Introduction .......................................................................................................................
4
Pre‑conflict
strategy and planning .....................................................................................
5
The UK
decision to support US military action ..................................................................
6
UK policy
before 9/11 ..................................................................................................
6
The impact
of 9/11 ....................................................................................................
10
Decision to
take the UN route ...................................................................................
16
Negotiation
of resolution 1441 ..................................................................................
19
The
prospect of military action ..................................................................................
21
The gap
between the Permanent Members of the Security Council
widens ............
24
The end of
the UN route ...........................................................................................
30
Why Iraq?
Why now? ......................................................................................................
40
Was Iraq a
serious or imminent threat? ....................................................................
40
The
predicted increase in the threat to the UK as a result of military
action in Iraq ..
47
The UK’s
relationship with the US ..
.................................................................................
51
Decision‑making .............................................................................................................
54
Collective
responsibility ............................................................................................
55
Advice on
the legal basis for military action ....................................................................
62
The timing
of Lord Goldsmith’s advice on the interpretation of resolution
1441 .......
63
Lord
Goldsmith’s advice of 7 March 2003 ................................................................
65
Lord
Goldsmith’s arrival at a “better view” ................................................................
66
The
exchange of letters on 14 and 15 March 2003 ..................................................
66
Lord
Goldsmith’s Written Answer of 17 March 2003 .................................................
67
Cabinet, 17
March 2003 ...........................................................................................
68
Weapons of
mass destruction .........................................................................................
69
Iraq WMD
assessments, pre‑July 2002 ....................................................................
69
Iraq WMD
assessments, July to September 2002 ....................................................
72
Iraq WMD
assessments, October 2002 to March 2003 ............................................
75
The search
for WMD .................................................................................................
77
1