Could former British Prime Minister Tony Blair be prosecuted for the invasion of Iraq?
On Wednesday, the most senior judge in England and Wales heard arguments against Blair and his administration's actions surrounding the Iraq War. Many experts argue the conflict set off a ripple effect throughout the Middle East, directly leading to the rise of extremist groups such as the so-called Islamic State (or Daesh), and the destabilization of numerous Arab governments.
Last year, Blair was granted immunity by a lower court after charges were brought against him in a private criminal prosecution. A higher court is now reviewing the case, with the possibility of lifting the immunity, according to The Guardian.
Iraq did not present a threat to the UK
The case has been brought against Blair, the UK's former foreign secretary Jack Straw and the former attorney general Lord Goldsmith by the former Iraqi general Abdulwaheed al-Rabbat.
Following the release of the infamous Chilcot Report in 2016, which strongly criticized the UK government's actions under Blair's leadership in the run-up to and during the war, the case was pushed forward by Rabbat's lawyer.
"Saddam Hussein did not pose an urgent threat to the UK, intelligence reporting about [Iraqi] weapons of mass destruction was presented with unwarranted certainty, that the war was unnecessary and that the UK undermined the authority of the UN security council," Michael Mansfield, Rabbat's lawyer said in court, summarizing the reports findings.
"Nothing could be more emphatic than these findings," he said. "It was an unlawful war."
Blair misled the British people
Speaking to the BBC this week, Sir John Chilcot, the author of the critical report, said Blair was not "straight with the nation" leading up to the invasion of Iraq.
According to the report's findings, Blair exaggerated the threat posed by Iraq's leader. An invasion was definitely not the only option on the table, despite it being presented as a "last resort" to the British parliament. Later, "faulty intelligence" would be blamed for the PM's actions, but many experts and politicians question this excuse.
Despite the reports seemingly damning criticism and the bloody aftermath of the invasion, Blair has stood firmly by his actions.
"If I was back in the same place with the same information, I would take the same decision," he said after the report was released last year, according to The Telegraph.
"I can look not just at the families of this country, but the nation in the eye, and say I did not mislead this country. I made the decision in good faith on the information I had at the time."
The court currently reviewing the case has held off on a decision, allowing the prosecution "to make additional specified submissions," according to The Guardian.
Nearly half a million civilians may have died
Families of the British soldiers who died in Iraq have expressed outrage at Blair's actions during the war.
"Blair undermined the United Nations," Eddie Hancock, whose 19-year-old son died in the war, told The Telegraph last year.
"Now, if somebody does that, you would think that the act was illegal. He’s also misled Parliament, he’s fabricated facts and misrepresented them," he said.
Beyond the loss of life of British soldiers, estimates suggest that between 112,000 and 461,000 civilians died as a result of the conflict. Many thousands more were internally and externally displaced as refugees.
Experts point to the invasion of Iraq as the start of a domino effect that fanned the flames of extremism throughout the Arab world, leading to the rise of Daesh. The terrorist organization, along with other militant groups still fighting in Syria and Iraq, is reportedly led and organized by many former Iraqi military officials.