Truth, Lies & Intelligence is a
seventy-minute 2005 documentary suitable for senior secondary students. It
chronicles the inside journey from 9/11 to the bombing of Baghdad. After scores
of interviews with senior intelligence analysts, Iraqi refugees, Arab leaders,
insurgent bombers and ordinary citizens there can only be one conclusion – the
invasion, conquest and occupation of Iraq was a war based on a litany of
lies.
The film raises a number of important issues associated with the
Iraq war, the rights and responsibilities of a government in a democracy, and
the idea of a ‘just war’. It asks if the three governments (of the United
States, Great Britain and Australia) lied to their people about the
justification for the war against Iraq; it questions what happened to the
‘whistleblowers’ who exposed those lies; it considers whether the invasion of
Iraq was justified because it replaced a dictator and tyrant with a
democratically elected government, and it explores whether the war did more harm
than good by encouraging and fostering a clash between religions and
civilisations – Arab Muslims against Western Christians.
Curriculum
Links:
Truth, Lies & Intelligence is a complex and uncompromising
film. Teachers in senior classrooms can use it as a valuable resource for:
•
History – war and conflicts
• English – analysing contemporary issues
•
Values Education – investigating the issue of a ‘just war’
• Discovering
Democracy – exploring ideas of the rights and responsibilities of governments in
a democracy
• Civics and Citizenship – exploring issues of the rights and
responsibilities of citizens in a democracy
• Media Studies – analysing the
documentary form