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John Pilger’s War on Democracy

What do Venezuela, Guatemala, Cuba, Chile, and Bolivia have in common? These Latin American countries are the focus of a brand new documentary by award winning film maker John Pilger called the War on Democracy. All these countries and more, have been at one point or another, the targets of American military intervention, usually for the sake of promoting US corporate interests.

John Pilger, an Australian journalist and documentary film maker, now based in England, has made over 50 documentaries for British television – none of which have ever aired in the United States, although many deal with US policy. Pilger is a seasoned journalist who has worked as a war correspondent in Vietnam, Cambodia, Egypt, India, Bangladesh and Biafra. Harold Pinter has said of his work, “John Pilger is fearless. He unearths, with steely attention to facts, the filthy truth, and tells it as it is . . . I salute him.”

Pilger’s first major film for the theaters, The War on Democracy, was released last year. It is now out on DVD and available to our listeners for a pledge of $100. Pilger spent several weeks filming in Venezuela and The War on Democracy contains an exclusive interview with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. The film also covers Guatemala, Cuba, and Chile.