Hijacking the Catastrophe

The 2004 documentary “Hijacking Catastrophe”, directed by Jeremy Earp and Sut Jhally and narrated by Julian Bond, attempts to look at whether the neo-conservatives took advantage of the September 11^th bombings to influence foreign policy and expand American influence through military might. Through a series of interviews of a panel of experts on military policy and economic issues, they seek to present and justify some common perceptions about the American response 9/11 and in particular, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The American response to the 9/11 had a resounding effect on both American domestic and foreign policy, and may have contributed to the financial crisis.

First, the official response to 9/11 was characterized by a drive to instill fear in the populace and use the support of the populace to stage American interventions around the globe (Prewitt, Alterman, Arato & Pyszczynski, 2004). The results of the drive was to see the enactment of the Patriot Act which allowed for the treatment of prisoners, both American citizens and non-citizens alike as enemy combatants, unwarranted surveillance, suspended habeas corpus, allowed indefinite detention and generally a loss of civil liberties. Secondly, the administration used general misaligned claims, and manipulation of intelligence to influence public support in the intent to invade Iraq on the basis they had weapons of mass destruction (Thrall & Cramer, 2009). These were proven to be false claims as the plans to attack Iraq were well underway before 9/11. Moreover, no active weapons of mass destruction (WMD) sites or stockpiles have been found in Iraq since. The change in policy also saw an increase in Anti-American sentiment all around the world, particularly in the Middle East.

Third, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq at the very least played a part in the deterioration of the US economy. The increased military spending, as well as the accompanying tax cuts resulted in greater budget deficits and increased national debt, figures of which stood at $7 trillion at the end of 2004. In this regard, the war contributed to the downturn of the economy (Thrall & Cramer, 2009). Furthermore, the cost of military spending as at the end of 2004 was $400 billion (Oatley, 2015), a staggering 18% of the national budget and almost seven times as the next greatest spender (World Bank, 2015), Russia. Diversion of funds that would have better served in provision of essential services to a war some have called unnecessary must have surely contributed to the economic crisis. Last, is the claim on George H. W. Bush’s service record. Information that has since come to light indicate that Bush went Away Without Leave (AWOL) while serving as in the Texas Air National Guard, and was subsequently suspended. The implication is that he has no active service record, the implication that most people derived being that he does not have as extensive military experience as he claimed to have. As a result, there is contention on how his military experience bolstered his choices as a Commander-In-Chief.

To conclude, the documentary points to the American response to the 9/11 as the lead up to a change in both the domestic and foreign policy, as well as contributing to the financial crisis. The American response was indeed expected, but the direction which it took was entirely up to the sitting administration. In this regard, they are responsible, at least in part, for the effects on American policy and economy, and any developments that have ensued since.

References

Oatley, T. (2015). A political economy of American hegemony.

Prewitt, K., Alterman, E., Arato, A., Pyszczynski, T., Robin, C., & Stern, J.. (2004). The Politics of Fear after 9/11. Social Research, 71(4), 1129–1146. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/40971995

Thrall, A., & Cramer, J. (2009). American foreign policy and the politics of fear. Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.

World Bank,. (2015). Military expenditure (% of central government expenditure) | Data | Table. Data.worldbank.org. Retrieved 31 October 2015, from http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/MS.MIL.XPND.ZS