UK Files Reveal Bush Viewed Iraq War As Biblical Crusade

Newly released UK government files reveal that President George W. Bush viewed the Iraq War as a religious crusade led by "God’s chosen nation" to rid the world of "evil-doers," with a deeply ideological and Manichean worldview. Britain's ambassador to the US, Sir Christopher Meyer, reported that Bush was motivated by fear of another catastrophic terrorist attack, especially one with Iraqi links, and was frustrated by European allies who differentiated between Saddam Hussein and Al-Qaeda. In January 2003, British Prime Minister Tony Blair urged Bush to allow more time for diplomacy, but Meyer warned it had become politically impossible for Bush to back down from war unless Saddam surrendered or disappeared. British officials hoped for a UN Security Council resolution authorizing military action, but the US was increasingly impatient with France and Russia's veto threats amid ongoing UN weapons inspections. Blair’s foreign policy adviser highlighted the political necessity of a UN resolution for the UK, fearing domestic political fallout without it, but the US had congressional authority to act unilaterally and prioritized regime change over diplomatic consensus. These files underscore the religious and ideological lens through which Bush approached the Iraq War and the diplomatic tensions among US and European allies preceding the invasion.