Part of his earlier popularity was due to the fact that, in 1998, he helped negotiate the Good Friday Agreement, which ended years of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland. But after the attacks on New York of September 11, 2001, Blair was seen to stand almost unconditionally behind former US President George Bush's "war on terror." This sort of apparent obedience made Blair the subject of much criticism and some even called him America's "poodle." Two years later, the Iraq war began, with both Bush and Blair arguing that Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and therefore had to be stopped, a claim that was later refuted. British Prime Minister Tony Blair, left, President Bush, center, and French President Jacques Chirac.British Prime Minister Tony Blair, left, President Bush, center, and French President Jacques Chirac. The insult often hurled at Blair (far left) before and during the Iraq war was that he was 'America's poodle'Image: AP Thirteen years later, a seven-year official inquiry into the war led by retired civil servant John Chilcot, delivered an unfavorable verdict. The intelligence reports about the alleged weapons fo mass destruction should have been questioned and the invasion should not have gone ahead. British soldiers had been sent into combat in Iraq poorly prepared and Blair has often had the defend himself against accusations that he is a war criminal. The committee's report concluded that Blair had not made a "personal and demonstrable decision to deceive Parliament or the public." Blair accepted the findings of the inquiry and went on to express "sorrow, regret and apology" for mistakes he made.