Media Talk: Iraq – the reckoning

The proposed inquiry into the war in Iraq, expected to begin once the withdrawal of troops is completed in July, has already created controversy.
Its chairman Sir John Chilcot has challenged the prime minister’s decision to make proceedings private.
The inquiry will focus on the lead up to the war and the subsequent occupation.
How will the campaign in Iraq be judged?
Richard North in his recent book Ministry of Defeat delivered a damning verdict on Britain’s military involvement in the Iraq conflict.
Brigadier Tom Beckett, Commander of 20th Armoured Brigade recently told troops marking the end of Operation Telic that they could leave Iraq with “heads held high”.
While acknowledging the bravery and sacrifice of individual soldiers, Richard North claims that the only real success of the costly six-year deployment in Iraq has been to hide the full extent of its failure, brought about as a result of the “catastrophic” misjudgements of Tony Blair’s government.
Are there lessons to be learnt from Iraq that could inform the current campaign in Afghanistan?
Richard North will be at the Frontline Club to discuss the full story of the campaign with a panel of experts.