India, Pakistan - we made some quite serious mistakes...We were complacent with what happened in Kashmir, the boundaries weren't published until two days after independence. Bad story for us, the consequences are still there... [In Afghanistan] we played less than a glorious role over a century and a half... The odd lines for Iraq's borders were drawn by Brits... The Balfour declaration and the contradictory assurances which were being given to Palestinians in private at the same time as they were being given to the Israelis - again an interesting story for us but not an entirely honourable one.

Jack Straw, British Foreign Secretary