Cold War and current national views on Irak war

[Juan Carlos]

It has been a lot of talk about Spain's government pulling out troops of Irak.

I think that the overwhelming majority support to this decision in Spain has a lot to do with Cold War politics and Spain.

I am going to list a few events:

- Background: Spanish Civil War. Britain and France proposed and held the farce of the Non Intervention Pact. US Congress passed an new Neutrality Act.

- After the beginning of the Cold War, USA and their main allies changed their attitude with regard to Franco's dictatorship: political, economic and military support but not so much... ("Why should we include Spain in the Marshall Plan? Franco is a staunch anticomunist for free" cinically stated a US Senator in that time)

- In 1959, when I was born, Eisenhower visited Madrid and hugged Franco (quite a wonderful view!)

- Even, during the last and picturesque attemp of military coup on 23rd February 1983 (Guardias Civiles occupying the Spanish Congress), the American Secretary of State, Mr. Alexander Haig, affirmed that the coup was "an internal Spanish affair"

This historical background still lingers on the mind of a lot of Spanish democrats... Unfortunately, Mr. Bush is preventing a lot of Spaniards to change their mind about the American foreign policy.