Blatant Reality

Charlie Wilson’s War opens today in theaters and has such big name actors as Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts in it. The movie is based on the true story of Congressman Charlie Wilson who played a role in beating the Soviets in Afghanistan. Pajamas Media posted an article a while back about the movie and I agree with their take on it.

The movie would not have been made were it not for the moral in its closing minutes: American adventures overseas can have unpredictable effects. Sorkin makes the point nicely, with a tale about a zen master, but being clever and being right are two different things. Sorkin all but says that a few million U.S. bucks for schools in Afghanistan after the Soviet war would have prevented 9/11; yet the U.S. for decades has done everything for Saudi Arabia but send it flowers on Mother’s Day. None of our efforts prevented that rancid kingdom from nursing most of the 9/11 hijackers.

I agree with this point but I feel you can take it a step farther and compare it to our current situation in Iraq. If we don’t help rebuild Iraq and stabilize the country, it could very well become a hotbed for terrorism much like Afghanistan became back in the 90’s. I don’t know if this was a connection that the movie was trying to make (which I doubt it was) but I feel that it is a legitimate conclusion.