Alternate Views of History
Alternate Views of History
I viewed Fahrenheit 9/11 last year and it was a documentary that stayed with me. My own political views tilt toward the left – probably a reflection of some of my own involvement in the Vietnam War protests on college campuses in the 1960’s and 1970’s.
So my own views about our engagement in Iraq are colored by that experience, as well as my experiences viewing wars close-up while a correspondent for CNN in Latin America.
My conclusions – from own personal political and cultural history, are to find value in what Moore has to say. I might not go to the extent that he has, but I find many of his points valid. The problem might be, of course, that in many instances Moore is preaching to the choir – and because of the extremes he takes in making his case, many people are alienated by the film.
The U.S. is a fickle friend and that is one thing that Moore reminds us of in this movie when he recalls the support we as a nation gave to Saddam Hussein in the 1980s.
It is important to put things in perspective and to see the history of past relationships. As a nation, we tend to forget our past – as noted in our Chapter 4 readings. So by providing some historical context, Moore may be trying to bring his viewers to a greater degree of understanding.
But to stay on point – and stick to my own cultural and political values … I can’t help but compare our presence in Iraq to what we did in Nicaragua on a much smaller scale in the 1980s. At that time, Nicaragua was seen as the next threat to the United States by the Reagan administration. Hence, we had the Iran-contra scandal, stemming from the Reagan Administration’s determination to fund the armed, anti-Sandinista contra movement. Did anyone really think that the Sandinistas could do any harm to the United States? As someone who lived and worked in Nicaragua and experienced the gas rationing, the food shortages, the power blackouts that marked daily urban life – it was clear to me that the Washington view of Nicaragua was an exaggeration and far from the reality of what the Nicaraguan government at the time was – and what it sought to achieve. As a journalist, I saw delegation after delegation of U.S. congressional “factfinders” make a one or two-day visit to Nicaragua to investigate the “situation.
They would speak to the usual suspects – opposition clergy, opposition newspaper editors, opposition business leaders, etc. etc. and have one conversation with the English-speaking Foreign Minister. Then they would head to the airport and while still in Nicaragua hold a news conference calling for the overthrow of the Sandinista government. Talk about poor manners if nothing else. I like to compare that on a much smaller scale to accepting an invitation to your home and then before I leave, proceed to tell you everything that is wrong with the way you have decorated your home and chosen to live your life.
So, yes, what I experienced as a war correspondent and journalist in Nicaragua did build upon the political and cultural values that had already become part of my own psyche post the Vietnam War protests.
I was skeptical when it was clear that we were going to invade Iraq because of the lack of success in finding the non-existent weapons of mass destruction that were given as the rationale for the invasion. I remain skeptical about our continued presence there because I
am hard-pressed to find any success stories there – for the U.S. or for the Iraqis. We (as a nation) did not do our homework and did not understand Iraq under Saddam Hussein or before. We didn’t think and now we – and the Iraqis – are paying the price.
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