The Chilcot Report: some thoughts on international law and legal advice

Green, J. A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6721-4490 and Samuel, S. (2017) The Chilcot Report: some thoughts on international law and legal advice. Journal of Conflict and Security Law, 22 (2). pp. 333-352. ISSN 1467-7954 doi: 10.1093/jcsl/krw023

Abstract/Summary

The Report of the Iraq (Chilcot) Inquiry was finally published, 7 years after the Inquiry’s creation, on 6 July 2016. The scope of the Inquiry’s work was vast, and this was reflected in the enormous size of its final Report. The publication of the Report thus raises a multitude of questions requiring further analysis. In this short article, we aim to contribute some initial thoughts, immediately following the Report’s publication, in just two (interrelated) areas. First, we comment on the role of international law in the Chilcot Inquiry. To what extent was international law considered and how was it presented in the Report? We also ask whether the Report reaches any implicit substantive legal conclusions, despite formally refraining from determinations of law. Secondly, we review the Inquiry’s findings concerning international legal advice and legal advisers. In particular, we contribute some thoughts on the Report’s treatment of questions relating to the appropriate recipients of legal advice and its transparency, the timeliness of advice, the perception and treatment of law and legal advice by the Government, and the independence and quality of that advice.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/66517
Identification Number/DOI	10.1093/jcsl/krw023
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Arts, Humanities and Social Science > School of Law
Publisher	Oxford University Press
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