No plan, no peace in Iraq

How did the US come to invade Iraq with no post-war plan for governing Iraq - and how much did Tony Blair know of the matter? John Ware reports in the first of two articles linked to a new TV series.
"Iraq will be better," declared Tony Blair five days after the fall of Saddam.

"Better for the region, better for the world, better, above all, for the Iraqi people."

That contrasts starkly with the 1.000,000 or so civilians dead, four million refuges inside and outside Iraq, 4,141 coalition solders who have died and the cost to the UK of well in excess of £5bn.

Yet it's now clear that Mr Blair knew before the invasion that America's planning for post-war recovery was woefully inadequate - and so was Britain's. BBC