After the terror attacks of 9/11, with US forces already in action in Afghanistan, another war was taking place behind closed doors at the White House, as debate raged about whether to attack Iraq.

Veteran producer Michael Kirk, who has made many of FRONTLINE’s library of 40+ films on aspects of the conflict, draws on this impressive archive and adds new evidence in this dissection of the invasion of Iraq and the War on Terror.

Screened over four shows, Bush’s War is the definitive analysis of one of the most challenging periods in America’s history. This meticulous documentary begins by examining the background to the war – debating the value of intelligence suggesting a link between Saddam Hussein and the 9/11 attacks, his alleged stockpile of bio-weapons and whether to seek UN resolutions. The programme then traces the history of the war, from early victory to growing problems on the ground, lack of planning for the post-war governance and the descent into chaos and internecine violence.

In Washington, daggers were drawn between Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld – a battle that was not resolved until Rumsfeld was ousted in 2006.