Colin Powell sold the Iraq war to the world. He regretted it – PRAVDA.sk

As a soldier and politician, he accomplished what no one had before. Colin Powell was the first African-American to serve as National Security Adviser to the President of the United States, Commander-in-Chief of the United States Armed Forces, and Secretary of State. The only thing Powell could not achieve was the post of ruler of the Oval Office.

Colin Powell in a 2006 picture.

Military and political leader

Powell died yesterday at the age of 84. His family said on Facebook that complications associated with COVID-19 were the cause of death. Powell was vaccinated but suffered from other diseases, he was treated for plasma cell cancer.

Colin Powell was born on April 5, 1937 in Harlem, New York. He came from a family of Jamaican immigrants. He was directed at a life career when he enrolled in a course at a university where he studied geology, with the aim of identifying future military leaders. “Not only did I like it, but I was pretty good at it,” said Powell, who completed basic military training in Georgia in 1958. He couldn’t go to restaurants and bars there at the time because of his skin color.

“Whatever we think of the US Armed Forces, they provided greater prominence to minorities. Powell went through public schools but was lured by the military. He fought in the Vietnam War, where he was wounded, and then climbed the command ladder,” Thomas Scotto, an expert on American foreign policy from the University of Glasgow.

In Vietnam, Powell rescued three soldiers from a burning helicopter. However, his critics later blamed him for not paying enough attention to the reports of how badly American troops were treating the local population as an officer.

In Ronald Reagan’s government, Powell first became a military adviser to Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger. In 1987, the head of the White House elected him to an even more important position. Powell became Reagan’s national security adviser. And after President Bush took office, he replaced the position as head of the Corps of Chiefs of Staff, the highest position in the US military.

In this capacity, Powell participated in the first war in the Persian Gulf in 1991. “It was a symbol of how African Americans gradually gained leadership positions. After the war, it was often referred to as someone who could try to run for president among the Republicans. But Powell was too liberal. The Republican Party had already changed and it turned out that it is not possible for him to apply for a nomination, “Scotto recalled.

In his own words, however, Powell did not regret it. “They told me I should run. I didn’t feel any passion for it, but I felt obligated to consider it. So I did. But most in the Republican Party didn’t want me to try,” Powell explained in 2017 for Bloomberg.

However, in 2001, Republican President George W. Bush made the retired general secretary of state. Powell had respect around the world. For Bush, who had at least a foreign policy experience, he was an ideal candidate. However, this led Powell in February 2003 to defend before the UN Security Council US plans for military action against Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

Stain stain

“In the White House, they wanted Powell to push it. It was a stain on his reputation. Powell was perceived by people as someone who would generally stand up for the right thing. Many felt that when he talked about Iraq, it had some weight. “Doing something we didn’t associate with his character only multiplied the fact that it was problematic. People then condemned him even more than someone else in the Bush administration, such as Vice President Dick Cheney,” Scotto explained.

“I’m sorry. I’ll always regret it. It was a terrible mistake for all of us and the news community. I wish it was different, I wish I had more time. Maybe if I had another week or “But there was no time for that. But I’m not looking for excuses. I spoke at the UN. I did it with the knowledge that everything I said was checked two or three times and it was accurate. But it wasn’t,” Powell said in 2015. on the grounds of Harvard University.

In Bush’s second term, Powell was replaced by Condoleezza Rice. However, he remained active in public life. In 2008, Powell supported President Barack Obama, who was then elected the first African-American White House chief. He later strongly criticized the way Republicans, especially under Donald Trump, were moving more and more towards populism and demagoguery. “He was one of the greatest leaders I’ve ever known. He always found time for me whenever I could go after him with problems, and he was a great advisor. We will definitely miss him. I feel like I have a hole in my heart,” he said. at Powell’s death, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, the Pentagon’s first black chief.