"Then came the utterly unanticipated and dramatic - September 11th 2001 and the death of 3,000 or more on the streets of New York.
I decided we should stand shoulder to shoulder with our oldest ally. I did so out of belief.
So Afghanistan and then Iraq - the latter, bitterly controversial.
Removing Saddam and his sons from power, as with removing the Taleban, was over with relative ease."