Iraq was a terrible war – but it cannot excuse our failure to confront the tyranny we face today | John Kampfner

As the 20th anniversary looms, there is much to reflect upon, but still we must defend the values threatened by Russia and Putin

In 2013, MPs voted narrowly to reject a motion that would have allowed David Cameron to authorise military action in Syria. A year earlier, President Obama warned that the deployment of chemical weapons would be a red line". They were used; he did nothing. Half a million people have died; terrible crimes have been committed. The war continues, but the dictator Bashar al-Assad, supported by Russia, has largely prevailed.

In 2014, a few months after the US, UK and their allies washed their hands of that country, Vladimir Putin launched his first invasion of Ukraine (via proxies) and annexed Crimea. One direct line can be traced back to these events, and forward to present bloodshed: the invasion of Iraq. That war, 20 years ago next month, is a standard text on diplomatic and military failure.

John Kampfner is the author of Blair's Wars and Why the Germans Do It Better

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