Talks to Oust Saddam Began in 2001

Was the invasion of Iraq in 2003 a foregone conclusion? Testimony from Sir Peter Ricketts, then the chairman of Britain’s Joint Intelligence Committee, says that British and American officials began discussing overthrowing Saddam Hussein in 2001, two years before the invasion of Iraq. In fact, British officials began reviewing Iraq policy as soon as Bush was elected because there was already “background noise” of discussion in the U.S. about overthrowing the Iraqi regime. The Iraq Inquiry chaired by Sir John Chilcot is expected to include testimony from witnesses like Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.