A report by Britain's Iraq Inquiry Committee released Wednesday concluded that former Prime Minister Tony Blair joined the U.S.-led invasion without preparing adequately or gaining sufficient intelligence. The report, which took seven years to complete and spans 12 volumes, found that Blair joined without fully exploring peaceable options, without a satisfactory "legal basis for military action," and with an inflated sense of influence over President George W. Bush's decisions. "We do not agree that hindsight is required," John Chilcot, who led the report, said. "The risks of internal strife in Iraq, active Iranian pursuit of its interests, regional instability, and al Qaeda activity in Iraq were each explicitly identified before the invasion."
Blair has previously said that he does not regret joining the invasion, which ultimately overthrew Saddam Hussein. "The report should lay to rest allegations of bad faith, lies, or deceit," Blair said in a statement after the report's release. "Whether people agree or disagree with my decision to take military action against Saddam Hussein; I took it in good faith and in what I believed to be the best interests of the country."
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