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Iraqis give their verdicts on Tony Blair

1,454 views · Published 5 July 2016 · 4:48 · Indexed 26 September 2026

Channel: Middle East Eye · 2016 · News & Politics

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The release of the Chilcot report on Wednesday into the 2003 Iraq war has reignited the calls for Tony Blair, the former British prime minister, to face charges both for allegedly misleading the country over the case for war and for the conduct of British forces in the country during the occupation.

The war itself provoked, and still provokes, mixed feelings within Iraq, however.

Many initially welcomed the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, who had ruled the country with an iron fist for decades.

The Shia of Iraq, who make up the majority of the population, faced particular repression under Saddam’s rule and his removal led to an explosion in Shia political and religious consciousness.

However, despite the expansion of greater individual freedom and the introduction of parliamentary elections, the rise in lawlessness, militant violence, power shortages, sectarianism and other negative fallout from the war means that many now view the invasion with a much more bitter taste.

Middle East Eye travelled to southern Iraq to speak to Iraqis in the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala and find out their views on Blair 13 years after the original invasion.

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