jzappa Having come of age during the War on Terror and the Bush Doctrine, it has become particularly easy for me to grow detached from political voices and accept as true that left and right views have forever been at odds. Only toward the end of high school and into college did I begin to penetrate that ideological lather and see such bewildering things that had been happening all around me since I grew my first pube. There have been so many questions that I began to believe are unanswerable. How does the Bush Administration sleep at night? How do they sustain their morale? In what world do they think they're living? Most significantly, what drives them to intractably push forth on the things they did in those eight whirlwind years?The Power of Nightmares is a documentary with connotations and conclusions that are very far-reaching and extremely edgy. Most Conservatives, even the more understanding ones, could not, I imagine, even meet this film halfway. Regardless of my being on the polar opposite side of the political fence to them, why is it that I can believe such a bizarre history of what has spawned the people who've recklessly left us in chaos? Because it is the only piece yet from any medium that has answered all of those aforementioned questions. Even if the film were not true, had not gathered interviews with insiders and highly educated experts, had not compiled three hours of stock footage, it is all I've found that gets the heart of one's inquiring mind.Its three one-hour parts are composed chiefly of a montage of archive footage with the director, British TV journalist Adam Curtis's, narration, contrasting the augmentation of the Neo-Conservative movement in the United States and the radical Islamist movement, confronting comparisons with their inceptions and examining congruity between the two. Even more contented, it asserts that the menace of radical Islamism as a monumental, calculatedly systemized legion of annihilation, expressly in the embodiment of al-Qaeda, is an embellishment carried out by politicians in many countries, principally American Neo- Conservatives, in an effort to unify and urge their people following the collapse of earlier, more abstract nationalist ideas.The Power of Nightmares is a flowing cinematic dissertation, embedded in strenuously amassed affirmation, data and testimony, that magnifies and clarifies one's understanding and knowledge. It's a lofty, eye-opening and sometimes hilariously bizarre exposition of deep-seated contradictions by delving beneath the complacence of its surface meanings, subverting the inventions and actualities of global terrorism.It is refreshing to read these inscrutable people and finally come closer to understanding them. Death anxiety, lack of willingness to tolerate liabilities to more than one interpretation, a shortage of ready acceptance of experiences, impatience with conjecture, a pressing urge for the bottom line and discretionary structure, and the regard of any shrinkage of status or self-regard as an imminent danger all reinforce the intensity of one's all-around political conservatism. From the beginning with Leo Strauss and Sayyid Qutb, both becoming repulsed by what they saw as a debasement of morals and values in western society as a result of individualism, we see a mentality that has dispersed and grown both in the East and the West that tends to invoke bounds to personal freedoms, that's more vindictive toward criminals, and holds more traditionalistic religious doctrines. Neoconservatives are trying to forge an American empire, perhaps as follower of the British Empire, its ambition being to secure a dominant military and economic position of the United States. As imperialism is to a great extent seen as objectionable by the American public, one comes to understand why neoconservatives do not ever express their ideas or aspirations frankly.

vovazhd The Power of Nightmares is a controversial documentary by Adam Curtis. It follows the rise of neo-conservatism and the consequences that it has on the present "War on Terror". Adam Curtis is clear and direct in his message and provides ample evidence to make his case (although I still believe his picture is incomplete). The obvious statement he wants to get out is that Al-Qaeda does not exist (at least as perceived by the United States government and much of the public). He chooses to ignore investigating the actual acts of terrorism, which makes it feel unfinished. But otherwise, its an important and enlightening documentary.The documentary largely consists of historical footage, including several news segments. Some parts seem less important than others, but overall its elegantly put together. The music choice is interesting and generally works well. The interview segments are also helpful for giving a fair assessment.The documentary stays away from any radical conspiracies, which is very fortunate. The scenario it presents it really quite possible and its sad to see the world in such a mess. Even if you don't become convinced about the main message, there are other truths to be learned from watching this. As a whole, it felt somewhat incomplete. But other than that, its a powerful documentary that is important to see.

Demian Sidharta I've seen this documentary and believe it one of the more objective of it's kind. Others like Michael Moore and Alex Jones tend to be very aggressive, as it is, to your notion of truth. I can imagine people don't want to hear what they are saying because they feel that admitting that they are wrong proves them to be fools. Of course some people need a jolt, but most of the free thinkers out there just want real truths.Adan Curtis has done just that to my opinion. Just present traceable facts that, shown together, form a very possible picture of current events. Without making you feel silly for not knowing this, and thus giving you to freedom to choose. Of course it has a political color, but as you can see in the documentary 'outfoxed' so does the mainstream media.If you are interested in the world and why it's going the way it is. Watch this video en decide for yourself. I started looking for signs of it in my own country and I believe it's happening here as well, or at least they are trying, you'll probably find it's happening in your country too. Stay aware, stay informed, but don't believe anyone is saying at once, use your own mind, you have one, so why not.You can freely download it, check http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Power_of_Nightmares, there is a link at the bottom under 'Video' where you can download the video.Peace Demian

eandubh I've seen the three BBC episondes as they are available online - in rather poor quality versions, that is. And I know that the film maker condensed it into a theater-length movie, and received acclaim at Cannes over it. He proclaimed that he didn't want the "Michael Moore treatment" - too bad! A little showmanship might have brought the film to the United States, where it has been basically excluded, censored, omitted and overlooked. That more accessible movie-style version is NOT being shown in the US, nor is it, apparently, available on DVD - which of course is a shame, since the film exposes much of the thinking behind the US' current maniacal drive to empire. Not only has the documentary never been aired on American TV - the film seems to have been very thoroughly and effectively suppressed - something to think about the next time you use the phrase "free country."