8 Jan 2008

Second thoughts on Charlie Wilson's War

Using films to rewrite history is a long tradition in Hollywood, and the recent film “Charlie Wilson’s War” is another example. It presents the U.S. covert support for proto-Taliban forces as the work of a ‘rogue Congressman’, when the facts are that the Reagan and Carter administrations were the driving force behind the covert support for Afghani “freedom fighters.” Covert operations were the hallmark of the Reagan era – in El Salvador, in Nicaragua, in Afghanistan, in Iraq and Iran – and those same people are still in power – Elliot Abrams, the Bush clan, James Baker III, etc. Such operations created a vast reservoir of ill will towards the U.S., which led to the rise of the Taliban, Osama bin Laden, and the 9/11 attacks.

In Afghanistan, the Saudi government, the Pakistani government, and the U.S. government all worked together to covertly supply troops and weapons to anti-Soviet forces in Afghanistan. The U.S. movie business even chipped in to promote the war by producing Rambo III.

For more see Tom Hanks Tells Hollywood Whopper in ‘Charlie Wilson’s War’

Guerrilla News Network: Second thoughts on Charlie Wilson's War