The United States and United Kingdom asserted that Iraq possessed active chemical and biological weapons programmes, presenting intelligence claims to legislatures and the United Nations in New York. After the 2003 invasion, investigators found no stockpiles of the kind alleged. Flawed intelligence, unreliable sources and overstated public statements severely damaged governmental credibility.

The disputed claims provoked poems, essays and plays about euphemism, evidence and manufactured consent. Harold Pinter attacked the rhetoric of intervention, while soldier-poets such as Brian Turner and Iraqi writers including Sinan Antoon recorded the war's human consequences beyond official briefings.