Dick Cheney’s role in ‘war on terror’ may have paved way for Trumpism

Former US vice-president seen as a key figure in expanding White House’s power and ‘corrupting the intelligence-policy relationship’Dick Cheney, vice-president and giant of Republican politics, dies aged 84Dick Cheney, who has died aged 84, came to be seen as a moderate in his later years for his staunch opposition to Donald Trump, but he also stands accused of paving the way for Trumpism by undermining the independence of the intelligence agencies and US adherence to international law.As George W Bush’s second-in-command in the “war on terror” declared after the 9/11 attacks, Cheney made himself one of the most powerful vice-presidents in US history, and was a key protagonist in the push to invade Iraq, as well as the use of torture on suspected al-Qaida members detained without charge in the CIA’s offshore “black sites”. Continue reading…