Breaking the Silence: Truth and Lies in the War on Terror - 2003

Breaking the Silence: Truth and Lies in the War on Terror is a 2003 Carlton Television documentary written and directed by John Pilger, produced by Christopher Martin and co-directed by Steve Connelly.

A critical documentary about the war on terror since 9-11.

John Pilger dissects the truth and lies in the 'war on terror'. 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.

Directed by: John Pilger

Synopsis

The documentary attempts to contrast the proclaimed aims of the War on Terror with, what Pilger sees, as the humanitarian failures in countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq. It asserts that the Afghan mujahideen and Afghan Arabs including Osama bin Laden, from which later both the Taliban and Al Qaeda were created, received support from the United States and Britain's MI6. Pilger alleges that President Jimmy Carter authorised a five-hundred million dollar programme to help set up the native Afghan mujahideen, starting as early as six months prior to the Soviet invasion into Afghanistan.

Reviews

It is referred to as an "excellent film" in the book Iraq: The Logic of Withdrawal. It won a Commendation or Honorable Mention award at a 2004 film and video festival.

Awards and festival screenings

• Gold Award, WorldMedia Festival, Hamburg
• Nominated for Best Documentary, BAFTA (British Oscar) Awards
• Honorable Mention, Society for Visual Anthropology Film Festival
• Vermont International Film Festival
• Bellingham Human Rights Film Festival
• Freedom Cinema Festival
• Istanbul International Labor Film Festival