The Power of Nightmares: The Rise of the Politics of Fear

A BBC documentary film series, written and produced by Adam Curtis. This film compares the rise of the American Neo-Conservative movement and the radical Islamist movement, making comparisons on their origins and noting strong similarities between the two. It also argues that the threat of radical Islamism as a massive, sinister organized force of destruction, specifically in the form of al-Qaeda, is in fact a myth perpetrated by politicians in many countries—and particularly American Neo-Conservatives—in an attempt to unite and inspire their people following the failure of earlier, more utopian ideologies. These films have never been shown in the U.S.

Part 1 “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” examines the origins of neoconservative and Islamist philosophy and their respective founders, Sayyid Qutb and Leo Strauss. They both argued that radical measures could be justified in an effort to restore shared moral values to society. The program traces the growth and struggles of these movements through the 1980’s.


Part 2 "The Phantom Victory" Islamist factions, rapidly falling under the more radical influence of Zawahiri and his rich Saudi acolyte Osama bin Laden, join the Neo-Conservative-influenced Reagan Administration to combat the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan.


Part 3 "The Shadows in the Cave" addresses the actual rise of al-Qaeda. With the September 11th attacks, Neo-Conservatives in the new Republican government of George W. Bush use this created concept of an organization to justify another crusade against a new evil enemy, leading to the launch of the War on Terrorism.