• Listen to the entire program

The Power of Nightmares

BBC film maker Adam Curtis made this film, The Power of Nightmares just a few years after the September 11th 2001 attacks. His thesis is that both Western politicians who claim to protect us from terrorism, and radical Islamic fundamentalists who claim to fight US imperialism, are two sides of the same coin. Caught in the middle are, us, the civilian populations of both regions. Incredibly insightful in his analysis, Curtis’ film becomes more relevant than ever as President Barack Obama takes over the Neo-con wars, particularly in Afghanistan, and expands it to Pakistan. Just yesterday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates revealed new optimism for Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. He stated before the Senate Appropriations Committee that Taliban forces will be met with heavy offenses in Pakistan’s Swat Valley and the southern region of Afghanistan, by both Pakistani and Afghan forces. However, in the last couple of days at least 7 American soldiers have been killed by roadside bombings in eastern Afghanistan. More than 2 million people have been displaced in Pakistan. And Osama bin Laden, credited with masterminding the 9/11 attacks, is nowhere to be found.

The Power of Nightmares, one of KPFK’s most popular thank you gifts of all time, helps us understand why it is in our interests to see the parallels between the neo-cons and the fundamentalists. The story goes all the way back to the founders of both ideologies, Leo Strauss and Syed Kutb. But we’ll pick up today where the Reagan administration here in the US used Afghanistan to defeat the Soviet Union and perversely strengthened the very people and ideology we are supposedly fighting today.

Thank You Gifts:

The Power of Nightmares – DVD – $75

The Adam Curtis 3 DVD Pack – $200