Colin Powell’s UN speech: a decisive moment in undermining US credibility

Analysis: His security council presentation didn't directly lead to the Iraq invasion - but it was a turning point in US-UN relations

Colin Powell will be most remembered for the act he most regretted, his 2003 presentation to the UN security council laying out US evidence of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, which turned out not to exist.

It did not directly lead to the Iraq invasion because George W Bush was going to invade anyway, and the presentation did not succeed in its goal of persuading the council to pass a second resolution backing military action against Iraq.