The Power of Nightmares

In the past, politicians promised to create a better world. They had different ways of achieving this, but their power and authority came from the optimistic visions they offered their people. Those dreams failed and today people lost faith in ideologies. Increasingly, politicians are seen simply as managers of public life. But now, they have discovered a new role that restored their power and authority. Instead of delivering dreams, politicians now promise to protect us…from nightmares.

They say that they will rescue us from dreadful dangers that we cannot see, and do not understand. And the greatest danger of all, is international terrorism. A powerful and sinister network, with sleeper cells in countries across the world, a threat that needs to be fought by war on terror. But much of this threat is a fantasy which has been exaggerated and distorted by politicians. It’s a dark illusion that has spread unquestioned through governments around the world, security services and the international media…

At the heart of the story are two groups the American neoconservatives, and the radical Islamists.

That’s how each episode of the 3 part documentary “The Power of Nightmares” starts. The documentary looks back into the beginnings of the radical Islamist movement, and neo-conservatism. It links the two together, and shows how they each benefit each other. The neo-cons essentially created Al Qaeda, transforming it from an Osama Bin Laden, and his LIMITED group of followers, to an international ideology, adopted by racial Muslims everywhere. In return, the conservatives get to excute their agenda under the “War on Terror” banner. I greatly recommend the documentary to anyone interested in how, and why the world we’re currently living in is the way it is right now.

Here's a link to a video clip of the intro, if you're interested

technorati tags: terrorism, war, USA, Osama, Qaeda, neoconservatives, neocons, documentary, power, of, nightmares