Pakistan Frontline: Staring at the Nuclear Abyss (War on Terrorism)

Not to be confused with PBS's outstanding Frontline series, nor for that matter with the current war on terrorism (since it was produced four years ago), what this tape is about is the disputed Kashmir region between India and Pakistan. Unfortunately, for unsuspecting librarians, the copy on the back of the tape verges on the duplicitous, promising that each tape in this series “will inform viewers of important issues and events related to the attacks on America and its ensuing efforts in the war against terrorism.” Again, since this tape was made a month after India and Pakistan's announcements of successful nuclear tests in 1998, there is no connection to 9/11. Perhaps in an effort to further hide this fact, the distributor stripped off all the production credits, including the name of the journalist/narrator who is frequently onscreen, and--of course--the real copyright date (the box erroneously claims "2001"). If that's not enough, the cover art on the tape shows a map of Afghanistan and its major cities, with Pakistan and India shunted off to the bottom of the illustration. This tape is not about Afghanistan and can only be related to the “war on terrorism” as an exploitation of the same. Not recommended. Aud: P. (R. Reagan)