The Wire

Earlier this week, Australians were shocked to hear of the fatal mistake one of our soldiers had made in Iraq.After thinking the Iraqi trade minister’s bodyguards were insurgents, a group of Australian soldiers opened fire, killing one of the men.Now, the Iraqi trade minister, as well as demanding a full apology and compensation from the Australian Government, has also threatened to reconsider trade between the countries. Dr ANDREW O’NEIL, a senior lecturer in the School of Political and International Studies at Flinders University, explains what the incident would mean for the situation in Iraq