The Road to 9/11

This compact hour-long PBS-aired documentary provides a thumbnail sketch of the events that helped shape the current volatile political situation in the Middle East, which can be traced back to the end of World War I, when the humiliating defeat of the Ottoman Empire gave rise to Ataturk's modern Turkey (and sowed the seeds of the fundamentalist-versus-secular struggle still being waged today), and European powers reconfigured Middle Eastern borders, creating artificial kingdoms run by appointed minor chieftains. Throughout the 20th century, Western powers continually isolated and antagonized local populations in the Middle East by exploiting oil economies and supporting brutal dictatorships (America's lopsided support of Israel while ignoring the self-determination of the Palestinians also served to agitate). As a result, the rise of anti-American/anti-Western factions were coupled with a religious fanaticism hitherto unseen in modern times. Although 9/11 came as a shock to most Americans, many outside observers wondered why it took so long. If The Road to 9/11 skims too quickly over certain issues and thoroughly bypasses others (why was the Islamic world obsessed with Palestinian rights and thoroughly silent about Kurdish independence?), the film—which combines archival footage with interviews of scholars and journalists—nonetheless presents a cogent overview of Middle Eastern politics. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)