The Power Of Nightmares

Adam Curits's TV documentary series The Power Of Nightmares (2004) is a fascinating portrait of the rise of the Neoconservative movement in the US and radical Islamism in the middle east. Much like Lawrence Wright's seminal book, The Looming Towers, the series starts off Part One, "Baby It's Cold Outside", with a look at conservative Islamic thinker Sayyid Qurtb's experiences in America that led him to think that western culture made people more selfish and individualistic. Curtis then examines the seeds of the neoconservative movement by looking art influential University of Chicago professor Leo Strauss and the failure of Lyndon B. Johnson's "Great Society." Part Two, "The Phantom Victory" sees the defeat of the Russian in Afghanistan and failed revolutions in Egypt and Algeria. In America the neoconservatives try to turn people against Clinton but fail. In Part Three, "Shadows in the Cave", shows the rise of al-Queda and the "War in Terror". Curtis concludes the series by reassuring viewers that politicians will eventually have to concede that some threats are exaggerated and others have no foundation in reality. He says, "In an age when all the grand ideas have lost credibility, fear of a phantom enemy is all the politicians have left to maintain their power."

Comments

[Ted T]

His "Century of the Self" is one of the best docs I've ever seen.

[Patrick]

I'll have to get around to it sometime-all of his documentaries a re well-made and thought provoking.