Sydney
Forty-three former Australian diplomats have signed a letter criticizing their government for “rubber-stamping” a flawed U.S. policy toward Iraq. “We are concerned that Australia was committed to join the invasion of Iraq on the basis of false assumptions and deception of the American government,” the letter said. Prime Minister John Howard shrugged off the criticism. “I might point out to my critics,” said Howard, “that at the time of the military operation, there was near unanimous agreement around the world that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.” Australia, which sent 2,000 troops to Iraq, was initially the largest contributor to the coalition after Britain, but a majority of voters opposed the war.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
TV to watch in March, including 'The Studio' and 'Paul American'the week recommends A true crime story adaptation, a reality show about the ultra-American Paul brothers and a new late night series from John Mulaney
-
Is America heading toward competitive authoritarianism?Today's Big Question Some experts argue that the country's current democratic system is fading
-
'Detention centers have, for decades, been an abuse of administrative power'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
