Bush wouldn't allow anyone to change his mind. ... he was dead set on launching a war against the Iraqi dictator... giving them a freedom Bush described as "God's gift to mankind." Over time, however, this would-be gift from God has grown to become the biggest foreign-policy disaster in US history since the Vietnam War.
Berlin believed the rapid establishment of a democracy in Baghdad was "not to be expected." The Germans also predicted that the real beneficiary of a war in Iraq would actually be Iran, and that a US-led attack would further complicate efforts to reach a solution in the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians.
They prophesied going to war would precipitate a "terrorist backlash," stressing it was important "to win over the hearts and minds of the Muslim elite and youths," and this was "not to be achieved" by going to war...also adding that doing so would greatly increase the danger of prompting an "influx to Islamic fundamentalism and terrorism."
“When men are most sure and arrogant they are commonly most mistaken, giving views to passion without that proper deliberation which alone can secure them from the grossest absurdities."
Berlin Efforts to Prevent Iraq Invasion: Classified Papers Prove German Warnings to Bush - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International
