No Akenaton, the situation in Iraq was much worse under Saddam Hussein. Admittedly it's not all sweetness and light there at the moment and will in all probability get a bit worse before it gets a one hell of a lot better. That is based on things running their normal course (The insurrection in Malaya took just over fifteen years, Greece in the aftermath of the second world war took four years) The problems in Iraq were never going to be solved overnight and any who ever thought that was being terribly naive.

John Pilger is a well known journalist, trouble with investigative journalism is that it pays to invent something to investigate - if there is no news get out there and invent some - journalists do not rate very highly in my opinion, I know that I would never talk to one.

Correct me if I am wrong but isn't the New Statesman to the Guardian what the Spectator is to the Daily Telegraph?

On the contrary Akenaton, the British Army have got one of the best "dirty tricks" departments in the business - their old Soviet counterparts used to rate them very highly.