British Iraq Commission report

Lord David Hannay, a former British envoy to the UN, on Inside Iraq from London

Amidst increasingly strong pressure both in the US and Britain for the withdrawal of their troops from Iraq, a British commission has released a blueprint report concluding that the US invasion of Iraq to create a western-style democracy has failed. It says the Iraqis must be free to resolve their own democracy.

The Iraq Commission report which came soon after Tony Blair stepped down as prime minister, is regarded by many critics as a clear indication of Britain’s road map to change its Iraq war policy damaged by “ridiculously over-ambitious” goals. 

Would this report, similar in scope to the Iraq Study Group in the US, push the new British leadership of Gordon Brown to act briskly and distance itself from the repercussions of its involvement in the Iraq war?

Or would it be cast aside, the same way President Bush did with the US Study Group report?

With the rising number of British troops killed in Iraq and the high costs of funding a war that has turned out of control, would angry British public sentiments finally force Brown to severe its support for the US-led Iraq war?  

Or would Britain continue to standby its closest ally for its own political gains?

In this special edition of Inside Iraq from London, we discuss some of these critical issues with Lord David Hannay, a former British envoy to the UN, and Dr Rosemary Hollis, the director of research with Chatham House.

Watch this episode of Inside Iraq here:

Part One:

Part Two:

This episode of Inside Iraq aired from 27 July 2007

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