Cabinet documents uncover Howard government’s entry into Iraq War

The release of previously undisclosed cabinet papers from 2003 has highlighted the Howard government's internal deliberations shaping its decision to join the US invasion of Iraq. The ADF was deployed to Iraq to help locate and destroy suspected weapons of mass destruction, but an intelligence failure meant no weapons were ever found. Australia’s decision to follow the US into Iraq would come to define parts of former prime minister John Howard’s legacy. The cabinet papers reveal then-president Bush had requested that Australia assist the US in disarming Iraq of its suspected weapons of mass destruction. Cabinet noted the weapons were one of the greatest threats to Australia’s security at that time. Coincidentally, the very same cabinet meeting in which the invasion of Iraq was agreed to 20 years ago – cabinet also noted the desire for progress to resolve the conflict between Israel and Palestine.