The Power of Nightmares
HIS film contains parallels I never thought about... it's also not available in the US, but thanks to the folks at Archive.Org, we can now see the BBC documentary paralleling the rise of Islamic Fundamentalism in the east with the rise of Neo-conservatism in the west: The Power of Nightmares
This film explores the origins in the 1940s and 50s of Islamic Fundamentalism in the Middle East, and Neoconservatism in America, parallels between these movements, and their effect on the world today. From the introduction to Part 1:If you make the assumption that one side (usually, the American side, of course) is right and the other wrong, you'll fail to see the parallel. Right now the Archive site is a bit busy with download requests...
"Both [the Islamists and Neoconservatives] were idealists who were born out of the failure of the liberal dream to build a better world. And both had a very similar explanation for what caused that failure. These two groups have changed the world, but not in the way that either intended. Together, they created today’s nightmare vision of a secret, organized evil that threatens the world. A fantasy that politicians then found restored their power and authority in a disillusioned age. And those with the darkest fears became the most powerful. " The Power of Nightmares, Baby It's Cold Outside.



Thanks for the link. My husband and I were able to watch the first two last night and plan on finishing it this evening. Very good stuff.