From Baghdad and Basra and Erbil to Belfast

Henry McDonald examines the educational links between Northern Ireland and Iraq. He quotes a British Council official saying that they have given Iraqi and UK school children a means of exchanging ideas, sharing their cultural experiences, and that is a remarkable achievement, given the circumstances. He concludes that until recently, the relationship between the UK and Iraq has been seen solely through the prism of the military presence in their country. Now we want to change that - and education is one way of doing it.