Did John Simpson get it right on 6 pm Radio 4 News this evening? How would you have put it?

How would you have put it if the BBC had asked your good self to prepare something?

And, Jeremy, was it Saudi Arabia's very close links with the USA military in allowing the 'American infidel' to take over so much of that country in order to oust Saddam from Kuwait, the red rag to the bull for Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda?  Western military bases on holy Muslim soil - a grievous outrage for Muslims?

He had offered his own Muslim fighters to deal with Saddam, had he not?  Instead the West chose USA led forces?

And the moral depravity of the USA/West also led to 9/11?

Tim

On Fri, 11 Sept 2026 at 22:18, Tim Weller <timweller1@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear Jeremy

John went straight from 9/11 to Saddam Hussein and Iraq and missed out the war on Afghanistan which started two months after and was prompted by 9/11.  " 13:38 ... The USA was the world's sole superpower. ... The undermining of this status began that day. ...  It homed in on Iraq  ... The US, with Britain's enthusiastic backing, tried to persuade the world that Saddam's supposed WMD posed a threat to the West. ... America came dangerously close to outright defeat in Iraq.  The sole success after 9/11 seemed to be introducing democracy in Afghanistan."  This is the first mention of Afghanistan at 14:30.  John ended at 14:55.

Perhaps I'm nit picking.  You are all excellent and highly valued by me but you are the best.

What is your judgement over the West's Judeo-Christian catastrophic war on Iraq?  A win for the West but a collapse of civilisation, law and order and some way back to the stone age for the Iraqis - still to this day?  And, our side perpetrated the lie of WMD in Iraq to help justify the attack.  Unprofessional and dishonest governments - at the lowest level.  Actually, far far worse of course.

I would have preferred your assessment report and conclusions, Jeremy.  Or, have you written something?  Where do I find your daily writings?

It is always a pleasure to hear your accurate, fair, humane and measured tones on Radio 4.

Long live dear Jeremy B!