"XXI CENTURY" begins with the presidential elections of 2000. What happened in those elections? Who really won the State of Florida? How many Americans could not vote in Florida that day? Why? Who were they? Why was the Supreme Court called upon to decide who was the winner? Did the media do their job? We hear from historian Howard Zinn, who describes the 2000 Presidential Elections as a "political coup" and Gore Vidal, who refers to them as "the end of the Republic." Today, everyone in the world has heard about September 11th, 2001 and its lasting effects. But how many people know what really happened that day? Who were the terrorists who attacked us? Why did they do it? Whose money did they use? BBC and Guardian investigative reporter Greg Palast tells us the "most censored story in America". Gore Vidal provides some penetrating questions about the attack that should have been the subject of intense investigation by the 9/11 Commission, while Princeton historian Arno Mayer introduces the notion that the US is not just the sole superpower, but is in fact an empire.
Part 2 of "XXI CENTURY" tells the story of what happened in America after September 11th, 2001. While the Bush administration responded with the 'war on terror', the Patriot Act and the imprisonment without trial of suspects at Guantanamo Bay, hundreds of thousands of citizens took to the streets to protest the looming invasion of Iraq and the attack on our civil liberties. We listen to the voices of the people at those rallies. Amongst those interviewed for their perspective on the these subjects are Reed Brody of Human Rights Watch, Amy Goodman of Democracy Now!, Katha Pollitt of The Nation, Pete Seeger, Leslie Cagan of United for Peace and Justice, Michael Ratner of the Center for Constitutional Rights, and Curt Goering of Amnesty International. Providing the long view are Gore Vidal and historian Howard Zinn who reflect on war and despotism and the realities of class division in our society.
In Part 3 the mainstream media is put on trial, including those news outlets, which sold their soul and worked as the propaganda arm of the Bush Administration. Amongst the charges are: failure to cover massive anti-war demonstrations, failure to include opposing points of view, self-censorship on television and even in journals, willing co-optation through embedment in the armed forces, undemocratic concentration of media ownership in fewer and fewer hands, failure to provide context, such as the history of American foreign policy in the Middle East, and failure to report that the enormous weight of world public opinion opposed the war. Those commenting include Noam Chomsky, Gore Vidal, Howard Zinn, Princeton historian Arno Mayer, Greg Palast of the BBC and The Guardian, Katha Pollitt of The Nation, Amy Goodman of Democracy Now!, Emily Reinhardt of Indymedia, and Danny Schechter of MediaChannel.org.
David Cline, a Vietnam veteran and president of Veterans for Peace, relates his personal story and gives us a first-hand account of what war really looks like. The historian Michael Foley looks at the inequities of the draft during the Vietnam war, which produced the notorious "chicken-hawks" who spend their time these days championing the 'war on terror' as a patriotic duty but who avoided military service when it was their turn to serve. Vietnam veterans tell us about their difficult return to "the world". We look at the bloated military budget, and the effect it has on funds desperately needed by cities across the country. And just who is the threat to peace? Nelson Mandela and a Hiroshima survivor remind us that only one country has actually used nuclear weapons. Amongst those featured are Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Angela Davis, Susan Sarandon, Desmond Tutu, Jessica Lange, Tim Robbins, Ossie Davis, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and Patti Smith.
Part 5 is a history lesson. Iraq after all was the cradle of Western civilization. Zainab Baharani is an art historian at Columbia University who was born in Baghdad. With her we retrace the famous civilizations of the Sumerians, Babylonians and Assyrians. Her colleague historian Victoria de Grazia relates the events that shaped the history of today's Iraq, such as World War I, and the fall of the Ottoman Empire. NYU Middle East expert Timothy Mitchell and investigative reporter Greg Palast examine more recent events such as the Iran-Iraq war, the relationship of the Reagan and Bush Administrations with Saddam Hussein, and the events leading up to the first Gulf War. That war was followed by sanctions against Iraq imposed by the UN and enforced by the US and the United Kingdom with aerial bombardments. The sanctions resulted in the deaths of a half million Iraqi children and a public health disaster due in part to the use of depleted uranium during the war. Also destroyed in large part was Iraq's infrastructure, as well as its architectural and artistic heritage. Amongst those featured are Victor Sidel of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, Norman Solomon of the Institute for Public Accuracy, William Hartung of the World Policy Institute, filmmaker and activist Jacqueline Soohen, and former Attorney General Ramsey Clark. Also speaking at demonstrations we hear from Harry Bellafonte, Jessica Lange, Susan Sarandon and Danny Glover.
As the war against Iraq was approaching, many international organizations were working to identify and anticipate the effects of this new conflict on the civilian population and economy of Iraq. Interviews with Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War present us with possible scenarios for the conduct and repercussions of the current war. What is the price, and who will pay it? Part 6 of "XXI CENTURY" also looks at the damage done to the UN, the refusal of the US to join the International Criminal Court, to be bound by any international standards. It looks at the justification for war, namely weapons of mass destruction. Former weapons inspector Scott Ritter demolishes that argument. So what are we fighting for? Howard Zinn points out that the central feature of US policy in the Middle East is our need for a dependable supply of oil. It alone can explain our actions from the overthrow of the Mossadegh regime in Iran in 1956 to the first Gulf War in 1991, even to our attempt to oust Hugo Chávez in Venezuela. Helping us deconstruct US foreign policy are Gore Vidal, Roger Normand of the Center for Economic and Social Rights, Jose Alvarez of Columbia Law School, investigative journalist Greg Palast, and historian Arno Mayer.
In the last part of "XXI CENTURY" we examine the problem from a broader perspective. Is the US really motivated by concerns for human rights, and spreading democracy? If so, how do we explain our double standard in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? Roger Normand of the Center for Economic and Social Rights points out the disturbing similarity between the Sharon and Bush administrations in their linking of religious fundamentalism to state power. In fact many of the strongest advocates for the invasion of Iraq have a long history of close ties with Israel. From the early 90s on, they argued that Saddam should be removed from power. These neoconservatives are the authors of the doctrine of "full spectrum dominance" and are behind the Project for the New American Century. In our pursuit of greater and greater control, who is next in line to feel our military might? History tells us that we don't care about dictatorships or democracies. As Noam Chomsky says we're the kind of empire that wants to "determine the course of world affairs, punish those who don't go along, and tolerate those who do go along." Helping us to give us a worldwide perspective on human rights are Curt Goering of Amnesty International, and Reed Brody and Hanny Megally of Human Rights Watch. Explaining the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and broader US policy goals are NYU's Timothy Mitchell, Israeli filmmaker Udi Aloni, historians Victoria de Grazia and Arno Mayer, along with Howard Zinn and Noam Chomsky.