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Iraq War

5 February 2018

End the war on terrorism

Early last week foreign affairs commentator Jan van Benthem of the national daily newspaper Nederlands Dagblad condemned the bloody attack in Afghanistan in which the Taliban used an ambulance to deliver a bomb. He coupled this condemnation with a call not to let up on the fight against the ultimate evil which is terrorism. In this, Van Benthem found it necessary to attack supporters of a different, more effective approach, including the writer of this article. He even gave the impression that I was lacking the moral conviction to oppose this evil.

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4 December 2017

SP on the street to oppose permanent war

Foto: SP

SP members took to the streets in three cities at the weekend and on into Monday to speak out against the government's decision to prolong three military missions. Under the slogan 'Permanent war? Not in my name', flyers were distributed in The Hague, Leiden and Amsterdam.

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4 December 2017

The struggle against terror can't be won with bombs

Shortly after the horrific attacks of 11th September 2001 in New York, George W. Bush unleashed the War on Terror. Once and for all, terrorist organisations like Al Qa’ida had to be dealt with. The War on Terror began in October of the same year with the invasion of Afghanistan, where the Taliban regime was ousted, and there followed the attack on and invasion of Iraq, which put an end to Saddam Hussein's dictatorship. Years and years of occupation followed in both cases.

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29 March 2016

"Combat terror – with prevention and a tough approach"

Foto: SP

SP leader Emile Roemer spoke in today’s debate with the government of the fate of the victims of the attacks in Brussels. "Our neighbours have been hit," he said. "A blow has been struck against our friends. They are in mourning and with them, we remember." In the debate Roemer pointed once more to the still poor cooperation between security services in Europe and to the need for additional measures to prevent radicalisation in the neighbourhoods. "The threat of an attack will never be wholly removed," he noted. "But we can certainly do more. To defend our constitutional state and our democracy against those who threaten our freedom. Do more – with prevention and a hard approach."

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10 January 2014

Invasion of Iraq was more than a ‘mistake’

The Dutch national daily newspaper nrc.next recently published an editorial on foreign involvement in Iraq which, in the SP’s view, had a euphemistic if not misleading tone. A few days later, on 10th January, 2014, the paper published this brief rejoinder from defence specialist Karel Koster, of the party’s research bureau.

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1 June 2013

Council of Europe demands humane prisons policy

The existence of overcrowded prisons in many European countries represents a transgression of human rights.

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24 March 2013

Iraq war caused huge damage

SP Member of Parliament Harry van Bommel

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25 October 2012

Ban these armed and crewless aircraft

After two failed wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the United States are, in the course of their so-called war in terror, making ever more frequent use of drones. These uncrewed aircraft are being deployed to kill suspected terrorists without any form of trial.

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16 February 2010

Kant: 'No confidence that mistakes on Iraq won't be repeated'

"On the basis of the conclusions that this government has drawn from the Iraq report, the SP parliamentary group can have no confidence that the same mistakes won't be made again,” said SP leader Agnes Kant in the debate on the government's reaction to the Davids Commission's report on the decision-making process which led to the N Netherlands' political support for the war in 2003. “The cabinet has learnt lessons, but these concern in every case the form, and not the content. There is no acknowledgement that the government of the day gave its support to an illegal war."

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