Nation Building?

We hear a lot about the term "nation building" when Iraq and Afghanistan are discussed. Many countries have fallen under the influence of the US at some point, and Latin America contains many examples. Latin American countries are currently working to achieve independence from the US by organizing and working together. Do those countries dislike the US simply because of ideological differences? We need only look at the interactions of the last few decades...



Cuba, Guatemala, Chile, El Salvador, Grenada, Nicaragua... the list goes on. Were we just fighting communism?

Soldiers Of God

In 1998, a twenty-four part documentary, entitled "Cold War", was first broadcast. Each episode dealt with a different aspect of the Cold War and covered the entire span from it's origins prior to 1945, to the fall of the Wall in 1989 and beyond. This series was available on VHS, but Bush II had some footage re-classified, and this is probably the main reason why it is no longer available for sale. Episode 20, Soldiers Of God, dealt with the US-supported resistence to the invasion of Afghanistan by the Soviet Union. I really should have posted this yesterday (since it was Groundhog Day).



From Wikipedia: "Episode 20, "Soldiers of God", shows Zbigniew Brzezinski in 1980, giving a speech to the mullahs and mujahideen fighters between the borders of Afghanistan and Pakistan encouraging the Muslim mujahideen fighters through his Pakistani translator saying "We know of their deep belief in God and we are confident that their struggle will succeed. That land over there is yours. You will go back to it one day, because your fight will prevail and you'll have your homes and your mosques back again, because your cause is right and God is on your side." — while assuring them of unconditional American government support; and interviewed State Department officials confirming that the United States uncritically supported the Pakistani government for the sake of American interests in Afghanistan."

Be Seeing You

The final installment of “The Prisoner” was shown on AMC last night, and after a wait of several years for this ‘re-interpretation’ of a classic, I’m sure it was a disappointment to many. Firstly, it was a huge undertaking (imagine trying to produce a re-make of The Godfather). Even with that in mind, the storyline was cliched in places and missed many opportunities.
No.2 carried the show, and I think Ian McKellen would have made a fine No.2 in the original show. No.2 delivered some great lines concerning apathy, and the true nature of humanity. He also commented that those who do not or cannot control their desires are easily controlled by their masters. Whether their masters are ‘the state’ or corporations (or whether they are now indistinguishable) was not specified.
No. 6 was a mere shadow of the real No.6 from the original. This was no quick witted, scheming, strong willed individual – just another pawn.
Was AMC’s The Prisoner a reflection on modern times? Is a dream-like, shallow experience which is crammed with advertisements (the irony!), and leaves you wondering what it was all for, a representation of the lives we lead? The original Prisoner was filmed in a time of political turmoil. Student revolts were occuring across Europe and in the US (which would soon escalate to the formation of the Red Brigades and state opression such as the Kent State Massacre), and the tense Cold War struggle continued. Even No. 6 did not know which side was running the village.
It seems to be that AMC consciously steered away from damning commentary on our corporations and politicians, and in doing so missed the point of The Prisoner.

70 Years On

The Truth Game

The recent talk of another strategic warhead reduction reminded me that I should share a gem with you. Called The Truth Game, it is a cold war era documentary by John Pilger, which exposes the truth about the missile gap and plans for nuclear war.