With war in mind: A dialogical analysis of the mindset underlying Blair's case for war with Iraq in 2003

Abstract

Dialogical Analysis, a tool from Cognitive Analytic Therapy, is used to discover how the mindset of war silences dialogue. The savage costs of war were hidden whilst the United Kingdom government expected to attract the admiration of a grateful world. This article looks at an example of this mindset expressed through Tony Blair MP's speech to the House of Commons on 18 March 2003. The speech aimed at convincing parliament that war was inevitable, necessary and the only obvious choice. It offered an extremely narrow presentation of options available to the government, in which 'staying firm' was coupled with the case for war whilst alternative, peaceful methods of conflict resolution were identified as 'weak and feeble' and viewed as encouraging terrorists.

The shaping of moral injury among UK military veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq

“…In evolved biopsychosocial terms, the allied soldier had comparatively little cause to fear being socially devalued and outcast by their societies. Meanwhile, the morality of the Vietnam War and the more recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq was contested in the societies that waged them (Potter & Lloyd, 2005;Shay , 2009). An estimated 36 million people globally took part in demonstrations against the Iraq War in early 2003 (Nilsen et al, 2010).…”

“…The above lament speaks to the idea that moral injury need not be bifurcated into distinct variants of perpetration and betrayal. Experiences of betrayal and culpability may coexist, not only among veterans, but also among the wider public of citizens concerned by their government's foreign policy and its consequences (Potter & Lloyd, 2005). Meanwhile, helpful community spaces may aid morally injured individuals to reclaim their ability to trust and build meaningful relationships with others (Shay, 2012;.…”

Recontextualising moral injury among military veterans: An integrative theoretical review

“…From the perspective of the allies in the Second World War, for example, specific morally transgressive acts could more readily be rationalised given prevailing views that the wider fight against fascism was morally justified (Burleigh, 2010). Meanwhile, the morality of the Vietnam War and the more recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq was contested in the societies that waged them (Potter & Lloyd, 2005; Shay, 2003). An estimated 36 million people globally took part in demonstrations against the Iraq War in early 2003 (Nilsen et al, 2010).…”

“……We lift the burden from your shoulders and carry it with you (Antal et al, 2019, p. 14).The above lament speaks to the idea that moral injury need not be bifurcated into distinct variants of perpetration and betrayal. Experiences of betrayal and culpability may coexist, not only among veterans, but also among the wider public of citizens concerned by their government's foreign policy and its consequences (Potter & Lloyd, 2005). Meanwhile, helpful community spaces may aid morally injured individuals to reclaim their ability to trust and build meaningful relationships with others (Nesse, 2019; Shay, 2012).…”

“…The above lament speaks to the idea that moral injury need not be bifurcated into distinct variants of perpetration and betrayal. Experiences of betrayal and culpability may coexist, not only among veterans, but also among the wider public of citizens concerned by their government's foreign policy and its consequences (Potter & Lloyd, 2005).…”