Promoted by Steven D.
It is nowhere written that the American empire goes on forever.
Why We Fight is a provocative new documentary from 
acclaimed filmmaker Eugene Jarecki (The Trials of Henry Kissinger) and winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival which is now posted at Empire Burlesque for viewing (via Google).
Named after the series of short films by legendary director Frank Capra that explored America’s reasons for entering World War II, Why We Fight surveys a half-century of military conflicts, asking how – and answering why – a nation of, by and for the people has become the savings-and-loan of a government system whose survival depends on an Orwellian state of constant war.
Why We Fight features interviews and observations by a “who’s who” of military and Washington insiders including Senator John McCain, Gore Vidal, and Dan Rather. Beginning with President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s prescient 1961 speech warning of the rise of the “military industrial complex,” Why We Fight moves far beyond the headlines of various American military operations to the deeper questions of why America seemingly is always at war. What are the forces – political, economic, and ideological – that drive us to clash against an ever-changing enemy? Just why does America fight?
Jarecki interviews people from all parts of the machinery: a grandmother who pushes missiles around a factory floor but confesses she would rather work in a toy factory, an optionless youngster signing up for the army, a Vietnamese immigrant who escaped one war and now designs bunkerbusting bombs for another, the fighter pilots who proudly delivered the first strikes in a preemptive war, a Pentagon officer who has become entirely disenchanted with the military, and a retired cop who struggles to reconcile his grief for the son he lost on 9/11 with the realization that he has been duped by the administration’s lies. Also among the talking heads are William Kristol and Richard Perle.
Unforgettable, powerful and at times disturbing.
I believe the movie "Syriana" deals quite clearly with why we usually fight or are fighting! It is mainly for profit and hoarding of natural resources worldwide for our profits and lifestyle maintenance. HOWEVER, there is some "wag-the-dog" reasons why some administrations want war, and in the case of the Bush administration, war is needed to enable and be a cover for Bush’s narrow agenda and to cover-up his otherwise incompetent abilites!
this documentary is what michael moore should have done before the last election.
what was interesting to hear at the screening that i attended ( about 100 people in audience ) was how many times the phrase ‘ i didn’t know that ‘ was uttered by those around me. think about that – that is the main problem in the usa today – if the amerikan sheeple are relying mainly on newspapers / television / radio for their information, they are screwed and the nation is screwed.
richard perle was unintentionally hilarious throughout as his comments / ‘ pearls of wisdom ‘ had absolutely no relation to reality or to subsequent events.
eisenhower warned of the ‘military – industrial complex’. that organism then morphed into the ‘military – industrial – congressional’ complex by the end of the VietNam conflict and remained as such until the invasion of Iraq at which time the organism morphed into the ‘military-industrial-congressional-think tank complex’ ( think aei, heritage, hoover, rand, etc ).
the person that really makes this documentary work is Chalmers Johnson – extremely lucid, focused and informative.