The Report of the Iraq Inquiry

492. Baroness Williams (Liberal Democrat), spoke of “facing up to the necessity of force

should that prove inevitable”, but expressed:

“… grave concerns about the exit strategy that was followed in Afghanistan, a

country that appears to be sliding back to anarchy rather rapidly … In some ways

Afghanistan represents a failure of the international community to build upon

the military victory that it claimed would open the door to a democratic and just

Afghanistan”.271

What assurance could be given that the UK and US would “turn their minds more

seriously to the matter of the exit strategy and what follows victory”? Without that, it

remained unclear what the strategy was or how to ensure it “will not enrage and unite

the Muslim world against us”.

493. Baroness Symons, joint FCO/DTI Minister of State for International Trade and

Investment, set out the Government’s position:

“Many will ask what will happen next if there is armed intervention. How will it be

done? When and how would those undertaking such action withdraw from Iraq?

What is the exit strategy? The truth is that discussion of those questions in detail

is not for today.”272

494. Lord Howell (Conservative), expressing full support for Mr Blair’s approach on

Iraq, asked:

“What will happen later? Do we have a vision – I do – of a federal, democratic

Iraq … Is there a possibility of a benign Iraq; a force for stability in the Middle

East, instead of a force for evil and the culture of death? Is that wider vision in

the Government’s mind? We have not heard much about that, but it is important

we should have such a wider vision. If we do, how is it to be secured? Should US

troops, thousands of whom are already in the region, stay there for a long time and

occupy the whole area? Are they ready to go into other areas that might be at risk?

“Those questions hang in the air. We must have from the Government some

indication of where we are going. As Clausewitz said, you should not take the first

step … towards war unless you have thought about the last step as well.”273

495. Lord Hurd (Conservative), warned of the scale of the reconstruction task:

“We must not delude ourselves. The process of nation rebuilding in Iraq will be

a slow and strenuous one. We have to consider – it will be difficult; it will be the

problems of Afghanistan on a much bigger scale – whether we and the Americans

are prepared to keep troops after an immediate military victory to support and prop

271 House of Lords, Official Report, 24 September 2002, column 868.

272 House of Lords, Official Report, 24 September 2002, column 875.

273 House of Lords, Official Report, 24 September 2002, column 879.

194