of their religion. They are Moslems, but so what! The U.S. saw only human beings in desperate need of help.

    Then along came September 11, 2001. What a day that was! What a cataclysmic world-changing moment for our American friends and for the rest of the world when the twin towers fell and the very fabric of the US, the Pentagon, was attacked.

    When America came under siege, we Brits were under siege too. Our Queen ordered the flag over Buckingham Palace to fly at half-mast, flying in the face of centuries of protocol. Services were held in cathedrals and churches all over the country. We shared America’s pain and we feared for its safety.

    But in less than two short years, everything has changed. America itself has changed.

    Our two countries have led a pre-emptive, illegal and immoral invasion of Iraq against the wishes of the international community. The British government, led by Tony Blair, has hitched itself to Bush’s coattails for better or for worse.

    Our leader is perceived as George Bush’s poodle. He and his cabinet have manipulated the truth on behalf of their masters across the pond, attempted to cover up America’s faux pas and made enemies of many of Britain’s allies in doing so. Anti-Americanism is now rife across the planet and worse, from my personal point of view, Britons have been rendered pariahs in the eyes of many.

    We have seen America change from an altruistic nation, one that feeds millions on the planet, one that spreads noble ideals and hope to the poor and disenfranchised, one that fights for the right of all to free speech to one that has become unilateralist in its ambitions, overly nationalistic and ready to discard even its old friends should they not agree.

    France has already been discarded. Puerile rhetoric from across the pond described the French as ‘Cheese-eating surrender monkeys’, while senators poured fine French wines down the drain. Secretary Powell said that the French would be punished for their anti-war stance and Bush has suggested that President Chirac should not expect an invite to the ranch at any time soon.

    Condoleezza Rice has said that France should be punished, Germany ignored and Russia forgiven.

    Who on earth do they think they are? One thing is sure: those who are suffused with power are going too far and eventually there will be consequences.

To my American friends I would say:

    You were right to fight terrorism, but you were wrong to confuse Saddam Hussein with Osama bin Laden. Do you know that almost 50 per cent of all Americans still believe that the Iraqi leader was involved in September 11?

    You are right to protect yourselves but not to sacrifice the liberty of others, as you have done in Iraq where my country and yours are occupying powers pretending to offer democracy, when Bush and Blair know full well that a system of one-man-one-vote will never be allowed, given the calls for an Islamic theocracy.

    You are right to disagree with your allies, but not to insult them for having different opinions, as Donald Rumsfeld and others in your administration have been doing.

    You are right to protect your borders but not to treat good people who want to visit your country for legitimate purposes with disrespect as Moslem visitors are being treated.

    You are right to attempt to gain support for your beliefs, but not to bribe and intimidate smaller and weaker nations as you attempted to do in the Security Council prior to the invasion.

    You are right to expect your long time allies in the Middle East to stand shoulder to shoulder with you in your time of need, but not at the cost of their own security and beliefs - a decision with which Turkey, Jordan and Saudi Arabia have recently been forced to confront.

    You should not be condemned for your support of Israel, as long as that support is not given unconditionally, allowing that country to bask in your protection and might to do what it will to the helpless Palestinian people living under occupation.

    And not if you use your sway with the Israeli government as a trump card to be waved in the face of Arab states to encourage their leaders to bend to your will as you waved the so-called ‘Roadmap’     .

    America should be a friend to the entire region. You should gain the respect of all its peoples, both Jews and Arabs, and you should use your influence and power to bring peace and prosperity for everyone in the Middle East. You could be such an incredible force for good.

A wrong turn

   In short, somewhere along the way your government has taken a wrong turning.

    When it comes to Iraq, your government and mine have dismally failed to prove that Saddam Hussein was a threat to his neighbours, the U.S and the world.

    There is little evidence that the former Iraqi regime was linked to Al Queda, and, in fact, as brutal as Saddam Hussein might have been, he was the one who recently played by international rules, opening his doors to weapons inspectors in good faith.

    On the other hand, our governments ignored the will of the international community, sidelined the Security Council and charged into that country as a crusading armada killing over 2,000 civilians and goodness knows how many Iraqi young men, whose only crime was the legitimate defence of their land.

    America could have shown itself to be like the lion of Daniel filled with honey; a powerful nation, capable of containing the ambitions of even cruel dictators. Yet, at the same time, we could have all bore witness to its compassionate core, its humane spirit and its true caring nature. Disarming Saddam Hussein could have been handled differently if that was the true reason for the invasion.

    Instead, many now believe that the wage was waged to ensconce American military might in the region, award reconstruction contracts to American companies, control Iraqi oil, maintain the hegemony of the petro-dollar and protect America’s client-state Israel.

    America. You and your sidekick Britain have let us down. You have let the world down. You have let down those small children like Ali who lost all his family along with his arms when your bombs fell on Baghdad.

   You let down the Iraqi people when you failed to provide them with clean water and electricity.

   You let down future generations when you allowed your Marines to look on while Iraq’s museums and libraries were plundered and burned. Instead, you left them a legacy of cluster bombs and depleted uranium.

    My generation admired you. Will future generations be able to say the same? Do you enjoy being viewed as a crazed beast by the rest of the world? Are you anxious to be feared, and hated? I believe that the answers to both these questions is 'no’, and this is why I am making this desperate appeal.

    It is all up to you my American friends. You were right that the Iraqis were awed and shocked... but so were the rest of us. If you care about our friendship, or, at the very least, our respect then let the killing stop here! Don’t be fooled by the propaganda of your leaders. It’s time to take back your own minds and regain the moral highground.

    In the meantime, we should remember the words of one of Europe’s former leaders:

“We have no interest in oppressing other people. We are not moved by hatred against another nation. We bear no grudge. I know how grave a thing war is.

‘I wanted to spare our people such an evil. It is not so much the country, it is rather its leader.He has led a reign of terror. He has hurled countless people into the profoundest misery. We have displayed a truly exemplary patience, but I am no longer willing to remain inactive while this madman ill-treats millions of human beings.”

Uttered by Adolph Hitler on April 14^th, 1939 relating to Edward Benes, former President of Czechoslovakia.

Sound familiar?

Linda S Heard is a specialist writer on Mid-East affairs and welcomes feedback. She can be reached on questioningmedia@yahoo.co.uk