Disarming Iraq: The Search for Weapons of Mass Destruction - Softcover

'This is, throughout, a very cool and clear critique of Britain and America's insuperable rush to war from the man who knew better than most that Iraq posed not the remotest threat to you and me, nor indeed to the "stability" of the Middle East. Blix demolishes the legal arguments for war' Rod Liddle, Sunday Times 'Disarming Iraq is a fascinating tale of folly, pride, arrogance, intrigue and deceit' Guardian 'Blix not only has an undisputed place in history, but a potentially important future on the world stage. His book is required reading for all interested in these events' Scotsman 'This is a valuable, authoritative work of record by a diplomat who did his best to prove that the crisis could be resolved without resort to war' New Statesman

Hans Blix recounts the events leading up to the declaration of war on Iraq in March 2003, looking back to Saddam Hussein's long wrangle with the international community since the first Gulf War and forward to the implications for international security in the aftermath of the war just ended. In clear-eyed descriptions of his meetings with Blair, Bush, Chirac, Cheney, Condoleeza Rice, Colin Powell and Kofi Annan, he conveys the frustrations, the tensions, the pressure and the drama of the months leading up to the US/UK-led attack on Iraq. He also asks and answers key questions including: Could the war have been prevented? Was it inevitable? Does Iraq have weapons of mass destruction? Why couldn't the US and the UK secure the backing of the member states of the UN Security Council? And: What can be learnt from the Iraq war for the prevention of the spread and use of WMDs in the future?