Award-winning
journalist John Pilger investigates the discrepancies between American
and British claims for the 'war on terror' and the facts on the ground
as he finds them in Afghanistan and Washington, DC.
In 2001, as the
bombs began to drop, George W. Bush promised Afghanistan "the
generosity of America and its allies". Now, the familiar old warlords
are regaining power, religious fundamentalism is renewing its grip and
military skirmishes continue routinely. In "liberated" Afghanistan,
America has its military base and pipeline access, while the people
have the warlords who are, says one woman, "in many ways worse than the
Taliban".
In Washington,
Pilger conducts a series of remarkable interviews with William Kristol,
editor of The Weekly Standard, and leading Administration officials
such as Douglas Feith, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, and John
Bolton, Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International
Security. These people, and the other architects of the Project for the
New American Century, were dismissed as 'the crazies' by the first Bush
Administration in the early 90s when they first presented their ideas
for pre-emptive strikes and world domination.
Pilger also
interviews presidential candidate General Wesley Clark, and former
intelligence officers, all the while raising searching questions about
the real motives for the 'war on terror'.
While President
Bush refers to the US attacks on Afghanistan and Iraq as two 'great
victories', Pilger asks the question - victories over whom, and for
what purpose? Pilger describes Afghanistan as a country "more
devastated than anything I have seen since Pol Pot's Cambodia". He
finds that Al-Qaida has not been defeated and that the Taliban is
re-emerging. And of the "victory" in Iraq, he asks: "Is this Bush's
Vietnam?"
DVD version:
Besides playing the program straight through, you can also play it by
chapters. The chapter stops have been chosen to give teachers and
others immediate access to key portions of the film. In addition an
extensive 24-page Special Report is included in the DVD-ROM portion of
the disc.
The Report
provides vital background information with sections on
· Afghanistan's 'New Era of Hope'
· The Warlords Who Still Rule Afghanistan
· America and Britain's Role in Creating Afghanistan's
Terrorists
· The Price of Empire
· A Selection of Major US Interventions since 1945
· An Imperial Project
· The Neoconservatives Waging Global War: Washington's Warlords?
· Targeting Iraq
· Sanctions and Occupation - A High Price Paid by Iraqis
· What Can We do?"
Also included is
an extensive list of websites, a bibliography, and a complete list of
references for the statements made in the guide.
Study guide available
Awards:
Vermont International
Film Festival
Bellingham Human Rights Film Festival
Freedom Cinema Festival
Reviews:
"Astonishing...should
be required viewing in every home, school and office. With facts
bristling from his fingertips, Pilger revised the Bush/Blair version of
events leading up to the conquest of Iraq to reveal an agenda of
unprovoked aggression, excused and obscured by ruthless manipulation of
September 11." The Guardian (UK)
"BREAKING THE SILENCE is a film with enormous emotional power,
bringing us the human consequences of our military attacks on Middle
East countries. It also provides us with important insights into the
reasons for these cruelties, exposing the emptiness and hypocrisy of
the claims made by the Bush administration that it is fighting
"terrorism" and promoting "freedom". I wish this film could be shown in
every classroom in the United States, to guard young people against the
lies they will hear from on high, and to prepare them to be active
citizens in the struggle for a peaceful world." Howard Zinn, Author, A
People's History of the United States: 1492-Present, Terrorism
and War
"In 52 minutes, John Pilger succeeds brilliantly where the U.S. mass
media have failed miserably -- to examine the "war on terror" with
tough-minded humanism and uncompromising journalism. The result of
Pilger's efforts is a powerful expose that demolishes the pretensions
of George W. Bush and Tony Blair. In 2004, we need Pilger's documentary
BREAKING THE SILENCE more than ever. From
Afghanistan and Iraq to New York City and the insulated bastions of
power in Washington, this film jolts us to consider the real human
costs of flagrant lies still being told in high places. Whether you
live in the United States, Britain or anywhere else on the planet, BREAKING
THE SILENCE shatters some key myths that often prevent us from
developing news media and political priorities to protect human life
instead of destroying it." Norman Solomon, Executive Director,
Institute for Public Accuracy
"Provides a frighteningly lucid account of President George W. Bush's
potentially never-ending war on terror." The Sunday Times
"This Special Report by John Pilger is as welcome as it is
contentious." The Daily Mail
"Another inspirational hour from John Pilger, which feels like hitting
an air pocket after drowning for years in the deluge of 'with us or
against us' on-message, embedded reporting." The Guardian
"Raises crucial questions about the real motives behind the
violence...Pilger [makes] a very valid point about the terrible
distance between the public statements of the American and British
Governments and the actual actions they have taken." Antiwar.com
"Recommended" Educational Media Reviews Online
"A compelling documentary, almost haunting at times, which takes one of
the biggest political bones...and chews it to pieces...[BREAKING THE
SILENCE] is as disturbing as it is compelling and, undoubtedly,
some of its claims will sound long and loud after this hour ends."
Sydney Morning Herald
"Hard-hitting and thought provoking...spectacular archival and
contemporary video footage...raises some unsettling questions that can
generate effective discussions in current affairs curriculums." School
Library Journal
"Provides an important foundation to understanding how the wars in
Afghanistan and Iraq began and why they have devolved into catastrophic
endeavors... [BREAKING THE SILENCE] should be required viewing
for those who are increasingly concerned about the lack of results in
the war on terror. Highly Recommended." Video Librarian
Related Links:
John Pilger's web site
Related Titles:
Palestine Is Still The Issue: John
Pilger returns to the Middle East and questions why there has been no
progress towards peace.
Paying the Price: John
Pilger exposes the devastating effect that UN sanctions have had on the
children of Iraq.
Return to Kandahar:
Post-war Afghanistan, as seen through the eyes of Nelofer Pazira, star
of the movie "Kandahar," as she searches for her childhood friend.
The New Rulers of the World:
Award-winning journalist, John Pilger, investigates the realities of
globalization by taking a close look at Indonesia.
Inside Burma: John Pilger
investigates the history and brutality of the military dictatorship in
Burma.
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