"Iraq/WMD"
 "Iraq/WMD"  (Propaganda, Casus belli)   | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Interest of | • Office of Special Plans • Operation Mass Appeal |
"Iraq has WMDs" was a claim made by the US and UK establishments in the run up to the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, This was later exposed as a deception cooked up by MI6 as part of Operation Mass Appeal for use as a casus belli. The BBC looked at the "45 minutes" [until disastrous WMD use] claim after the event.[1]
“Every war when it comes, or before it comes, is represented not as a war but as an act of self-defense against a homicidal maniac.”
George Orwell [2]
Dodgy Dossier
- Full article: Dodgy Dossier
- Full article: Dodgy Dossier
The Dodgy Dossier was a dossier of "sexed up" evidence purporting to show that Iraq had "WMD". It was concocted as part of Operation Mass Appeal by MI6.
Legal action
As of 2019, no one has been held legally responsible for the lies about Iraq's WMDs.
Saleh v. Bush
- Full article: Saleh v. Bush
- Full article: Saleh v. Bush
In 2010 Sundus Shaker Saleh took legal action against some member of the US government who had instigated the invasion, arguing that the casus belli was fraudulent, as. In 2016, the USDOJ refused to accept the Chilcot Report as part of the evidence supporting the lawsuit. In 2017 judge Susan Graber gave the defendants a blanket immunity from prosecution under the Westfall Act.
Related Quotations
| Page | Quote | Author | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Aaronovitch | “If nothing is eventually found, I – as a supporter of the war – will never believe another thing that I am told by our government, or that of the US ever again. And, more to the point, neither will anyone else. Those weapons had better be there somewhere.” | David Aaronovitch | |
| Nigel Inkster | “Suskind said that at the beginning of 2003 MI6 sent one of its top agents, Michael Shipster, to the region. Mr Shipster held secret meetings in Jordan with Tahir Jalil Habbush, the head of Iraqi Intelligence. The meetings were confirmed by Nigel Inkster, former assistant director of MI6. Inkster also confirmed that Habbush told Shipster that there were no illicit weapons in Iraq. Mr Inkster refused to comment last night.” | Nigel Inkster | 6 August 2008 |
