Hans Blix reveals how a call from Kofi Annan in Antarctica led him to lead UN weapons inspections in Iraq.
The episode features an interview with Hans Blix, former UN chief weapons inspector for Iraq, conducted by host Andreas Eriksson. Blix begins by explaining how he was recruited for the role in 2000 while on a tourist trip in Antarctica, via a call from UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. He details his background as a lawyer and former head of the IAEA, which led to his appointment. Blix describes the historical context of weapons inspections in Iraq, stemming from the Gulf War in 1991 and earlier use of chemical weapons in the Iran-Iraq War. He emphasizes that by 1997, he had reported to the UN that Iraq had no nuclear weapons program, a fact reiterated by his successor Mohamed ElBaradei. The conversation covers the buildup to the 2003 invasion, including the impact of 9/11, which strengthened hawkish factions in the US government led by Vice President Cheney and Defense Secretary Rumsfeld. Blix recounts inspections in late 2002, where Iraq cooperated but no weapons were found, and a meeting with President Bush where Cheney warned that if inspections didn't uncover weapons, the US would attack. He discusses the US ultimatum to evacuate inspectors in March 2003 and the war's aftermath, where no weapons of mass destruction were discovered. Blix analyzes the war's illegality under international law and its erosion of the UN Security Council's authority. The interview shifts to current events, with Blix commenting on NATO expansion, the Ukraine war, and nuclear deterrence. He speculates that Ukraine may end up ceding territory in a ceasefire, and reflects on lessons for preventing war, as explored in his 2023 book 'A Farewell to Wars'.
