Ponto de Virada: 11/9 e a Guerra contra o Terror

Put your political views aside and just watch. The series will bring you back to 2001 and remind you where you were when you heard and saw this horrible event happen.

Once upon a time, there were these two jocks (full of muscle but s**t for brains) who had to one-up each other and see who has the bigger cojones. One is a psychopath (Russia) and the other is a narcissist (America). Somehow they had teamed up to defeat a common thorn in their side (Germany) and each ended up briefly dating the conjoined Korean twins. Of course they had to sow discord between the twins, indoctrinating them with their respective ideologies. Russia later flirted with Vietnam and America was like, "Not on my watch". It was an ugly love triangle.

Not long after Vietnam, Russia, like a horny teenager, made a move on Afghanistan. America obviously had to spoil Russia's party and come to Afghanistan's rescue like a knight in shining armour. America saved Afghanistan from being violated by Russia. Russia then went through a meltdown. But fear not, trouble was brewing within the Islamic society over the distribution of Adderall. Iraq tried to seize Kuwait's share of Adderall. America, horrified at the potential disruption to the Adderall supply chain, stepped in and fended off Iraq on Kuwait's behalf. What a guy.

This drew the attention of the new bad boy of Islamic society, Al Qaeda, who did not appreciate America meddling in Islamic affairs. So Al orchestrated an elaborate plot to invade America's home and destroy America's pride - his high school trophies. America was livid; Russia had a massive case of schadenfreude. To save face, America decided to strike back. See, Al had been cosying up to Afghanistan's tyrannical patriarch, the Taliban, and living under their roof. America then exposed Al Qaeda and Taliban for their misdemeanors, and got them kicked out of home.

Afghanistan was grateful that she gets to do whatever she wanted at home again, without the watchful eye of the Taliban. High on adrenaline, America was looking for another fight and his gaze settled on Iraq. Time for some unfinished business. Afghanistan, in the meantime, like a damsel in distress, could not decide whether she loves America or not, "Is he my liberator or is he another oppressor?". Why don't we find out by inviting the Taliban back home? Not to be outdone, Russia has been doing some shady things in the Crimea and Syria. These two bad boys are hellbent on leaving their skid marks all over the world.

Pretty spot on demonstration of how an eye for an eye leaves everyone blind.

This is a fairly well-researched account of the events that eventually led to 9/11, and more so of what an absolute mess the aftermath was.

What this means is that the makers do not shy away from what is of course a universally known truth - that Islamic fundamentalism was fostered, nurtured and funded by the USA. It does pick a somewhat convenient starting point - the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, which was itself the culmination of a series of coups and counter-coups, but it does show how the pattern remains the same since then: no one in power cares about the long-term consequences of their actions.

This is also evident when discussing the war in Afghanistan: most inverviewees agree that there was no clear goal there whatsoever - despite of whether they agree that there was reason to go to war, the plan of action was non-existent. Indeed, apart from eventually assassinating bin Laden, almost nothing that the US did in Afghanistan had anything to do with 9/11.

By the way, the series is quite critical of Obama, so I am not sure what some reviewers are arguing about. That it criticises Bush first? That's not leftist propaganda, people. Bush and his cronies (and anyone else you want, Obama, Trump, just add a name to the list and you'll probably be right) are guilty of crimes against humanity - this is a pretty widely accepted view worldwide.

The political analysis aside, it would be a mistake not to point out that it also manages to give a respectful and harrowing account of the 9/11 attacks themselves. But it is a terrible mistake to stick to this only. The signs were all there then. Other signs all here now.

Pretty extensive history, starting with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 and ending with the Americans leaving in 2021. Some political figures and veterans who were involved comment. Consequences of the war and political decisions are discussed.

Overall this documentary was substantial and well-researched as far as I can tell. One remark: I wish it would have covered some backstory on the pilots and their radicalisation in Germany.