Thinking again

Norman Geras's perspectives on terrorism and the Iraq War, though I don't always agree with them, are things which I have come to respect for their thoughtfulness and careful reasoning. Thus, it is all the more remarkable to read (as someone who opposed the war) these words (by someone who supported it and has since been its committed defender):

Sometimes there is a justification for opposing tyranny and barbarism whatever the cost. Had I been of mature years during that time, I hope I would have supported the war against Nazism come what may, and not been one of the others, the nay-sayers. The same impulse was at work in my support for the Iraq war. Even so, I am bound to acknowledge that, though I never expected an easy sequel in Iraq, much less a 'cakewalk', I did not anticipate a failure on this scale, and had I done so, I would have withheld support for the war without giving my voice to the opposition to it.

For those of you on either side of the issue (or, I suppose, for those on neither), I recommend reading the rest of 'Failure in Iraq', which is available here, at Normblog.