Chilcot inquiry accused of whitewash

Was the war against Iraq “legal” or not? Such is the question uppermost in chairman Sir John Chilcot’s mind as he opens today’s inquiry into Britain’s decision to join the US-led invasion of 2003. However, according to the front page of today’s Guardian, such an analysis is beyond his inquiry’s competence. Senior judicial figures, who have long argued that the war “was a serious violation of international law" are questioning the sincerity of Sir John’s claims that the war’s “legality” is the key issue, given that his panel “does not include a single judge or a lawyer”. This raises questions, the London daily notes, “about the willingness of the government, which established the inquiry, to look seriously at whether (it) acted illegally.” It would seem that the question as to whether a “legal” war would have justified the violent deaths to date of an estimated 100,000 civilians has so far not been considered.