Archive for 'Iraq Planning' Category
The day of the Generals
by Chris Ames
The inquiry has posted the transcripts of today’s two witnesses, General Sir Richard Dannatt and General Sir Mike Jackson. Both were at some point head of the army.
I think the beginning of Dannatt’s evidence, in which he talked about the “contingency” planning for the invasion in the spring of 2002, is particularly interesting. [...]
Yesterday’s hearings
by Chris Ames
I didn’t catch much of yesterday’s hearings, the transcripts of which have been posted here on the Digest and here on the Inquiry website. I did see quite a bit of Carolyn Miller, who was director for Europe, Middle East and the Americas at the Department for International Development, between 2001 and 2004.
According [...]
New paper published on costs of the aftermath
The Inquiry has published a newly declassified document from the Treasury on the costs of carrying out different functions in what was called Phase IV of the invasion, ie the period after the main fighting has stopped.
The paper is dated 5 March 2003 and the invasion is being planned for as a certainty. It was [...]
Was the war inevitable?
by Chris Ames
With all the attention on the documents released yesterday on the legality of the war, the significance of the morning session with former Foreign Office mandarin Lord Jay is in danger of being missed. Here is what I think is the most significant exchange:
We have all read the paper
by Chris Ames
At one of the first hearings to take place at the Inquiry, back in November, there was a discussion of the March 2002 Cabinet Office Options Paper, one of the leaked Downing Street Documents. The witness, Peter Ricketts, of the Foreign Office said this:
“it set out our objective, which throughout was the removal [...]
New Iraq cover-up
by Chris Ames
The Guardian reports that:
“Highly critical comments by a senior army officer asked to conduct a study of the circumstances surrounding the invasion of Iraq have been suppressed on the orders of the country’s top defence officials.”
The paper reports that the Iraq Inquiry is aware of the report and is “confident” that it will [...]
I remember nothing
by Chris Ames
According to Alastair Campbell’s published diaries, on 2 April 2002, just before the Crawford summit, there was a meeting at Chequers about Iraq. Campbell describes the meeting in some detail, including:
“We discussed whether the central aim was WMD or regime change. Piggott’s view was that it was WMD. TB felt it was regime [...]
Questions for Brown
by Chris Ames
The Daily Mail says rather optimistically that Gordon Brown “will be forced to answer claims he starved the Armed Forces of funds for essential equipment when he appears next Friday.” I haven’t yet seen anyone forced to answer anything at the Inquiry.
The Mail is though first up with a list of questions [...]
Dutch lessons: the French were right
by Chris Ames
I have now published here a translation of some of the key sections of the Dutch Davids Committee report into that country’s support for the war, which was limited to political support.
These sections describe the Dutch government’s contacts with others, notably the UK, US and France. As I wrote here, the report [...]
Reid and Clwyd at the Inquiry
by Chris Ames
The BBC has separate reports on the evidence today from John Reid, former defence secretary, and Ann Clwyd, the UK special envoy to Iraq since 2003.
Reid told the Inquiry that the “failures of Vietnam” hampered the US in planning for the post-conflict reconstruction of Iraq.
Clwyd said that she felt there was “no [...]