“War Machine” from Netflix surprised me


I thought this “War Machine” movie from Netflix was going to be too silly, but it is pretty great. It is based on a book called “The Operators” that tells the story of General Stanley McChrystal’s time in Afghanistan, where he struggled against the reality that the Global War on Terror is failing. In this story, you can see how we are spinning our wheels trying to “nation-build” in places where we are not wanted.

The “mission” we are asking our bravest to accomplish is increasingly unjustifiable. When we kill insurgents in the middle east, we just create more. When we do deals with Saudi Arabia to sell weapons for destroying Yemen or Syria, we just create more insurgents. No matter how valiant you think it is to try spreading democracy (if that’s what you really think we are doing), it doesn’t work.

I just wish “War Machine” took a stronger step forward in asking why we perpetuate the GWOT. I understand that the original book did not seek to do this. But we need to address the biggest problem with the GWOT: the lack of a realistic goal or purpose. White terrorists are killing more Americans than those from the middle east, yet we plan to save ourselves through imperialism?

It just doesn’t work.

 

You can preview the book “The Operators” right here.