This book examines the decisions by Tony Blair and John Howard to take their nations into the 2003 Iraq War, and the questions these decisions raise about democratic governance. It also explores the significance of the US alliance in UK and Australian decision-making, and the process for taking a nation to war. Relying on primary government documents and interviews, and bringing together various strands of literature that have so far been discussed in isolation (including historical accounts, party politics, prime ministerial leadership and intelligence studies), the authors provide a comprehensive and original view on the various post-war inquiries conducted in the UK, Australia.
Author(s): Judith Betts, Mark Phythian
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2020
Language: English
Pages: 236
City: Cham
Acknowledgements
Contents
Abbreviations
List of Tables
1 Introduction
Structure of the Book
References
2 The US Alliance
The US–UK ‘Special Relationship’
The Australia–US Alliance
Blair’s Special Relationship—From Clinton to Bush
Howard’s Special Relationship with Bush
References
3 Prime Ministerial Dominance: Cabinet, Party, Parliament and the Bureaucracy
Blair, the Labour Party and Cabinet Government
Howard, the Coalition and Cabinet Government
The Role of Advisers and Officials in the Blair and Howard Governments
Blair and Parliament
Howard and Parliament
Conclusion
References
4 Managing the Media and Pro-war Spin
Blair: Managing the Media
Howard: Managing the Media
UK Media: Holding Government to Account?
Australian Media: A Case of Circumscribed Curiosity
The Media Challenge in Reporting on Iraqi WMD
Conclusion
References
5 Managing the Consequences of War: Post-war Inquiries
UK Inquiries
The Foreign Affairs Committee (FAC)
The Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC)
Withdrawal of Intelligence on Iraqi WMD
The Hutton Inquiry
The Butler Inquiry
Australia’s Inquiries
Parliamentary (Jull) Inquiry into Iraq’s Weapons of Mass Destruction
The Leaking of the Jull Inquiry Report
Flood Inquiry into Australian Intelligence Agencies
Conclusion
References
6 The Chilcot Inquiry
Chilcot’s Contribution
The Policy Dimension—Key Documents
The Role of Cabinet in the Iraq War Decision
The Attorney General’s Judgement on the Legality of War in Early 2003
The Three Stages of the Iraq Failure in the UK
Reception
Implications for Australia
Conclusions: Chilcot’s Contribution
References
7 Never Again? Lessons and Consequences for Australia and the UK
Consequences for Howard, Blair and the Parties They Led
Lessons from Post-mortem Inquiries
Relations with the United States
The Role of Parliament in War Decisions—Never Again?
References
Index
