My Interview at 'The Mind Renewed' About Tony Blair's Alleged Participation in a War of Aggression - Part One of 'Can the British State Convict itself?'

The first part of a wide-ranging interview that I had with Julian Charles of the 'Mind Renewed' about my forthcoming paper 'Can the British State Convict itself?'

This segment focuses on Prime Minister Tony Blair's decision to take Britain to war against Saddam Hussein's Iraq in 2003, the circumstances of which much considered legal opinion has equated to have involved participating in conspiracy to wage an aggressive war in contravention of established international criminal law.

The next segment will look at Britain's role in the American-led extraordinary rendition of Islamist terror suspects involving the former foreign secretary Jack Straw and the former head of counter-intelligence at MI6, Mark Allen and Britain's counter-insurgency strategy in Northern Ireland which was initiated in the early 1970s by the then Brigadier Frank Kitson.

TMR page - Episode 159 ‘Can the British State Convict Itself?’ (Part One: Tony Blair)

“But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy”-Downing Street Memo

This week we are joined by the lawyer and university lecturer Adeyinka Makinde for the first part of a fascinating two-part interview centring in his forthcoming academic paper: “Intelligence Accountability: Can the British State Convict Itself?” focusing on the 2003 Iraq invasion, “extraordinary renditions” and the UK’s counter-insurgency strategy in the early years of the Northern Ireland “Troubles”, Makinde questions the relationship between morality and “national interest” goals, and probes international and domestic law to make a case for the criminal culpability of high-ranking officials of the British state.

In this first part, Adeyinka Makinde challenges the opinion held by some experts, such as Geoffrey Robertson, that Tony Blair is not eligible to be prosecuted at the International Criminal Court.

Adeyinka Makinde trained for the law as a barrister. He lectures in criminal law and public law at a university in London, and has an academic research in intelligence & security matters. He is a contributor to a number of websites for which he has written essays and commentaries on international relations, politics and military history. He has served as a programme consultant and provided expert commentary for BBC World Service Radio, China Radio International and Voice of Russia.

TMR 159: Adeyinka Makinde: ‘Can the British State Convict itself?’ (Part One: Tony Blair)

© Adeyinka Makinde (2016)

Adeyinka Makinde is a writer based in London, England