‘American Sniper’ film is dangerous propaganda masquerading as art
What you need to know:
- Most people now agree that the Iraq war was based on a lie that led to devastating consequences, and which, for all intents and purposes, should be viewed as a crime against humanity, not only in terms of the death toll, but also in terms of its after-effects.
- It is estimated that at least 600,000 people were killed either by coalition forces or through sectarian violence during the war.
- Yet, this disturbing revelation hardly made a dent on the US administration’s anti-terror policies or on the war itself, even when revelations of the infamous Abu Ghraib prison tortures by US soldiers in 2004 led to widespread anti-war protests.
This may be hard to believe, but many Americans — perhaps even a majority — believe that Saddam Hussein had something to do with the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington in 2001 and that the Iraq war, led by the United States and Britain, was in retaliation for the Iraqi leader’s support for Al-Qaeda.
Those of us who have better knowledge of history and current affairs know that the decision by US President George Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair to invade Iraq and oust Saddam Hussein had absolutely nothing to do with terrorism, but all to do with the United States’ and Britain’s geopolitical and economic interests, and their thirst for oil.
Some of us also know that under United Nations sanctions, thousands of Iraqis suffered while Saddam made oil deals with Russian, French, British, Jordanian, Syrian, Egyptian and Indonesian politicians and with UN officials, who made a killing during the UN’s Oil-for-Food Programme in the 1990s (read Michael Soussan’s book Backstabbing for Beginners).
DOUBLE-DEALING
This double-dealing had severe consequences for health and other services available to the Iraqi people during the sanctions regime.
Most people now agree that the Iraq war was based on a lie that led to devastating consequences, and which, for all intents and purposes, should be viewed as a crime against humanity, not only in terms of the death toll, but also in terms of its after-effects.
It is estimated that at least 600,000 people were killed either by coalition forces or through sectarian violence during the war.
Yet, this disturbing revelation hardly made a dent on the US administration’s anti-terror policies or on the war itself, even when revelations of the infamous Abu Ghraib prison tortures by US soldiers in 2004 led to widespread anti-war protests.
The Bush administration did not heed to the voices of those opposed to US actions in Iraq, even as the death toll escalated. Iraq, the nation, began to fragment into mini-states based on religious or ethnic affiliations.
With the centre no longer holding, things started to fall apart. And Al-Qaeda, which had no place in Saddam’s Iraq, found a home there. The murderous Islamic State soon followed.
KILLED OVER 250 IRAQIS
Now, if a large proportion of the world’s people know this information, why is it that a well-respected actor and director such as Clint Eastwood doesn’t? His latest Oscar-nominated film American Sniper tells the story of Chris Kyle, who was part of the US navy Seal forces in Iraq.
Kyle is credited with killing more than 250 Iraqis during the war.
Eastwood portrays him as a modern-day hero who defended his country against Al-Qaeda. Images of 9/11 and the US embassy bombing in Nairobi precede Kyle’s foray into Iraq.
His mowing down of scores of Iraqis, including women and children, are depicted as act of patriotism driven by Christian and American values.
Every Iraqi, even women and children, in the film is shown as a potential terrorist. And Iraq, the cradle of human civilisation, is shown as a hellish, barbaric place.
The film has not only angered Arabs but fuelled anti-Muslim sentiments. The American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee says that hate speech against Arabs and Muslims following the release of American Sniper late last year has escalated on social media.
BIGGEST SINS
Eastwood’s biggest sins, in my view, are that he de-contextualises the Iraq war and perpetuates the myth that Saddam Hussein had links with Al-Qaeda. Films like American Sniper serve to reinforce lies about the war and America’s reasons for going into it. The war is seen as an inevitable, one-off event, a triumph of good over evil.
The director doesn’t dwell on what all that killing did to the soldiers, many of whom are suffering from post-traumatic disorder or have committed suicide. (Suicide among Iraq war veterans has apparently reached epidemic proportions.) Nor does he use any film footage to show the horrific consequences of the war on the Iraqi people.
American Sniper is a highly dangerous and simplistic film. It is propaganda masquerading as art. The fact that it was nominated for several Oscars shows that even Hollywood is not immune to the misinformation dished out by the US government.
