Aiming to lay bare the act of blatant state terrorism that is the invasion and occupation of Iraq, this book seeks to reveal the extraordinary tapestry of lies, distortions and gross media manipulation that underpin it. It looks at how public opinion is wilfully ignored and "democracy" used as a figleaf for the furthering of colonial ambitions.

Prominent musicians, playwrights, scientists, and writers look at how public opinion is willfully ignored, and "democracy" used as a figleaf for U.S. imperial ambitions in the Middle East.

“The justification for the invasion of Iraq was that Saddam Hussein possessed a highly dangerous body of weapons of mass destruction, some of which could be fired in 45 minutes, bringing about appalling devastation. We were assured that was true. It was not true. We were told that Iraq had a relationship with Al Qaeda and shared responsibility for the atrocity in New York of September 11, 2001. We were assured that this was true. It was not true. We were told that Iraq threatened the security of the world. We were assured it was true. It was not true.”—Harold Pinter