The Power of Nightmares -- Part II

THE POWER OF NIGHTMARES -- PART II

The second episode of this alarming BBC documentary is entitled "The Phantom Victory." Now we learn that Islamist factions, falling under the more radical influence of Zawahiri and his rich Saudi acolyte Osama bin Laden, join the Neo-Conservative-influenced Reagan Administration to combat the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. This coalition of extremists is successful in repulsing the Soviet armies and both extremist groups believe they are the primary architects of the defeat of the "Evil Empire." But the Director of this historic documentary, Adam Curtis, argues that the Soviets were on their last legs and were doomed to collapse without intervention.

The Islamists, in their triumph, believe that they can create "pure" Islamic states in Egypt and Algeria. However, they are prevented by force. So they use terrorism to scare the people into rising up. But the people are terrified by the violence and the Algerian government uses their fear as a way to maintain power. In the end, the Islamists declare these countries inherently contaminated by Western values, and finally in Algeria turn on each other, each believing that other terrorist groups are not pure enough Muslims either.

In America, the Neo-Conservatives' aspirations to use the U.S. military power for further destruction of evil are thrown off track by the ascent of George HW Bush to the presidency, followed by the 1992 election of Bill Clinton leaving them out of power. The Neo-Conservatives, with their conservative Christian allies, attempt to demonize Clinton throughout his presidency with various real and fabricated stories of corruption and immorality. To their disappointment, however, the American people do not turn against Clinton.

The Islamists declare a new strategy: to fight Western-inspired moral decay they must deal a blow to its source: the United States.

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Before and after the film, everyone's invited to indulge in our Humanist Vegetarian Tea House

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