Historical Figure
Hans Blix
b. 1928
Swedish politician (born 1928)
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Biography
Hans Martin Blix is a Swedish diplomat and politician for the Liberal People's Party. He was Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs (1978–1979) and later became the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Blix was the first Western representative to inspect the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster in the Soviet Union on-site and led the agency's response to them. Blix was also the head of the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission from March 2000 to June 2003, when he was succeeded by Dimitris Perrikos. In 2002, the commission began searching Iraq for weapons of mass destruction, ultimately finding none. On 17 March 2003, U.S. President George W. Bush delivered an address from the White House announcing that within 48 hours, the United States would invade Iraq unless Saddam Hussein would leave. Bush then ordered all of the weapons inspectors, including Blix's team, to leave Iraq so that America and its allies could invade Iraq on 20 March. In February 2010, Blix became head of the United Arab Emirates' advisory board for its nuclear power program. He is the former president of the World Federation of United Nations Associations.
In Their Own Words (5)
It's true the Iraqis misbehaved and had no credibility but that doesn't necessarily mean that they were in the wrong.
The Guardian, "One last warning from the man who made an enemy of Bush", June 11, 2003 , 2003
I found it peculiar that those who wanted to take military action could — with 100 per cent certainty — know that the weapons existed and turn out to have zero knowledge of where they were.
from an unnamed Swedish radio program, quoted in Mirror.co.uk, "Blix Blasts 'Illegal' US War on Iraq", August 7, 2003 , 2003
But in the Middle Ages people were convinced there were witches. They looked for them and they certainly found them.
BBC News, "Blix criticises UK's Iraq dossier", September 18, 2003 , 2003
It was to do with information management. The intention was to dramatise it.
BBC TV's Breakfast With Frost, February 8, 2004 , 2004
There was a very consistent creation of a virtual reality, and eventually it collided with our old-fashioned, ordinary reality.
On the U.S. attitude regarding alleged Iraqi weapons of mass destruction as a justification for U.S. military action, as quoted widely in the media including the Boston Globe article "Newsvie U.S. reports no weapons in Iraq", September 18, 2004 , 2004
Timeline
The story of Hans Blix, told in moments.
Became Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency. He oversaw nuclear inspections worldwide for 16 years. Quiet, methodical, and underestimated.
Appointed to lead UN weapons inspections in Iraq. His team found no weapons of mass destruction. He reported this to the Security Council. The United States invaded anyway.
Publicly contradicted Colin Powell's presentation on Iraqi WMDs. The aluminum tubes weren't for centrifuges. The mobile labs weren't for bioweapons. He turned out to be right.
Published a memoir reflecting on the Iraq debacle. He'd become a symbol of what happens when evidence is ignored in favor of political goals.
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