The Power of Nightmares, Part 2: The Phantom Victory

Dr.Docs' Take

Part two of The Power of Nightmares follows the story into Afghanistan and the myth-making around a single, all-powerful terror network. Curtis argues the threat got inflated because a frightened public is an easy public to lead. I keep one eyebrow up at the sweeping conclusions and still find it braver than almost anything on television now. Watch both parts back to back and try not to feel slightly managed.

The second part of The Power of Nightmares follows the neoconservatives and the Islamists through the Cold War and beyond, toward a shared and often illusory sense of victory. Adam Curtis argues that both movements came to rely on exaggerated enemies to justify their power. The episode weaves archive footage into a sharp critique of how threats have been magnified for political ends. It is a compelling continuation of one of the boldest documentary series of its era. Free to watch in HD on Dr Documentary.

Courtesy of Adam Curtis / BBC on YouTube. Watch on YouTube ↗

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