R.I.P. Robin Cook

I was saddened to read about the death of former British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook (not to be confused with the author of the same name) on Saturday. Cook collapsed after taking a walk with his wife on a mountain in Scotland.

Cook is perhaps best known for his vehement opposition to the current war in Iraq. He resigned his post in Tony Blair’s cabinet in 2003 as a protest against Britain’s involvement in the war. During his resignation speech in Parliament – which received a standing ovation – Cook declared: “Why is it now so urgent that we should take military action to disarm a military capacity that has been there for 20 years, and which we helped to create?” Cook was only 59 years old.