What the Chilcot report teaches us

After six years the United Kingdom embarked upon an official inquiry into its participation in the 2003 attack on Iraq and role in the subsequent occupation up until 2009. The inquiry, known by the last name of its chair, Sir John Chilcot, produced an exhaustive report that contains many details of great interest, but it is disappointing when it comes to the bigger questions relating to the culpability and accountability of Tony Blair, the relationship between Britain and international law in war–peace contexts, and a considered analysis of the proper show of respect for the authority of the United Nations by a member State. This article offers a critical appraisal of the United Kingdom’s 2016 Iraq Inquiry.