The Rock (1996) Influenced Iraq Invasion

A new report in THR this week about the Chilcot Inquiry, the investigation into Britain’s role in the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 notes an interesting influence. It turns out that members of MI6 actually cited “The Rock” as part of their justification to invade Iraq.

An MI6 report from 2002 cites a source which claims Iraq’s biological and chemical weapons capabilities included nerve agents VX, sarin and soman which had been produced and were being stored in containers including “linked hollow glass spheres.”

Within MI6 this obviously drew comparisons to the film.  Even despite serious questions, the same source was again cited in a report claiming Iraq was accelerating its chemical and biological weapons programs and had built more facilities. The report played a significant role in the arguments put forth for war by Prime Minister Tony Blair at the time.

Ever seen the movie ‘Wag The Dog’?  I bet if you look around, the stuff seen in there also appears in real life too…