The question of whether it was a legal war is still fraught to this day, really. The whisper went around white hall in this very fraught atmosphere leading up to when we know a date had been chosen for the war. One of the senior legal advisers in the Foreign Office resigned, if you remember, saying it wasn't legal. This legal opinion, none of us saw, and then just before the invasion date, an abbreviated version of the legal opinion was put around the Cabinet table. And later, after the war, there were full doubts about whether it was legal, and then loophole was found to get Tony Blair to give a side assurance. So it was concocted the legal authority and
Exactly twenty years ago today on the 20th March 2003, the US along with its allies launched a shock and awe bombing campaign on Iraq. It marked the start of the invasion - and occupation - of Iraq - a defining moment in modern history and contemporary politics. In the first episode of this series Iraq: Legacy of War brought to you by Intelligence Squared, we’ll be taking a deep dive into key moments on the road to war. From understanding Saddam’s rule in the 1980s and the significance of the first Gulf War, to the role of intelligence reports, domestic politics and the Special Relationship between Britain and America.
Our host for this episode is investigative journalist Manveen Rana, who’s joined by Renad Mansour, director of the Iraq Initiative at Chatham House; and Clare Short, who was Secretary of State for International Development from 1997 to 2003.
To listen to the whole series now please subscribe via Intelligence Squared Premium on Apple Podcasts or here: https://iq2premium.supercast.com/ for ad-free listening, bonus content, early access and much more.
This series was produced by Farah Jassat and Catharine Hughes, with editing and artwork from Catharine Hughes. Music is by Lesfm. Excerpts featured in this episode are from CBS News and AP.
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