Yesterday, after a seven-year wait, the Chilcot Report was released. It has been an excruciating wait for the families, friends, and loved ones of those who died during the war.
The contents of the report are damning, albeit unsurprising. In many ways, the report confirms what the wider public has long suspected.
First and foremost, the report has found that the UK chose to join the invasion of Iraq before peaceful options had been exhausted, and that military action was not a last resort. In the words of Sir Chilcot, “military action in Iraq might have been necessary at some point. But in March 2003, there was no imminent threat from Saddam Hussein.”
The report has shed light on the concerning degree to which Tony Blair gave premeditated consent for the UK to go to war in Iraq alongside the US. On the 28th of July 2002, Tony Blair wrote to then US President George W Bush that he would be with Mr Bush “whatever”. This was a full eight months before the Prime Minister asked Parliament to support military action as a “last resort” on 18 March 2003. This commitment is, frankly, appalling. The decision to go to war is one which must be made legally and democratically by Parliament, after being given honest and comprehensive information upon which to base their decision. It is an incredibly grave decision which must be scruitinsed carefully. It is not up to the Prime Minister to make commitments to foreign governments that the UK will go to war without the consent of Parliament, and without the consent of the people.
It was argued that the decision to support the American-led war in Iraq would help to preserve the “special relationship” between the UK and the US. However, the report stated that “the UK’s relationship with the US has proved strong enough over time to bear the weight of honest disagreement. It does not require unconditional support where our interests or judgments differ.” This must be one of the key lessons learned from the report. I have written previously on my concerns surrounding the UK seemingly moving towards a more American style of governance, particularly in my blog post on the proposed British Bill of Rights. David Cameron stated today, in response to Lord Chicot’s findings, “it remains the case that Britain and America share the same fundamental values.” I do not dispute that we do share values with America. However, from a military and foreign policy perspective, I do not feel that this is the case for Scotland. One only needs to look to the recent decision on airstrikes in Syria, where the United States has actively intervened. In the lead up to the vote in December of last year on whether the UK should conduct airstrikes in Syria, I received hundreds of emails from constituents voicing their opposition to further military intervention. The people of Scotland were largely opposed to further intervention, as were most Scottish MPs. However, as there was a desire for this further action in England, the vote was ultimately in favour of airstrikes in Syria.
The Chilcot inquiry found that “the scale of the UK effort in post-conflict Iraq never matched the scale of the challenge.” The SNP have raised concerns that this lackadaisical approach to military action has continued with this UK Government, particularly in respect to its approach in Syria, and in Libya, where the UK government spent thirteen times more money bombing the country than on reconstruction efforts.
Ultimately, the report confirmed our gravest suspicions. Tony Blair made a premeditated commitment for the UK to go to war alongside the US in Iraq long before the matter was debated by Parliament. Diplomatic solutions had not been exhausted when the decision to go to war was made, and circumstances under which it was decided that there was a legal basis for the UK to take military action in Iraq were far from satisfactory. Ministers were aware of the inadequacy of American plans, and ministerial oversight of UK planning and preparation was not clearly established. The Government did not adequately prepare for the magnitude of the task of stabilsing and reconstructing Iraq following the invasion.
I am proud that my SNP colleagues stood up against the Iraq war from the beginning, when it was not a popular opinion to have amongst the larger parties.
To this day the reverberations created by the Iraq War are still impacting on the region. Just this week, during Ramadan, a suicide bombing in Baghdad killed over 250 people, the deadliest attack since the invasion. The instability created by the US and UK invasion of Iraq has been linked to the rise of ISIS, and the conflicts in Syria and Iraq which have resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people and the creation of millions of refugees.
Many will be wondering what happens next. First and foremost, we must ensure that we learn from the mistakes of the Iraq War, so that they are never made again. And second, Tony Blair must be held to account. The words “I am with you, whatever” will reverberate relentlessly, and accountability must be sought for the destruction those words caused.
