How the trauma of Iraq war continues to shape British foreign policy 13 years after invasion
Experts argue Iraq mission has had a paralysing effect and accuse Britain of having a “non-policy” in Syria for many years
Britain’s war in Iraq, to be examined in a major report due out Wednesday, instilled a deep sense of distrust towards military intervention that still casts a shadow over foreign policy, analysts say.
You can trace directly the reluctance of the British government to have boots on the ground in Libya or Syria to the experience in Iraq
The experience, including the deaths of 179 British soldiers and tens of thousands of Iraqis, has already left its scars – on both sides of the Atlantic.
“It has defined Britain’s security policy,” said Malcolm Chalmers, deputy director general of the RUSI think tank. “You can trace directly the reluctance of the British government to have boots on the ground in Libya or Syria to the experience in Iraq.”
With France, Britain initiated efforts for a Nato-led no-fly zone during the uprising against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 – but the mission was limited.
It is also conducting air strikes against Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria, but only after the House of Commons first voted against the mission in Syria in 2013.