About this video
Chair, Bill Neely, International editor, ITV NewsPanel: Richard North, political analyst and former research director in the European ParliamentKim Sengupta, defence correspondent, the IndependentDeborah Haynes Defense Correspondent, The Times
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.
Colonel Blimp, you're still fighting the wrong war.
by Philip Jacobson
The Daily Mail, 24 July 2009
Although Richard North sets out to make the "case for the prosecution" of the British military and the political establishment for comprehensively bungling their conduct during the Iraq War, it is events in Afghanistan that make the book so timely and thought provoking.
The parallels between the two conflicts are inescapable, from the failure to learn from tactical mistakes to the desperate need for more helicopters.
More on Defence of the Realm.
Colonel Blimp, you're still fighting the wrong war.
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