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erronis

(23,424 posts)
Sat Feb 28, 2026, 08:59 PM 10 hrs ago

War(s) on Terror: 25 years and 10 films later - Dennis Hartley

https://digbysblog.net/2026/02/28/wars-on-terror-20-years-and-10-films-later/



Now a note to the President, and the Government, and the judges of this place

We're still waitin' for you to bring our troops home, clean up that mess you made

'Cause it smells of blood and money and oil, across the Iraqi land

But its so easy here to blind us with your united we stand

-- from "Crash This Train", by Joshua James


Good mornin' America...how are ya?

Israel and the US have launched a war on Iran, unleashing waves of air attacks across the country in an attempt to bring about regime change and plunging the region into a conflict that could last weeks or months.

The sudden offensive triggered Iranian retaliatory strikes throughout the day across a swathe of the Middle East, with explosions reported in Israel, Bahrain, Syria, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

In a televised address, the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, indicated that the strikes had killed Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Khamenei has not been heard from since the strikes began and satellite imagery has shown that his secure compound was heavily damaged in the initial barrage.
"There are many signs that [Khamenei] is no longer alive," Netanyahu said on Saturday evening. Netanyahu said that Israeli strikes had also killed "several leaders" involved in the Iranian nuclear programme and that strikes against sites linked to the programme would continue in the coming days.

The remarks, which stopped short of confirming Khamenei's death, were the strongest official indication yet that the missing leader is dead. Abbas Araghchi, Iran's foreign minister, had earlier claimed to NBC News that Khamenei and president Masoud Pezeshkian were alive "as far as I know".

In a televised address, Donald Trump claimed Operation Epic Fury would end a security threat to the US and give Iranians a chance to "rise up" against their rulers. Netanyahu in his evening address called on Iranians to "flood the streets and finish the job".

Iranian officials said they had not been surprised by the US attacks and that the consequences would "be long lasting and extensive. All scenarios were on the table including ones that were not previously considered."


Sorry I asked.

With the 25th twin anniversary of September 11th and America's "war on terror" coming up this Fall, and in light of today's concomitant developments in the Middle East, I thought I might peruse my 20 years of Hullabaloo movie reviews for some perspective. As I plumbed the archives, I was surprised at the number of documentaries and feature films related to our involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan that I have covered. Collectively, these films not only paint a broad canvas of these endless wars themselves, but put the full spectrum of humanity on display, from "the better angels of our nature" to the absolute worst (mostly the worst).

So in lieu of a 3,000-word dissertation, I've culled 9 films that perhaps best represent what's gone down "over there" (and on the home front) since the World Trade Center towers fell, and one film that serves as a preface. It doesn't feel appropriate to call this a "top 10" list, so let's just call it, "food for thought".

Pray for peace.


List of movies follows...

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