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A State of Ignorance

14 July 2010 | Related documentRelated document

 

The report examines what efforts the UK Government made to assess the number of civilian deaths resulting from the 2003 Iraq war and the violence that followed.  This was recognised as a significant concern from the early stages of the conflict because it has bearing on the Government's ability to understand the impact of decisions that were made and to learn lessons that could help to reduce civilian deaths in the future. 

In brief, the report argues that:

  • Inadequate and lamentable efforts were undertaken by the UK government to gauge civilian deaths resulting from the Iraq conflict;

  • In the future, the UK should recognise the imperative of understanding the impact of conflict on civilians.  Towards that end it should undertake transparent measurement and monitoring of the impact of armed violence where UK forces are active;

  • The UK should acknowledge that in situations where it directly initiates conflict, it should bear also a responsibility to understand the impact of that decision. 

It is not enough to say "every civilian death is a tragedy" without also undertaking efforts to understand the levels of civilian harm being caused.  Whilst there are arguments about methodologies used for developing that understanding, these are not arguments for having no methodology at all.

 

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Publications

AOAV update on explosive weapons in populated areas - July 2010
20 July 2010
An Action on Armed Violence update welcoming the UN’s call for action on the issue of explosive weapons use in populated areas.

A State of Ignorance
14 July 2010
A State of Ignorance critically examines attempts by the UK to assess the number of civilian deaths resulting from the 2003 Iraq war and the violence that followed. Using documents released under the UK Freedom of Information Act over several years, it outlines the internal deliberations within government and Whitehall about Iraqi deaths. It concludes that the effort was fundamentally inadequate.