Letters: Tony Blair, the Chilcot report and the legacy of Iraq - The Guardian

The decision of Tony Blair and Jack Straw to order British forces to invade Iraq was arguably our worst foreign policy mistake for at least 200 years. Blair’s ex post-facto justification suggests that their case was built on hypothesis, rumour and speculation, rather than solid fact (Blair defiant on Iraq ahead of Chilcot report, 7 June). Saddam Hussein was undoubtedly one of several vile dictators dotted around the world, but in 2003 he posed no greater threat to Middle East peace than Iran (in Syria) and Saudi Arabia (in Yemen) do today. As the result of the invasion Iraq is now a sad, violent country, the lives of millions of its citizens shredded and its ancient biblical heritage all but destroyed. Blair and Straw stood haplessly by while George Bush and Donald Rumsfeld ordered the torture of Iraqi detainees. Had all this been sanctioned by international law it might have had some justification. But UN resolution 1441, under which action was taken against Iraq, cannot reasonably be construed as having authorised this ill-advised war.  Robin Wendt  -  Read More

Tony Blair, the Chilcot report and the legacy of Iraq | Letters | UK news ... 

Iraq changed everything: that's why Chilcot matters so much ... - More