By Elen White, a political blogger.
Ten years ago the British population took to the streets of London becoming part of the largest protest event in human history. Why? Chiefly, because most people disagreed with the invasion of Iraq and Western meddling abroad. Today, a decade on from Blair’s government failing to spot a million protesting citizens outside Parliament, (the reason, it later transpired, was that his head had got stuck up George Bush’s arse) we have little insight into the human costs in Iraq, Afghanistan and the wider auspices of this War on Terror. When we do hear about operations abroad it is because of leaks or in fragments of stories about suicide bombing from news updates that give little explanation of why someone would be driven to such extremes. Enter ‘Dirty Wars’: an oasis of seminal information for the Western world and an incredible revelation of what the actual heck went on, and continues to go on, under the utterly inaptly named operations of ‘Enduring Freedom’ and ‘New Dawn’.
Dirty Wars: The World is a Battlefield is a documentary of ugly truths robed in the elegant attire of feature film. Investigative Journalist Jeremy Scahill wrote Dirty Wars along with David Riker and it is based on Scahill’s NYT Bestselling novel. Scahill is the documentary’s narrator and features heavily (there are lots of close-ups of Scahill looking pensive) as we follow his increasingly daunting mission to unravel the covert war and unmask a paramilitary-wing death squad running amok, otherwise known as ‘JSOC’ (Joint Special Operations Command). It is relentless detective work; a rare lens into the way in which these unaccountable and unapologetic operations are carried out and the length NATO will go to cover it up.
Scahill interviews an array of government and military personnel as well as the families left behind from targeted killings, drone strikes and night raids carried out by JSOC. A clear and sombre reality is repeated by narrator and interviewees alike: These atrocities are breeding extremists. But these are not people fervently anti-democracy, they are anti-‘evil’. In the streets of Afghanistan we hear ultimatums that if ‘Americans do this again we are willing to shed blood’. These people would rather die than ‘sit by and do nothing’ as their family members are exterminated. It leads to the assertion that, ‘‘This War On Terror was producing new enemies wherever it spread’’.
In an interview in Somalia, Scahill is told that ‘America knows war. They are war masters’. It is a particularly poignant endorsement from a warlord otherwise unwilling to talk about the duties he had undertaken under U.S guidance. If it is true that America really are the war ‘masters’, what other secrets are still unexposed? What other wars are being funded and fought?
Moments after witnessing the consequences of another attack from JSOC, we are catapulted to the ‘boxing ring’ and bright lights of American chat shows and news studios as Scahill defends the work he is doing investigating cover-ups and the discoveries he is making. There is a chilling exchange between Scahill and Jay Leno with Leno asking in full bravado: ‘Why are you still alive?!’ to furors of spectator laughter. It’s easy to trivialize murder so far from the reality of it. The juxtaposition of these worlds is no starker witnessed than on Scahill’s stoney-faced stare response.
Scahill and team travel to the ‘denied area’ of the Afghan Paktia Province and South of Gardez hoping to better understand what has been going on in this War. What Scahill discovers here is the impetus for embarking upon a relentless journey to find out who was culpable for a string of heinous attacks across dozens of countries.
How rare it is the see the faces of citizens in Yemen or Afghanistan and hear them speak of what they have been through. Dirty Wars offers a platform for them. How often do we see the U.S backed Somali militia stalking the streets, armed to the to teeth and threatening to bury any foreigner alive? This is the graphic scope of this war and we see so little of it that such exposure is a welcome gift to help us understand.
Dirty Wars is the recipient of the Sundance Cinematography award and there are many moments of deft camerawork and cleverly crafted shots throughout that make it especially engaging for its genre. There is little doubt that Dirty Wars has gone to great lengths to broaden its appeal to a wider audience. Scahill is particularly aware of this ‘as an investigative journalist you rarely have people’s attention’. There is a peculiar contradiction at play though. With a feature film feel (typewriter sounds to punch out the location of places and names of interviewees; faux surveillance-style snapshots of Scahill looking shifty) the documentary runs the risk of detracting from the substance with such a stylised film from Director Richard Rowley. That said, it is incredibly engaging and even offers a light relief when we are endlessly confronted with one grim fact after another. Concurrently, the Kronos Quartet keep the music culturally relevant and harmonious to the emotions experienced from the stories covered in the field.
In lifting the lid on the covert war that has been taking place ‘in plain sight’, Dirty Wars leaves the viewer to grapple with some hard-hitting questions of global injustice and what can be tolerated and justified. Why has the White House taken this war global? What’s the end game?
You share the pain of the victims in this documentary and you can feel the excitement when Scahill makes the connections and discoveries that lead him to unmask JSOC. There are real threats to those who go to ‘places where journalist never show up to ask’ and there is no doubt that the fear Scahill shows in parts of this documentary is real. You get a glimpse of the culture of these countries and how real families are effected.
Whether you watch this film to see a vital modern war exposé in its own right or consider it the clarion call for action, its fervor and fearlessness is utterly deserving of the acclaim it has been receiving so far.
Dirty Wars: The World is a Battlefield is in UK cinemas from the 27th November.
Until then, you can watch the trailer here: http://dirtywars.org/trailer
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