The Hans Blix Iraq War Diaries 2000–2003

This diary will take the reader back to the pivotal period at the turn of the Millennium, when Hans Blix was the UN Chief Weapons Inspector to Iraq, responsible for extensive investigations into the possible existence of weapons of mass destruction. Blix was required to report to the world what he had – and had not – found, under immense time pressure from a broader political context, where the success of the inspections might avert a US led war. It sheds new light on the intense diplomacy behind the scenes at the UN headquarters in New York and capitals around the world, where Hans met with leaders like US President Bush, UK Prime Minister Blair and French President Chirac. The diary is a valuable historical document of events leading up to the Iraq war but it can also be read as a guide in practical diplomacy with the highest of stakes.

• An insightful testimony of different governments' positions on the path to the 2003 Iraq war
• Offers an illustration of practical diplomacy under time pressure and with the highest of stakes
• Describe the intense behind the scenes diplomacy at the UN and capitals around the world before the 2003 Iraq War