OF THE
TIMES

The battle of Idlib is not going to be a walkover since it is the last significant battle in Syria. Al-Qaeda and other jihadists and the thousands of foreign fighters are not expected to surrender. Russia vows to eliminate al-Qaeda unless Turkey finishes these off.

131. We note that we have not seen the minutes of these meetings either: this causes us great concern. Policy discussions on such an important issue should have been minuted. We support Mr Murray's own conclusion that were it not for his actions these matters may never have come to light.The people doing these things were not ordinarily bad people; they were just trying to keep their jobs, comforting themselves with the thought that they were only civil servants obeying orders. Many were also actuated by the nasty "patriotism" that grips in time of war, as we invaded Iraq and Afghanistan. Almost nobody in the FCO stood up against the torture or against the illegal war - Elizabeth Wilmshurst, Carne Ross and I were the only ones to leave over it.
Comment: Further reading: