The name of the 2005 film Syriana was apparently inspired by Pax Syriana and the term Syriana as used by Washington thinktanks as per former CIA operative Robert Baer. According to the film's publicity materials, "Syriana" was "a very real term used by Washington think-tanks to describe a hypothetical reshaping of the Middle East."[9] In an online discussion with The Washington Post in November 2005, Syriana director Stephen Gaghan said he saw Syriana as "a great word that could stand for man's perpetual hope of remaking any geographic region to suit his own needs."[10]