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The good lie

An unsung Australian prophet
by
November 2021, no. 437

The Life of a Spy: An education in truth, lies and power by Rod Barton

Black Inc., $32.99 pb, 304 pp

The good lie

An unsung Australian prophet
by
November 2021, no. 437

When did the rationale for the Iraq War – which began in 2003 and still rumbles today – go from being a mistake, to a self-deception, to an outright lie? When did it dawn on the Bush Jr administration and its key allies in London and Canberra that the ostensible reason for the invasion of Iraq had disappeared, probably literally, under the sands of Mesopotamia? By the time of the invasion, Saddam Hussein’s regime possessed no weapons of mass destruction that could threaten another country. The Iraqi dictator may have desired such weapons, but a combination of international sanctions and the mere fear of retribution thwarted his plans.

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Comments (2)

  • I do not agree with Andrew West and I can't see how Rod Barton is a prophet. He did know and he didn't do anything.
    What about the chemical weapons that the West supplied and that Sadam used against Kurds in northern Iraq?
    Posted by Iradj Nabavi-Tabrizi
    03 November 2021
  • From this well-written and well-thought-out review, this sounds like a really interesting book, and I have put a hold on a copy at my local library. I just wish Andrew West had not used that phrase 'anti-war rent-a-crowd'. To whom he is referring? Why would anyone anti-war be referred to in such a disrespectful manner?
    Posted by Sue Bond
    01 November 2021

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