Insight with Sir Hilary Synnott – Britain’s Man in Southern Iraq, Pakistan and India

British diplomat and former regional coordinator for the Coalition Provisional Authority in southern Iraq, Sir Hilary Synnott gives an insider’s account of the high politics of occupation. Sir Hilary is also the author of The Causes and Consequences of South Asia’s Nuclear Tests.

Sir Hilary Synnott was the British diplomat responsible for running southern Iraq for the CPA, reporting directly to Paul Bremer from July 2003 until January 2004.

He was also the British High Commissioner in Pakistan from 2000 until 2003 and Deputy High Commissioner in India from 1993 to 1996. Sir Hilary has also served in Amman, Paris and Bonn. He is currently a senior fellow at the International Institute of Strategic Studies.

In his latest book Bad Days in Basra: My Turbulent Time as Britain’s Man in Southern Iraq, Sir Hilary describes Paul Bremer’s brash indifference to what was going on outside Baghdad, the indecisiveness of his London masters, and the brutal political realities of a country under occupation.

Moderated by Mark Urban – BBC Diplomatic Editor.