"violence perpetrated by those we call terrorists"

Anthony McClellan: Documentary-makers think outside idiot box
The power of an idea should never be underestimated and neither should the power of the polemic. In the war on terror, which has been official probably only since September 2001, much of the debate has been centred on the obvious and shocking violence perpetrated by those we call terrorists. But has there been sufficient thought or public debate as to who it is we are fighting?
Adam Curtis is a BBC producer who has put together a three-part documentary series (The Power of Nightmares) that turns on their head many of the prevailing and dominant public perceptions about the HQ of Terrorism Inc, al-Qa'ida. SBS aired it earlier this month. It was a use of the visual medium to strongly argue a heretical perspective, similar to Michael Moore but much smarter.
In a nutshell, it argues that our political leaders have deliberately exaggerated the perceived threat from international terrorism.

Criticism and Responses
Responses
Various attacks have been made on the programme, its author, the BBC and the arguments presented. Curtis has responded to some of the criticism.
Criticism
The program misrepresents the past
The use of fear in politics is nothing new, dictators and democratic leaders throughout history have demonized opponents and enemies.
BBC contradictions
Critics of the programme assert that it is not consistent that the BBC News division has suggested recently that the bombings in London may be the work of al-Qaeda. Others point out, however, that the news division regularly speculates on the causes of events.
Previous groups who bombed people:
Communism From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Communism refers to a theoretical system of social organization and a political movement based on common ownership of the means of production. As a political movement, communism seeks to establish a classless society. A major force in world politics since the early 20th century, modern communism is generally associated with The Communist Manifesto of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, according to which the capitalist profit-based system of private ownership is replaced by a communist society in which the means of production are communally owned, such as through a gift economy. Often this process is said initiated by the revolutionary overthrow of the bourgeoisie as advocated by Marxism, then passes through a transitional period marked by the preparatory stage of socialism as advocated by Leninism. Pure communism has never been implemented, it remains theoretical: communism is, in Marxist theory, the end-state, or the result of state-socialism. The word is now mainly understood to refer to the political, economic, and social theory of Marxist thinkers, or life under conditions of Communist party rule. There were also other thinkers, such as several anarchists who called themselves communist around in the 1800s, but had alternative methods to Marxism to reaching a classless society.
Nazism From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The Nazis from the era of the Third Reich rarely referred to themselves as "Nazis", preferring the official term "National Socialists" instead. Nazi was most commonly used as a pejorative term; however, its use became so widespread that, currently, some Neo-Nazis also use it to describe themselves.
There is a very close relationship between Nazism and Fascism. Since the term Nazism is normally used to refer to the ideology and policies of Nazi Germany alone, while Fascism is used in a broader sense, to refer to a wider political movement that exists or existed in many countries, Nazism is often classified as a particular version of Fascism.
Fascism From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
There is little agreement among historians, political scientists, and other scholars concerning the exact nature of fascism. Most scholars hold that fascism as a social movement employs elements from the political left, but it eventually allies with the political right, especially after attaining state power.
There is also controversy surrounding the question of what political movements and governments belong to fascism. The most restrictive definitions of fascism include only one government - that of Benito Mussolini in Italy. The broadest definitions, on the other hand, may include every authoritarian state that has ever existed. Fascism is associated with one or more of the following characteristics: a very high degree of nationalism, economic corporatism, and, after attaining political control of a country, a powerful, dictatorial state that views the nation as superior to the individuals or groups composing it. Fascism also typically calls for the regeneration of the nation and uses populist appeals to unity. Mussolini defined fascism as being a right-wing ideology in opposition to socialism, liberalism, democracy and individualism.
Shinto From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
As time went on, Shinto was increasingly used in the advertising of nationalists popular sentiments. In 1890, the "Imperial Rescript on Education" was passed, and students were required to ritually recite its oath to "offer yourselves courageously to the State" as well as protect the Imperial family. The practice of Emperor worship was also further spread by distributing imperial portraits for esoteric veneration. All of these practices were used to fortify national solidarity through patriotic centralized observance at shrines. This use of Shinto gave to Japanese patriotism a special tint of mysticism and cultural introversion, which became more pronounced as time went on.
Such processes continued deepening until the Showa Period, before coming to an abrupt halt in August 1945. Somewhat ironically, the invasion by the West so feared at the start of the Meiji era had come at last, due at least in part, to the radicalization of Japan permitted by its religious solidarity.
Bushido From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Bushido ethics enjoyed a revival during World War II as a way to build up Japanese fighting spirit. It was particularly reinforced among the fighting forces as a means of portraying the value of self-sacrifice and loyalty, and reached its apotheosis with the self-sacrifice of the kamikaze pilots.
Maoism From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
From 1962 and onwards the challenge to the Soviet hegemony in the World Communist Movement made by the Chinese Communist Party resulted in various divisions in communist parties around the world.
Since the death of Mao and the reforms of Deng, most of these parties have disappeared, but various small communist groups around the world continue to advance Maoist ideas. These groups generally have the idea that Mao's ideas were betrayed before they could be fully or properly implemented.
As this article mentions: Only six nations have been unbroken independent democracies for the past 100 years: Australia, Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, the United States and the United Kingdom.
[The best defence against the various violent ideologies seems to be democracy. If people want to live in freedom they must be ready to defend it.]