Review: No End in Sight
Ferguson Explores the Decision Making Process in Bush's Inner Circle
Sofware company millionaire turned filmmaker directs a documentary that interviews the top officials, journalists and authors. Investigates ways to get out of Iraq now.
Recently, media has been using their ability to demonstrate what exactly is going on in Iraq. More films are coming out in the dramatic genre and documentary forms. Charles Ferguson’s new documentary No End in Sight explains the decision making process of the war. For those who have kept up with the reporting and events in the Middle East, there are not any new facts, per se. However, what Ferguson’s documentary uncovers is the unstructured, arrogance, and incompetence of the Bush administration which led to the invasion and occupation of Iraq.
Ferguson divided his film into three sections: The Void, Things fall Apart, and Chaos. Through these sections, he lays out in chronological order the events that led up to the invasion, phases of war, and occupation of Iraq. The Defense Intelligence Agency analyst, Marc Galasco recalls the Bush administration’s attempts to discover a link between Saddam and Al Qaeda. Ferguson also includes powerfully damning footage of Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Tenet. (Although asked, all in Bush’s Inner Circle declined to be interviewed for this documentary).
Ferguson interviewed high ranking officials who either resigned or were fired because they no longer agreed with Bush’s foreign policy. Initially, they were brought on to restructure and rebuild Iraq. However, their advice and reports went discarded and were never read by Bush’s Inner Circle and Washington.
Ferguson also interviews writer, George Packer (The Assassin’s Gate) who evaluated mismanagement in the war when Bush gave NSPD-24 (National Security Presidential Directive Number 24), the order to give control of post-war Iraq to the Pentagon. He also explores the errors made by Ahmed Chalabi and the Bush administration for believing his predictions. The unpreparedness for Ambassador Barbara Bodine in Iraq was unacceptable because she was placed without staff, phones, resources, plans, or security. Basically starting from zero. Later, Paul Bremer came in to implement the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) with his disastrous de’Baathification policy and disbanded the Iraqi army. This led to 27% unemployment (underestimated figure), rioting, protests, lawlessness, and an increase in the Iraqi Insurgency.
Throughout the film, narrator Campbell Scott breaks in stating “Iraq has disintegrated into chaos,” as Iraqis run for cover, bleed to death, and scream for their loved ones. Many of the bombing go underreported, while the numbers of Iraqi injuries, deaths, and refugees continue to increase. In Baghdad, alone, people are without water, electricity, and everyone must be home by eight in the evening. Random kidnapping, ransoms, car hijackings, shootings, and other violent crimes have broken out all over Iraq.
The title of No End in Sight resonates with Americans and Iraqis alike. What Ferguson explicitly shows is that the administration had no end in mind. Now, no real end seems possible in the near future for at least the cessation of violence in Iraq or U.S. presence. The film argues that the first year of occupation is a done deed. He also argues that the administration has done nothing to rectify their glaring errors either.
His documentary is powerfully filmed, well-balanced, and concise. The topic is chilling as often truth is. However, anyone interested in knowing the facts about Washington politics may like to view this film.
Charles Ferguson, a former Brookings Institution fellow and co-founder of a lucrative software company. He sold his company to Microsoft for $133 million. No End in Sight is his first documentary film.
