WHAT’S THE STORY?

TRIBUTES have been pouring in following the announcement of the death from complications of Covid-19 of General Colin Powell, the first black secretary of state of the US and a leading figure in the American military and that country’s politics for many years.

A prostate cancer survivor, Powell, 84, was undergoing treatment for multiple myeloma when he contracted Covid-19. He will always be remembered for his service to his nation but his legacy was forever marred when, in 2003, he went before the UN Security Council as secretary of state and made the case for US war against Iraq based - like Tony Blair’s case for war – on faulty intelligence.

SOME DETAILS OF HIS LIFE AND CAREER?

BORN in New York in 1937, Powell was of mixed African and Scottish ancestry and was the child of Jamaican immigrants – he retained a lifelong love of calypso music. He studied at the City College and graduated with a degree in geology. While there he joined the Reserve Officer Training Corps and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the US Army in1958.

He served two tour of duty during the Vietnam War, being wounded in the first tour and then returning as a major in 1968. During that tour he survived a helicopter crash during which he single-handedly rescued three other passengers including his boss, Major-General Charles M, Gettys. Powell rose though the ranks to become a four-star general and in 1989 became the first black chairman of the joint chiefs of staff having previously served as commander of the Army’s Fifth Corps in Germany and President Ronald Reagan’s National Security Advisor.

READ MORE: Colin Powell: Former US secretary of state dies of Covid complications

He was in charge when the US invaded Panama to oust dictator Manuel Noriega in 1989, and later led Operation Desert Storm, the invasion of Kuwait to oust the Iraqi army in 1991. It was during this Operation desert Storm that he became a familiar face on British television screens, and he remained in the spotlight when as Secretary of State he was the first US official to publicly lay the blame for the 9/11 terrorist attacks on Osama bin Laden’s al Qaida network.

WHAT ABOUT HIS POLITICS?

IT seems remarkable now, but such was his popularity that he was identified by both the Democrats and Republicans as a potential vice-presidential candidate in the early 1990s. He revealed he was a Republican in 1995, and became part of President George W Bush’s inner circle.

He later became disillusioned with the Republicans’ lurch to the right and endorsed Barack Obama’s bid for the Presidency. He several times made clear his opposition to Donald Trump.

HOW WILL HE BE REMEMBERED?

THAT he was a resourceful and strong leader is beyond doubt but sadly, he will be remembered for that one huge error in 2003.

Powell’s own State Department was dubious of the military and intelligence communities’ conviction that Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein possessed or was developing weapons of mass destruction.

Despite his reservations, he presented the administration’s case that Saddam indeed posed a major regional and global threat in a speech to the UN Security Council in the run-up to the war.

That speech, replete with his display of a vial of what he said could have been a biological weapon, was later shown to be the low point in Powell’s career, although it emerged that he had removed some elements that he deemed to have been based on poor intelligence assessments.

WHAT ARE PEOPLE SAYING ABOUT HIM?

FORMER Prime Minister Tony Blair was always grateful for Powell’s intervention at the UN as it backed his government’s “dodgy dossier” of what proved to be untruths about Iraq.

Yet he also genuinely admired Powell, saying: “Colin was a towering figure in American military and political leadership over many years, someone of immense capability and integrity, a hugely likeable and warm personality and a great companion, with a lovely and self-deprecating sense of humour.

“He was wonderful to work with, he inspired loyalty and respect and was one of those leaders who always treated those under them with kindness and concern.

“His life stands as a testament not only to dedicated public service but also a strong belief in willingness to work across partisan division in the interests of his country.

“I am so sorry to hear the news of his death. He still had so much to give,” he added.

Former President George W Bush was among the first to pay tribute: “Many Presidents relied on General Powell’s counsel and experience. He was highly respected at home and abroad. And most important, Colin was a family man and a friend. Laura and I send Alma and their children our sincere condolences as they remember the life of a great man.”

Dick Cheney, who was Vice-President under Bush, praised Powell’s “dedication to the United States and his commitment to the brave and selfless men and women who serve our country in uniform. Colin was a trailblazer and role model for so many”.