The Lies That Led To War
Since the US-led invasion four years ago, the fifth estate has covered Iraq and the war on terror from
virtually every angle--the military, media, intelligence, politics--revealing aspects of the story that you didn't find anywhere
else. Now, as the White House warns about the latest threat in the region, this time from Iran, it's worthwhile looking back
to examine the deception, suspect intelligence, even lies, that convinced the world of the rightness of targeting Saddam Hussein.
The political decisions behind the invasion
The Lies That Led To War is drawn from these stories: In 2003's The Forgotten People, the fifth estate examined the human rights arguments used to make a case for war. We looked at the sale
of technology by the US to Iraq during the 1980's despite the fact that this equipment could be, and was used eventually,
in military operations by Saddam Hussein against Kurdish civilians. After the gassing of the Kurds in 1988, American business
with Iraq actually increased.
In Act of Faith which aired that same year, the fifth estate examined how George Bush and Tony Blair struck a deal that
would lead to the invasion of Iraq. It was a deal struck while UN diplomats worked to avert conflict in the weeks and months
leading up to March 19, 2003.
In the widely acclaimed Conspiracy Theories and the Unauthorized Biography of Dick Cheney, which aired in 2003 and 2004 respectively, we looked at intelligence failures leading up to 9/11, Dick Cheney's power within
the White House and his Halliburton connections, as well as the links between the Bush family, the Saudi Royal family and
the Bin Ladens.
Selling the war in Iraq
In 2005's Sticks and Stones, we turned our attention to the American media and how they covered the ongoing war in Iraq, public dissent, as well as the
increasingly hostile tone between left and right in American discourse.
Now, The Lies That Led To War provides
context to the events of the previous six years, showing how political, diplomatic, media spin – which sometimes crossed
the line into outright lies - have been used by the those in power to further their own agendas.
Sources:
www.cbc.ca/fifth/lies/
video.google.com
