How sad, but strangely appropriate, that the end of 2006 should now be remembered most of all by a gruesome video depicting the violent death of Saddam? Three months before the outbreak of the war in Iraq one SCI volunteer wrote the following words:

“I shall not support a Labour government whose Foreign Secretary continues his incessant war-mongering comments and lies on the issue of Iraq. Britain has nothing to gain from causing unpredictable suffering to the civilian population of Iraq or endangering the lives of our own soldiers, not to mention the damage that will be done to our country’s interests and image throughout the Muslim/Arabic world and beyond. On the contrary - it will feed more terrorist acts against our people. I ask the British government to refrain from being a party to a precedent for further "preventive wars" which undermine international law, the UN and endanger the entire world situation.

I do not know of anyone who is happy that Saddam Hussein is ruling Iraq. But it should be clear to the whole world that attacking Iraq is paramount to a war crime. We all know that Iraqi civilians would suffer the most. Can we at least think about a strategy what to do, once the attack starts (or the war has finished – sic.)?And who will be the next target, once Saddam has been eliminated?”

Three years on, 150.000 dead Iraqi citizens and 3000 dead American soldiers later, I think that probably the first part of that prediction was right. Since the very beginning of “Operation Enduring Freedom” have we come to expect anything else other than enduring death, destruction, violence, revenge and cultivation of hate? Is this the scenario that those who died in the September 11 attacks would have wanted – that thousands of innocent people are sacrificed in the forlorn search for the perpetrators of the crime? The overwhelming number of killed, wounded and maimed in this war have been innocent civilians, who have nothing in common with Saddam Hussein or international terrorism. Every day that the war continues, more innocent civilians die.

If Ronald Reagan once called the Soviet Union the “source of all evil” should this term now not be equally applied to the Neo-Cons in Washington seemingly intent on perpetuating war in the struggle for oil? And will Iran now become the next victim of this criminal scenario?

Is it not time that someone pulled the curtain down on this tragic play, that has cost so much human suffering & produced so little of the desired results? Is it not time to take real diplomatic steps to solve the conflicts around the globe – beginning in the Middle East - with peaceful means?

YTNF will not bring about peace in the World. But at least it is one small, constructive example of how by working together in mutual respect we can take small steps towards achieving it, because the current alternative of trying to create peace using military force is obviously not working.

In this sense, I wish everyone contributing to the success of our project a prosperous, and above all, peaceful New Year.

John Myers

Senior Manager