"Engaging in armed conflict in breach of international law is a precarious business."
So wrote Keir Starmer QC, as he then was, in The Guardian in March 2003 as Britain was on the cusp of joining the Iraq War.
Almost a quarter of a century on, Sir Keir Starmer KC faces his own dilemma about how to approach American military action in the Middle East.
In the speech recorded and released by Downing Street on Sunday night, it was notable that even Sir Keir - who campaigned against British involvement in Iraq and was years away from becoming an MP, let alone prime minister - felt the need to stress: "We all remember the mistakes of Iraq. And we have learned those lessons."
It was notable, too, that Sir Keir emphasised the national interest - closing his speech by invoking Britain three times in one sentence: "This is the British government, protecting British interests and British lives."
