The power of nightmares. The rise of the politics of fear

The power of nightmares. The rise of the politics of fear is a three-part documentary by Adam Curtis which BBC aired in 2004. Following the influence of two opposite characters, Political Philosopher Leo Strauss, a major referent for the US neo-conservatist movement and Mr. Sayyid Qutb, one of the founders of modern political Islamism the film traces on one side the rise of an agenda-driven set of public officials in the US and the inception of an armed Islamist movement known as Al-Quaeda, with the two parties intertwining during the CIA-supported war in Afghanistan against the Soviet Union invasion and occupation.

 

4-minute trailer uploaded by tracrunner13

The film deconstructs the  so called war on terror rethoric, showing how it has been used by governments and other actors as an excuse to curtail liberties and freedoms while using fear as a control tool.

Part 1: "Baby It's Cold Outside" Origins of modern political islamism and US neconservatism movement, both opposed, for different reasons, to liberal tenets
Downloadable at Rebeldemule here 

 Part 2 - The Phantom Victory   War in Afgahnistan, failed armed uprisings in Egypt and Algeria. Clinton´s victory and end of the Cold War.
Downloadable at Rebeldemule here 

 Part 3 - The Shadows in the Cave Rise of Al-Quaeda, attacks in Kenya, Tanzania  and Yemen. After 9/11 construction of the global terrorism threat by US security-military complex.

Downloadable at Rebeldemule here 

More from  Adam Curtis

• The Century of Self (BBC, 2002)  focuses on how the work of Sigmund Freud, Anna Freud, and Edward Bernays influenced the way corporations and governments have analyzed, dealt with, and controlled people (from Wikipedia) Downloadable at Rebeldemule 
• The trap. What happened to our dreams of freedom? (BBC, 2007) exploreS the concept and definition of freedom, specifically, "how a simplistic model of human beings as self-seeking, almost robotic, creatures led to today's idea of freedom e (from Wikipedia) Downloadable at Rebeldemule

More on the issue 

• Islamist Terrorism in the Sahel: Fact or Fiction? Africa Report N°92 31 Mar 2005 International Crisis Group
• Terror and Torture Security with Human Rights Campaign Amnesty International project focused on breaking the cycle of terror and torture between armed groups and states.
• Bush escalates war-on-terror rhetoric Linda Feldmann, The Christian Science Monitor September 1, 2006

In the blog

• The story behind the " detainee 001" story. John Walker Lindh´s dad piece in The Guardian July 11
• New HRW report on torture under the Bush Administration. July 11
• Targeted killings and "surgical interventions", the automation of death July 11
• The Role of Health Professionals in Detainee Interrogation November 2014