Emails show how No 10 constructed case for war: "Within the space of a fortnight and with almost no new evidence - other than the now infamous '45-minute warning' - Mr Blair's aides turned British policy towards Iraq upside down.
For more than 10 years, British policy was to contain Saddam by keeping him weak through sanctions, imposition of no-fly zones and diplomatic isolation. He was regarded as a potential threat but not a pressing one. He dealt with his own people brutally but, with regard to the threat posed to his neighbours and the west, he was in his box and, as long as the US and British planes remained in the region, he could be kept there.
By the time the dossier was published, Saddam had become someone that had to be dealt with as a matter of urgency, one intent on aggression towards his neighbours and the west. Downing Street had produced a new narrative. "
- posted by geoff @ #