Made for the BBC, this is the third part of a series by Adam Curtis. It looks at how and why the myth of Al Qaeda was created. It explores how it suited the USA and UK governments to create a nightmare vision of a world wide terrorist web, out of the reality of a fragmented collection of groups and individuals.
As the Press release originally said, "Wherever one looks for this al-Qaeda organisation, from the mountains of Afghanistan to the "sleeper cells" in America, the British and Americans are chasing a phantom enemy.
But the reason that no-one questions the illusion is because this nightmare enemy gives so many groups new power and influence in a cynical age - and not just politicians. "
The show lasts slightly less than one hour. There will be time for discussion afterwards.
The venue is the Town Hall Tavern, Tib Lane. Start time is 7.30 (prompt)
As the Press release originally said, "Wherever one looks for this al-Qaeda organisation, from the mountains of Afghanistan to the "sleeper cells" in America, the British and Americans are chasing a phantom enemy.
But the reason that no-one questions the illusion is because this nightmare enemy gives so many groups new power and influence in a cynical age - and not just politicians. "
The show lasts slightly less than one hour. There will be time for discussion afterwards.
The venue is the Town Hall Tavern, Tib Lane. Start time is 7.30 (prompt)
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Great series
14.02.2008 00:51
Chris
True
14.02.2008 09:47
knightrose
e-mail:
knightrose.geo@yahoo.com
Brilliant stuff
14.02.2008 14:37
Put paid to a lot of official and unofficial myths.
Great insight into ideology of PNAC too. Real "what the fuck!" material.
Bin Laden's Beard
It has a flaw
14.02.2008 17:00
The series identifies the Neo-Cons as mad and compares them to the mad Muslim fundamentalists. It suggests that the rest of us are caught up in a battle between these nutters. But this is a total myth.
For instance, it suggests that the barmy notions of the Muslim Brotherhood led to mass slaughter in Algeria as the Brotherhood sought to take over the government. The traditional story is that the slaughter took place as part of a mad fight between different mad Muslim groups. The reality is that one main group was infiltrated and run by the Algerian government.
Although, it tells us that the CIA backed the Brotherhood in Afghanistan, it doesn't tell us the CIA used the Brotherhood to try to unseat. When he violently clamped down on them, the CIA shipped them to Saudi Arabia in order to make that state fundamentalist.
It doesn't tell us that the British through the Arab Bureau helped to create the Muslim Brotherhood in the 1920s. It's function was to stop the development of Middle Eastern states so that it would be easier for the West to control the region's resources.
So, the series unwittingly leads us to believe that their really is an Al Qaida that is separate from and at war with the West. The reality is that the majority of people in the Middle East regard Al Qaida as an extension of the CIA.
Muslims Believe US Seeks to Undermine Islam, World Opinion
An in-depth poll of four major Muslim countries has found that in all of them large majorities believe that undermining Islam is a key goal of US foreign policy. Most want US military forces out of the Middle East and many approve of attacks on US troops there...
...But there is also uncertainty about whether al Qaeda actually conducts such attacks. On average less than one in four believes al Qaeda was responsible for September 11th attacks. Pakistanis are the most skeptical—only 3 percent think al Qaeda did it. There is no consensus about who is responsible for the attacks on New York and Washington; the most common answer is “don’t know.”...
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