Yes, definitely those films were first made as comms.

As a more casual watcher though, one could make a well-formed argument on either case.

Just like the prequels, there's a strong correlation between 9-11 and how Palpatine went from a senator to the role of emperor by manipulating the trade deal (it's been a while and not rewatching those anytime soon)... the film is essentially showing the problem->reaction -> solution process.