Then As Now

Then

Chamberlain and Daladier arriving in Munich

In 1938, having already annexed Austria as part of his master plan, the German Chancellor voiced active support for the highly publicized demands of the German population of the Sudetenland in the Republic of Czechoslovakia, for annexation of that region into Germany. Fearing this would lead to another war, European leaders met in a conference at Munich on September 29. Present were Premier Eduard Daladier of France, Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain of England, Prime Minister Benito Mussolini representing Italy and the German Chancellor. Representatives of Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union were not invited.

Chamberlain with the infamous piece of paper

At the time, Germany was the most powerful military nation in the world and wanting to avoid the possibility of a new European war, Chamberlain and Daladier submitted to the German Chancellor’s demands very quickly - the conference lasted just one day. The roadmap agreed at this meeting ceded three areas of Czechoslovakia to other powers: the Sudetenland was annexed into Germany, the Teschen district was given to Poland, and parts of Slovakia went to Hungary.

The German Chancellor got what he wanted without having to exercise his military might. On this occasion, the threat was enough.

On his return to London, Chamberlain boasted that the summit had achieved "Peace in our time," but the Munich Agreement quickly became a symbol of the western powers' appeasement of the Germans, which led to the outbreak of World War Two one year later.

Now

UK Prime Minister Tony Blair

In the spring of 2003, US President George Bush, leader of the most militarily powerful country on earth, annexed Iraq with the help and support of UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, as part of his plan for a so-called global war on terrorism. He subsequently threatened Iran, North Korea and any other ‘rogue’ state supposedly posing a threat to the national security of the United States with similar invasions.

Most other members of the United Nations were opposed to these war plans, with Russia, Germany and France leading the way, calling the Bush/Blair war ‘illegitimate and illegal.’ After months of wrangling the United Nations appeared unable and, some said, unwilling to prevent these acts of aggression.

US President George Bush (right) at the summit in Egypt with Arabian Leaders

As part of this global war on terrorism, Bush proposed a ‘roadmap for peace’ in the Arab world that supported the claims of Israel to sovereignty over areas forming part of the Palestinian homelands, effectively partitioning those countries along lines decided entirely by the United States.

In the early summer of 2003, following the cessation of military action in Iraq, summit conferences are held in Egypt and France (the French summit being part of the annual meeting of the Group of Eight most powerful nations) during which those countries previously critical of the Bush/Blair coalition plans are seen to seek rapprochement, fearing that Bush and Blair will burn the world in another war in pursuit of their real goals – the protection of the financial interests behind the petrochemical and pharmaceutical industries.

The G-8 Leaders

The countries participating in the G-8 summit declare that they agree to build a ‘stable and democratic Iraq’ and call upon Iran and North Korea to abandon their nuclear programs. Those taking part in the Egyptian summit condemn terrorism and agree to the roadmap for the Middle East drawn up by Bush. Both groups of world leaders have the mistaken belief that these measures will prevent further military action by the coalition.

Now and Then

President Bush with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (left) and Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas (right)

On his return from the Munich summit in 1938, Chamberlain declared that the participants had secured ‘Peace in or time’ by agreeing to the German Chancellor’s demands and yet, within a year, the world was at war. By giving in to Chancellor’s demands, the other leaders at the Munich summit achieved nothing more than a delay of the inevitable. The German Chancellor had no intention of shelving his plans for European and subsequently global domination and, in fact, the ceding of the Sudetenland to Germany without a fight, simply made his task easier. On that occasion, the threat of vast military superiority was enough to secure the Chancellor his demands.

By agreeing to Bush’s roadmap for peace in the Arab world so readily, today’s world leaders have demonstrated that they have learned nothing from the lessons of history. The vast military (and in the case of the United States, economic) superiority of one country has once again been used to threaten the world with war to enable its leaders to achieve their goals. The world is in grave danger of seeing history repeat itself by allowing the Bush/Blair coalition to have its own way now. Is this not simply delaying the inevitable once again?