All language subtitles for Shadow World Inside the Global Arms Trade 720p WEBRip x264 AC3

♪ so bring on the
light fantastic

♪ I'll show you

♪ if you should ask it

♪ let's dance together
till morning ♪

- got a terrific
view of the kick mist

With the cdr now
appearing from behind me.

- still...

We are at war.

I'm responsible for the
deployment of thousands

Of young americans, to
battle in a distant land.

And some will kill.

And some will be killed.

And so I come here
with an acute sense

Of the costs of armed conflict.

Filled with difficult
questions about

The relationship
between war and peace,

And our effort to replace
one with the other.

- okay
crib we copy that.

We've got tv pictures again.

- hefty,
black control systems.

- they were five
months into world war I,

Both sides were in trenches.

They were just mass slaughter
across the landscape.

Men were standing up sleeping.

They were in their
own feces, and their

Dead comrades were sitting
there in no man's land.

They couldn't even get them and

Bring them back for burial.

It was christmas eve and
the german high command

Had sent little christmas trees.

It was like a stage
set, all of a sudden

Across the german front, you saw

These little christmas
trees lighting up,

And then the allies
heard silent night

Being sung by the germans.

And they started applauding.

And then all of a
sudden a couple of guys

On both sides get
out of the trenches

Areat war,
who turned blood into gold.

And their profits were as
secret as they were immense.

All of them are
looking ahead to war.

- I stand before you tonight

In my red star chiffon
evening gown...

My face softly made up, and
my fair hair gently waved.

The iron lady of
the western world.

Then thousands get
out of the trenches,

And they embraced each
other, 100,000 men.

- All no man's land as
far as we could see.

It was grey and cocky.

The early were
smoking and talking.

Shaking hands,
exchanging names and

Addresses for after the war,
to write to one another.

- everybody back
in your trenches, you know.

And shouting, the generals
behind must have seen it,

And got a bit suspicious.

So what they did,
they gave orders

For a battery of guns
behind us to fire.

And officers fired
their revolvers at
the gerry's, you know.

Course that started
the war again.

Woah we were
crushing 'em to hell.

- this was a
war to end all wars.

This was the war to make the
world safe for democracy.

At least 21,000 new millionaires
were made in the u.S.

Billions and billions of dollars
would be piled up by a few.

Munition makers, ship
builders, meat packers.

And let us not
forget the bankers,

Who financed the great war,
who turned blood into gold.

And their profits were as
secret as they were immense.

All of them are
looking ahead to war.

- I stand before you tonight

In my red star chiffon
evening gown...

My face softly made up, and
my fair hair gently waved.

The iron lady of
the western world.

- the
al-yamamah deal was this

Extraordinary deal
between the united kingdom

And saudi arabia, in which
ronald regean wanted to

Sell the saudis
billions and billions

Dollars worth of equipment.

But the israeli
lobby stopped it.

And congress
wouldn't approve it,

Because they feared arming
saudi would threaten israel.

So ronald reagan handed
the deal over, effectively,

To his political soul
mate, margaret thatcher.

- You ain't seen nothing yet.

- You are a very
tough act to follow.

- When we stumbled on
the saudi arms deal,

The al-yamamah arms
deal, we really started

To stumble on a central
feature of british politics,

Over the last 30 years.

- His royal highness,
prince bandar,

Has been at the heart of
many of the great world

Events of the past 30 years.

I was always pleased to see
him when I was prime minister,

Because he brought
me extraordinary

Insights and bold proposals.

- she informed
us, she considered

Saudi arabia as a
strong friend, and would

Be willing to
support the kingdom

With whatever the kingdom needs.

End of discussion, from
there on everything

Else was technical.

- He explained to
mrs. Thatcher that

This was a deal
with saudi arabia,

And therefore things
would end differently.

They wanted 43 billion
pounds worth of weaponry.

That was 6 billion
pounds in commissions.

The vast majority, or what most
people understand as bribes.

- We will continue to work
together against the terrorists,

Who threaten the way of
life of our citizens.

Was a man called eddy
cunningham, actually.

He said, "I've been working
for a travel company,

"and we had a kind
of slush fund, we use

"to distribute to
saudis and other arabs

"when they came to
britain, for bae,

"all to help the path
of arms deals along."

When saudi military
officers would come along,

He would present them
with canteens of cutlery,

That was something
that they liked.

Another thing they
liked was girls,

So he would take
them out on the town,

And get them girls.

- To be honest, it seemed
like quite small beer.

Payments made, some of them for

Rather un-islamic activities.

Gaming chips, there were
talks about call girls,

- There's only two things that
count in business my friend.

Money and sex.

The rest, you can write
as much as you like,

Is absolute garbage.

You can make a weapon beautiful,
depends on your secretary.

Because, they are
more distracted

Looking at your secretary's ass

Than thinking what the
hell you're talking about.

And that is, sometimes,
all the edge you need.

I had to use an escort
agency called blue orchids,

Because of the special taste of

The chief of staff of the army,

Who liked blondes
with silicone tits.

We had their secretary
of the embassy

Come and review the photos.

And he said, "I want this
one, I want this one,

"I want this one,
I want this one."

I had the girls I arrived
with one day before.

And I said, girls, I
know you've all been paid

Handsomely for this
but, do me a favor,

If you get any pillow
talk that is relevant

Please bring it across
because I could use it.

And for each,
interesting information,

I will give another
3,000 year bonus.

So with 60 grand, I signed a
contract worth three million.

So it wasn't bad deal.

- And then my phone rang again,

And it was another whistle
blower and he said,

"you have no idea what it is
that you're getting into here."

And he said, "this
slush fund is much, much

Our job was to look after
the really high level people.

Those who used to
come to England,

Who were being bribed,
essentially, by bae,

Were people of the
level of the head of

The saudi air force,
who was a royal prince.

We would fly them
to los angeles,

And they would buy
cars and dresses,

And it wasn't shopping
like you and I would think.

In the end, when they
gathered together all

Their shopping, we would
charter an entire jumbo jet

To fly it all back
to saudi arabia.

- It was an attempt to
try and trace through

The bank accounts who the
ultimate beneficiaries are

That the case became
really very serious,

As the trail appeared
to lead towards

Senior members of the
saudi royal family.

- the most outrageous
example was that bae,

In order to smooth the
way with prince bandar,

At one point made him
a president of a huge

Commercial airliner,
all of his very own.

Which he promptly had
painted in the grey

And silver colors of
the dallas cowboys,

Who were his favorite
american team.

And he used to fly around
in that, quite cheerfully.

- The case centered
on establishing the

Ultimate beneficiaries
of exceptionally

Large amounts of money
paid by british aerospace

For consultancy services.

- there's evidence
that mark thatcher,

Mrs. Thatcher's son,
got 12 million in cash

For his work as a fixer.

- This is a fire nine mill.

It's okay, it's not loaded.

Don't worry.

It's a very beautiful
weapon, it's austrian made.

If you want to
sell on the market,

And you're looking probably
at about 3,500 euros.

- and why do
you keep it in the house?

- because
I'm a soldier.

- and you
can do that legally?

- Yes and no, but yeah,
more or less you can.

As long as it's in the house.

And you don't shoot the
cat of the neighbor.

I got nothing against
money, I don't mind paying

Bribes to politicians,
it's part of the deal.

The thing about
politicians is that

They're very much
like prostitutes,

But only more expensive.

The politics is dictated by
the whims of the arms industry.

Politicians are nothing more
than sales reps my dear friend.

They have as much
power as a middle

Ranking executive
in lockheed martin.

At the end of the day
they do what they're told.

- when an
executive goes to bribe

A foreign official,
he says to himself,

Look I've taken a lot
of risk to take this

Five million dollars, that I'm

Paying to the prime
minister of xyz.

He makes an arrangement
with prime minister of xyz.

I'll hand over the five million,

But you take half of
that five million,

And you send it to the following

Bank account in switzerland.

We'll share in this largess.

The first time an
executive does that,

And he collects 2.5
million dollars,

He says, "wow, this is a
good business to be in."

And within moments
of that realization,

He is now no longer in the
business of selling airplanes,

He's in the business
of selling bribes.

And he's now scouring the world

For somebody to find to bribe.

♪ regrets

♪ and I've had a few

♪ but then again

♪ too few to mention

♪ I did

♪ what I had to do

♪ and saw it through

♪ without exemption

♪ I planned

♪ each chartered course

♪ each careful step

♪ along the by-way

♪ and more

♪ much more than this

♪ I did it

♪ my way

- And then the phone rang again.

And this was somebody
who said, "you have

"no idea what you're
getting into."

He said, "this whole
bae thing is much,

"much bigger, goes
right to the very top."

What he had was
something that you

Never see as a journalist.

Swiss bank records of
international covert payments,

Going all over the world.

He showed me how bae had
set up a whole system

With lloyds bank, under
which they channeled

Secret payments into the
british virgin islands

Offshore company
called red diamond.

And from red diamond
the money went into

This guy's swiss
bank account, and he

Then used it to distribute
to the local politicians,

Taking a big chunk
for himself of course.

- I mean I can
certainly assure you,

I mean that we, and I
believe most companies

Are not in the business
of making payments

Passing, as you suggest,
large sums of money

I mean it is just not the
way me business is done.

- We were actually
able to publish

What was our most dangerous
story, that prince bandar

Had been given not just a plane,

But over the years, a total
of one billion pounds.

- We did not invent

Corruption.

I mean adam and
eve were in heaven,

And they had hanky-panky
and they had to

Go down to earth, so...

And this is human nature.

- I salute a
prince, a statesman,

And a friend.

- What is greed?

Of course none of us are greedy,

It's only the other
fella who's greedy.

This...

The world runs on individual's

Pursuing their
separate interests.

- All those people who
believe that greed,

Violence, et cetera,
these primal,

So called primal instincts,
are the real instincts,

And everything else is
a social construction,

They've lost their mind.

And for the last
50 years, at least,

Policy has been made based
on the assumption of greed.

And it's ruined the world.

- Alright.

- Mr. Reagan, if you would.

- Patronites believe there
is no nature of society,

So we have to nurture
individualism.

I don't accept that at all.

I think there are
very many, good public

Policy initiatives
for creating society.

Welcome to beirut.

They are saying hello to you.

There's a combination
ak-47 kalashnikov.

A society that
decides that the bulk

Of it's budget is going to
go to arms manufacturing,

Building up a
military, et cetera,

They have made a moral decision.

That militarism
is more important

Than the creation of
well-being for the population.

It's not the world
I want to live in.

I want to live in
the real world.

And the real world is
people by real emotions.

Including love and generosity.

- My god, if you
want, is freedom.

The freedom of human
beings, of individuals,

To pursue their own values.

- I think what the term freedom

Means is economic license.

And it's the economic
license of those

Who control property, and
those who control capital,

Has in fact been a threat,
not only to equality,

But a threat to the
freedom of peoples

All over the world,
and not only in europe

And the united
states, but in africa,

In asia, and in latin america.

- I want you to
name me any society

In which you've had any large
measure of that freedom.

Where capitalism
and free enterprise

Has not been the
predominate mechanism.

- The free enterprise system

Has spread through
the force of arms,

And those arms were
wielded by governments.

That was government
intervention,

Under the name of the
free enterprise system,

But a government
intervention which destroyed

The freedoms of many people.

Not least of which are
the people of chile.

- From the 1950's, all the
way through the 1970's,

The cia and the u.S.
Military were engaged

In covert actions throughout
central and latin america.

Throughout africa, really
throughout the world.

Where they were assassinating
populist leaders,

They were backing up
right-wing military juntas,

Funding and arming
death squads, like the

Contras in nicaragua, or
battalion 316 in honduras.

And there were these
spate of assassinations

Across the globe.

- In countries like
mine, people have

Been killed to be quiet.

To know that any day,
any time you're going to

Be killed, you don't know
how, but it's coming.

We were fighting an
oligarch, and still

We are fighting,
you know, oligarchs.

Minds that don't want to
work on inclusiveness,

But just extraction.

It's not only about
taking from the earth,

But taking from the people.

Even your dreams get colonized.

- The last half of what
is called the cold war,

Turned out to be
a very hot war for

Many parts of the world.

From the standpoint of
what iqbal lamet calls

The victims of, what I
will think of really as,

Of people trying to
make their own futures.

There was an attempt
in the global south

To create an alternative
imagination for people.

But in the early 1970's,
this attempt was destroyed.

And it was stopped through
a real, genuine attempt,

By the global law
to take over the

Institutions of the
world, including

The world bank, the imf.

So, it's not simply
that the people

Of the south were
incapable of carrying

Forward their dreams.

I use a very strong word.

These dreams were assassinated.

It's not just the
one off killings,

The coup here, the coup there.

It's the entire dream
that had to be killed.

- The joint hearings
of the house select

Committee to
investigate covert arms

Transaction with iran.

And the select committee
on secret military

Assistance to iran and
the nicaraguan opposition.

We will come to order.

- Congress began to
address what they perceived

To be an insanely out of
control series of covert

Actions with little to no
congressional oversight.

- We have been
supplying lethal weapons

To terrorist nations,
involving the u.S. Government

In military activities in
direct contravention of the law.

And lying to the congress.

Now I believe that
democracy cannot survive

That kind of abuse.

- And people like dick
cheney, and donald rumsfeld,

Who were relatively new
to government at the time,

Did not like when
congress said we need

To step in and confront the
national security state.

And what's become a very
out of control kill program.

Cheney then went on, during
the reagan years in the 80's

To serve in congress,
and when the iran-contra

Scandal broke out into the open,

Cheney did not like
congress being involved

With anything that the
executive branch was doing.

And you had this
utter scandal that

Emanated from the highest
echelons of power.

And the reagan
administration was acting

As though it had
nothing to do with it.

- I've told you all that I know.

And you know, the
truth of the matter is,

For quite some long
time, all that you knew

Is what I told you.

- did
they deceive you?

You didn't answer whether
they deceived you.

Mr. President!

- Our witness this morning
is mr. Robert mcfarlane,

The former national security
advisor to the president.

Mr. Mcfarlane we
welcome you to the

Committee and we look
forward to your testimony.

- Mr. Mcfarlane,
did you have any

Discussion about the possibility

Of, in effect, farming out
the whole contra support

Operations in nicaragua
to another country,

Which we'll call country one?

- Yes that's correct.

- and did you,
in fact, succeed in obtaining

Money from another country,

Which we'll call country two?

- That's correct.

I had the practice of
meeting periodically

With the official
from country two,

About assistance
we could provide.

In some cases arm sales.

And he intended to
provide a contribution

Of a million dollars per
month, to the contras,

Through the end of the year.

- you have no
problems working with the cia?

- We have no problem
working with the

United states
government, and unless

The cia does not work
for the United States

Government, then I think
we have a bigger problem.

- There have been occasions
where some americans

Have questioned
that, as you know.

- Well thank heavens
those occasions

Was not in connection
with saudi arabia.

- I think that there
was a substantial

Shadow government, trying to run

Foreign affairs for
the United States.

- These events have
been characterized

By some pretty
strong statements.

We've heard talk of a grave
constitutional crisis,

And even been
treated to talk about

A coup in the white house.

- Not only does
cheney, sort of, defend

Iran-contra, but he
argues that iran-contra

Is actually a model
for how the u.S.

Should be conducting it's
national security policy.

He is a radical
subscriber to this notion

Of the unitary executive.

Effectively what
you're doing is saying

On certain parts
of american policy

We don't have a democracy,
we have a dictatorship.

- As a matter of fact I was...

Very definitely involved
in the decisions

About support to the
freedom fighters.

My idea to begin with.

- In my opinion there's
no justification

For further restrictions
on the power

And flexibility of
future presidents.

- The national security
league today is mostly

Composed of people
who hit the revolving

Door multiple times
during their life.

- the nomination
of richard b. Cheney

To be secretary of
defense is confirmed.

- they make a name
for themselves in the private

Industry, and then they
come into the government.

This revolving door keeps
the national security league

Very small, and very wealthy.

And increasing it's wealth
as it goes up the chain.

To the extent that then,
when you get to the top

As cheney did,
then you can become

A member of the plutocracy,
that runs the country too.

- This is an impressive crowd.

The have's.

And the have more's.

- Cheney commissioned a
study, by halliburton,

To find out how much more
of the defense department

Could be privatized.

- halliburton.

Proud to serve our troops.

- Halliburton was elated
to get this million

Dollar contract, and
of course returned

A verdict that,
"oh, mr. Secretary,

"lots more of it
can be privatized."

- Dick cheney leaves
the defense department

And goes and heads
halliburton himself.

And he spends the
entire 1990's, building

Up the halliburton war empire.

- Well, if we're gonna
talk about star wars,

We might as well
invite darth vader.

I'm happy to accept.

- Then he comes back into
power as vice president,

And then they start
hiring halliburton to...

In advance even of u.S.
Troops going in to iraq,

Halliburton personnel
and equipment was

Being deployed to the gulf.

It's hard to look
at this and not say,

These guys had a
very long term plan

For how they were
going to increase

The powerful infrastructure
of private companies.

What we've essentially
done is to create

A network of corporations
that have the

Fire power of small
nation-states.

That could, you
know, overthrow some

Small governments
around the world.

- In essence, we in
the United States

Have privatized the ultimate
public function, war.

- You know bombs have got a
time limit, they're like food.

You know munitions has got,
you know, sell-by dates.

You gotta get rid of it.

In iraq, the f-16s
and f-18s were firing

Six million dollars
within seconds,

Coming back, re-arming
and going up again.

- there's no
hope of ending war,

Because there's
always a small cobble

Of people for whom war is
really, really good business.

It doesn't matter that we're
losing the war in afghanistan.

Halliburton could care less.

It's good for them,
good for profit.

Well we've undergone a corporate

Coup d'état, in slow motion.

To quote john ralston saul.

35,000 lobbyists in
washington, they write

The legislation,
they write the bills.

- All it takes is
one phone call,

From somebody on
the hill, to someone

In the pentagon, saying,
"hey, turn on the dogs,

"the hill's out to
get our program.

"the guy's in the
senate aren't on board,

"we need you to turn
on the gucci shoe guys

"to straighten this thing out."

The gucci shoe guys
being the lobbyists.

And what this does is
just lock the system up,

And that's the whole
name of the game.

It's called political
engineering.

And unlike political science,
political engineering is real.

One of the most important
things to understand,

It essentially
creates what we call

A self-licking ice-cream cone.

And it's like a
perpetual motion machine

For getting ever
increasing defense budgets.

The way we do it is
by downplaying the

Future consequences
to start a new weapon.

We over promise
it's performance,

Under promise it's cost.

We then, systematically
spread dollars, jobs

And profits to as many
congressional districts

As quickly as possible,
so that everybody

Has skin in the game.

- The people who are
invested in this stage,

Are people like the largest
defense contractor in the world.

Lockheed martin.

They will die before
they see it go.

- and while
we don't know what's

Going to change the world next,

We're probably
already working on it.

- Lockheed martin
basically gets in

Like an octopus, and
lifts it's tentacles,

You know, in all branches
of the government.

And then they hold them.

And that's how they operate.

They make the mafia look
like a bunch of schoolboys.

- Fiscal year 1999,
2.3 trillion missing.

Fiscal year 2000,
1.1 trillion missing.

The pentagon has
claimed, year after year,

That the reason it can't
account for the money

Is because it's computers
don't communicate

With each other.

- one
trillion, one dollar bills,

Stacked high would reach
nearly 68,000 miles into space.

One third of the
way to the moon.

- I got a
phone call from the fbi

Saying that I was a
target of a death threat.

And that's what happens
when you go against

The big boys.

Who has the contracts
today, to make

Those systems communicate
with each other?

And how much have the
tax payers paid for them?

- There are times
that corporations

Do things they should
not do, in which case

They tend to be suspended
for some period.

There are times then
that corporations

Can get out of the penalty
box, if you will...

- This company was never
in the penalty box.

If you could proceed to
my second question please.

- The second question...

I've forgotten what the
second question was.

- Individuals operating
in the shadows,

And never having
their names called,

Are able to leverage the
power of the military

And the foreign
policy apparatus for

Their own personal
pecuniary ends.

- What now?

How do we justify
all this tanks,

All this planes,
all this bullshit?

What better new enemy
than an hypothetical

Invisible enemy called
the war on terror?

- I think at the
most basic level,

When we realize how
we've entered into

A permanent state
of war, like what

Often proponents of

Counter-terrorism
on a global scale,

Think of as a long
war, but a war

Without end,
something like that.

And I think that
what we've accepted

Is a political regime

That is sustained by fear.

This is a very old...

It's a very old
political tactic.

I mean, machiavelli
asks in the prince,

"is it better for the prince
to be feared or loved?"

And his conclusion
is, because the locus

Of fear, the source of
fear resides in him,

In the prince, it can be
constant for his rule.

Whereas the locus of love,
resides in the people.

It's in their power.

And so for them could be
constant, and long lasting.

So machiavelli already
opens a question that

He probably doesn't
provide us the answer with,

What would it mean to have
our social arrangement,

Like the basis of
our social choices,

Be founded on love?

- I don't think one
has to justify the cost

And nature of the
national security state,

One just has to keep the
people fearful enough

To support it.

- But what I want to bring
to your attention today

Is the potentially much
more sinister nexus

Between iraq and the
al-qaeda terrorist network.

- Every word in that
speech was gone over by

The director of
central intelligence,

And his deputy director.

So there's nothing
that I made up.

There was nothing
that I stuck in there.

And in fact, some
people tried to stick

Extra things in there,
that the intelligence

Community wouldn't verify
with multi-sourcing.

And I said no.

- Powell grabbed me, physically,

Which was unlike him,
and drug me into a space

At the cia, at
langely, and said,

"throw all the material
in my presentation

"about terrorism
out, cut it out."

- About this amount,
this is just about...

- Within an hour, george
tenet, the director

Of central intelligence,
made a spectacular

Bombshell presentation.

We have just learned
from a high level

Al-qaeda operative,
under interrogation,

About significant
contacts between

Baghdad's mukhabarat,
and al-qaeda.

This was devastating.

Here's a director of
central intelligence

Telling the secretary of state

That he has
interrogated evidence.

Well the secretary
turned to me and said,

"put it back in."

- al-qaeda continues
to have a deep interest

In acquiring weapons
of mass destruction.

As with the story of
zarqawi and his network,

I can trace the story of a
senior terrorist operative

Telling how iraq
provided training

In these weapons to al-qaeda.

- Later I learn that
was sheikh al libi.

That it hadn't just
instantly happened.

It had happened months before.

That he'd been water-boarded
in egypt, when he did this.

No u.S. Personnel were present.

And he had recanted
within a couple of weeks,

And we never were
told about that.

- Every statement I
make today is backed

Up by sources, solid sources.

These are not assertions.

What we're giving you
are facts and conclusions

Based on solid intelligence.

- We were, indisputably,
we were lied to.

- at this hour,
american and coalition

Forces are in the early
stages of military operations,

To disarm iraq, to
free it's people,

And to defend the world
from grave danger.

- As karl rove famously
said to this reporter,

"now you guys are reality
based communities.

"we make reality.

"by the time you
figured out, you know,

"what's wrong with our reality,

"we've moved on to the
creation of another reality."

- Did you sell or cause to
come into the possession

Of saddam hussein weapons
of mass destruction?

- Did the United States
sell to him, absolutely not.

- Iran-iraq was on
such a scale, and I was

On the iranian side, and I
went down to the battle point.

I was actually given a gas kit.

And so they let me
take the train back,

Right all the way up to tehran.

And the carriages were
crammed with iranian

Soldiers who'd been gassed.

Some were just
coughing, retching it.

And one man was
reading the quran,

And he would sort of
put a handkerchief

And wipe the blood off his lips.

Gradually the corridors
became permeated

With a sort of very sick smell.

And I realized it
was the smell of

The gas that they were
coughing up from their lungs,

And I was going
along the corridors,

Opening all the windows
in the night air,

Trying to clean the
train out of this smell

Of, obviously, chemical warfare.

After 2003 I was being
attacked on radio shows,

Especially from america.

Well you're complaining
about the american invasion,

And I said, excuse
me I was on the train

Of iranians gassed
by the iraqis.

And the chemical components
came from the United States.

At the very time that your
rumsfeld was meeting saddam.

- You were meeting
with saddam hussein.

I think we have
some video of that.

Of that meeting.

Tell me what was going
on during this meeting.

- Where did you get this video,
from the iraqi television...

- When did they give it to
you, recently, or back then?

- We've dug this out
of the cnn library.

- I see.

Isn't that interesting.

There I am.

- our war on terror,

Begins with al-qaeda.

But it does not end there.

- This very phrase,
war on terror,

Is irrational.

It's like saying, a war on war.

A war on violence, a war that...

It's nonsense.

You're stepping into
this possibility of, kind

Of, perpetual war.

- Good morning
darling, how are you?

- They lack at reassuring us,

And we kept believing
him, because

You don't want to think
your prime minister

Is deceiving you in
the route to a war,

There's nothing more serious.

♪ we can change the world

- When the serious
fraud office launched

It's investigation
into all the crimes

That we were uncovering,
it turned out

That many of these
arms deals had

Been forced through by
tony blair, personally.

- He's a dedicated
arms salesman.

Whatever that was at his
feet, ever, in government,

He always backed the arms sale.

- the serious fraud
office got to the brink

Of uncovering the secret
swiss bank accounts,

By which bae was funneling
money to the saudi royal family.

The swiss said
we're gonna notify

The bank account holders.

Bandar flew to london and
blair swung into action.

He ordered the
serious fraud office

To close down their
investigation.

♪ we can change the world

- Prince bandar said if the
investigation continued,

They would withdraw national
security cooperation.

Which would lead, in the
words of prince bandar,

"to blood on the
streets of london."

- the story we've
been banging away at,

For more than five
years, suddenly
everybody woke up to it,

Because everybody
could see it was a huge

Cover-up scandal.

The spectacle of a
british prime minister

Closing down a criminal
investigation for

His own reasons.

- were
you aware that your

Government was approving
payments to a friend

Of president
bush's, as part of a

British aerospace's
kick back system?

Is that why you suspended
a fraud inquiry?

- When tony blair
started talking about

National security interest,
that's supposed to be

A card that trumps all others.

- I don't believe
the investigation

Incidentally would
have led anywhere,

Except to the complete wreckage

Of a vital, strategic
relationship for our country.

In terms of fighting
terrorism, in terms

Of the middle east, in terms
of british interest there.

- So this thing's
absolutely stunning.

It seems to be a
very expensive way

Of organizing bribe payment.

Out the military equipment,
and just hand out the money.

♪ we can change the world

- blair came to
south africa, specifically

To lobby the bae, the
british weapons manufacturer,

Who won the biggest
contract on our arms deal.

♪ our time has come

- And the option
that they presented

Was two and half
times more expensive

Than the plane that the
south african air force

Actually wanted.

- bae systems.

Real performance.

Real advantage.

- As mandela was
about to step down

From public life, his
successor, thabo mbeki,

Made the decision to spend
around 10 billion dollars,

What were quite scarce
public resources,

On this weaponry
that we didn't need.

Rather than provide
life saving medication,

For the almost 6
million south africans

Who were then living
with hiv, or aids.

The primary reason
for those deals,

Was that around 300
million dollars in bribes

Were paid to senior politicians,

And sadly to the african
national congress,

The anc, my own party.

I was called in by a
senior member of the anc's

National executive council.

He said to me, "look
andrew, this is a battle

"you cannot win, because
this money, the bribes,

"we used to fund
our 1999 election."

And almost immediately
I'm asked to make

A statement to the
press that says

There's nothing to investigate.

So it's all over.

And I looked at him and
I said, no it's not.

I won't be able to
live with myself,

If I stop this investigation.

But at the same time,
I'm also realizing,

That this is the end
of my political career.

The heads of government are
the sales people in chief

Of their country's
large arms contractors.

And this is the
template used by large

Defense contractors
around the world.

- Companies like bae
are not only, sort of,

Effectively part
of the government,

But they're effectively
above the law.

- Corruption is not merely
a dirty little detail

On top of the arms
trade, it's actually,

In a lot of cases, what drives
the international arms trade.

Many of these deals would
not happen if they did not

Provide opportunities
for personal enrichment.

- I would be
offended if I thought

We had the monopoly
on corruption.

- As I was being
dragged out I thought,

Right at the last second
I'm gonna still say,

Remind everyone that this
guy is a war criminal.

- Can I just say,
actually, on the record,

What he said about
iraq and jp morgan

Is completely and
totally untrue.

I have never had a
discussion with them.

- Now I'm not suggesting
that there was a phone

Call between jp
morgan and blair,

It was actually
what happened was,

Jp morgan and a
consortium of other banks

Did, in fact, prop up
the whole iraq economy

To the tune of about 2.5
billion, not 20 billion,

I was a bit nervous that day.

Then six months
after he left office,

Blair suddenly
signed by jp morgan,

For five million
dollars every year.

I was just trying to
enlighten the public

That there was
corruption involved,

And not just bad
decision making.

- I'd like to find
out how this gentlemen

Managed to access the court.

- There must be a back door in,

Because they'd all gone
out for tea at the time.

And there was a
courtroom, directly

Underneath the courtroom
that blair was in,

And it was left unlocked.

So I went through that
one, up two floors

Via the fire escape,
and then to the door

By this time my heart
was pounding, like...

You know, I was
really going mad.

And I actually lost my
courage for the moment.

So I went and sat
down in a bathroom,

I found a gentleman's
toilet there,

I did actually ring my mother,

And I said, listen, I'm
here, what shall I do?

Do you think I
should still go in?

And my mum said,
"yeah, go on, you

"won't get another chance."

And I thought,
that's it, I'm in.

The man is a war criminal!

- augustine
said, "that hope has

"two beautiful daughters,
anger and courage.

"anger at the way
things are, and courage

"to see that they don't
remain the way they are."

You conserve two
sets of principles,

Privilege and power,
or justice and truth.

The more you make
compromises with those

Who serve privilege and power,

The more you diminish the
capacity for justice and truth.

And, I think that

The rebel seeks to keep those
who have power, fearful.

- Peace, that's what we want.

Freedom and peace.

- So what if the guy
threw a shoe at me?

- I'm gonna read you the

Sourcing, of the
la times report,

Paragraph one, u.S.
Authorities say,

Column one, still
u.S. Officials said.

Said one u.S. Justice
department counter-terrorism

Official, column
two, officials said,

U.S. Authorities say,
u.S. Officials said,

Those officials said,
the officials confirmed.

American officials
complained, they said,

U.S. Officials
stressed, column three.

U.S. Authorities said,
jordanian officials said...

We got a slight...

No laughter please, we
haven't finished yet.

Several u.S. Officials said.

Column four, u.S.
Officials said.

Several american officials said.

Officials say, say
u.S. Officials.

But u.S. Officials said,
one u.S. Counter-terrorism

Official said, I'm not joking.

There it is.

That is the journalism
you're getting fed.

And I sometimes
think the la times

And the new york
times, should be called

American officials say.

- I denounced the call
to invade iraq publicly.

The new york times issued me
a formal written reprimand,

Which is what you get
before you're fired,

Under union rules, to stop
speaking out against the war.

I'd been the middle
east bureau chief.

I'd been in iraq, spent seven
years in the middle east.

How can you come out of
gaza and not be angry?

What's being done
to those people.

How can you come
out of the sudan,

El salvador, you know,
dozens of other places

I've been, and not be angry?

I've seen the bodies
of a lot of children.

Which I can't forget.

20 years, it, you
know, fucks you up.

Dostoevsky said, "hell
is the inability to love,

"and that's what kills people."

I fully get why people
blow their brains out.

It's really hell.

And, I don't use love
as a kind of hallmark,

Schmaltzy, you know, we
all gotta love each other.

I'm saying that the
only way you're healed

From those experiences
is by re-establishing

A connection with
that kind of power.

With another human being.

And if you can't do
that, you don't survive.

And I have friends
who couldn't do it,

And they're not here anymore.

It's the, you know,
the power of love

To transcend time.

- That looks like
a gaub 2-alpha 38

That we used to
have on our loches.

A mini-gun that fired
4,000 rounds per minute.

One of the manifestations of
the national security state,

Especially in the, sort of,
apogee it's arrived at today,

Is that it destroys diplomacy.

It destroys the will to
diplomacy, and it destroys

The skill for diplomacy.

- If you're a small
state, like we were for

150 years, in essence,
vis-a-vis Spain, France,

England, and even
russia, you've got to be

Exquisitely good at diplomacy.

You've got to be
able to talk yourself

Out of lots of
things, and make deals

And compromises and so forth.

But if you're the
world's hedge men

You don't deal with
anybody, you smack 'em.

You use your military
and you smack 'em.

- On may 3rd of 2003, the
ambassador of switzerland

To tehran, delivers a letter
from iran to the United States.

In that letter, the
iranians essentially

Offer negotiations to
open up the nuclear

Program for full transparency.

The proposal came in.

I happened to see
it, because a copy

Was also given to a
member of congress

That I worked for at the time.

He sent it over to the
white house and karl rove.

Karl rove called back.

He said that he found
the proposal intriguing.

He wanted to know
if it was genuine.

And he promised to put it
in front of the president.

- I would call karl
rove a dear friend.

- I've seen a man of
farsighted courage.

Put america on a war footing.

And protect us against
a brutal enemy,

In a dangerous conflict that
will shape this new century.

- No form of response was
given to the iranians at all.

- I'm grateful to have
been a witness to history.

- And the argument was,
that whatever could

Come out of a negotiation
with the iranians,

Even more could be
achieved by simply

Removing the regime in iran.

In a way to sum up
the argument, however,

The principle in the
bush administration said

That we simply do
not talk to evil.

- And as tony zini said, former
central command commander,

"if you like to rock,
you'll love iran."

That is a 10 to 14 year,

Three to four trillion dollar

Invasion, at the end
of which the world,

Western asia, will
look not much different

Than it does right now.

It'll still be in turmoil,
still be in chaos,

And 70 plus million iranians
will hate our living guts.

Went in to see the
under-secretary of defense,

The ideas that wolfowitz
shared with me,

He and secretary cheney
in 91, 92, packaged them,

Re-tooled them,
thought about them,

Went to the white house.

Briefed people like presidents.

America needs a new strategy,
or forceable regime change.

So here this idea springs
back up again in 2001.

I went through the pentagon,
in November of 2001,

And one of the generals
said, "sir I got this memo

"on my desk, it's...

"we're gonna go after seven
countries in five years."

I said is that a
classified memo?

He said, "yes sir!

"we're gonna start with
iraq, and then we're

"gonna move to syria,
lebanon, libya,

"somalia, sudan, and iran."

- I think it's highly
probable the administration

Has already made the decision
to go to war against iran.

There are already u.S.
Troops inside iran.

I wanna repeat that.

There are already u.S.
Troops inside iran.

- The u.S. Has long
had it's eyes set

On trying to impact
regime change in iran.

And much of what you've
seen the u.S. Doing,

With regards to iran, has
been on a covert level.

- We've seen a report
in the new yorker,

By seymour hersh, that
a u.S. Source told him

That u.S. Marines were
operating in the balochi,

Mazareh, and kurdish
regions of iran.

Have you ever heard
of that report?

- I've never heard of the
report, I've never read the

Article, nor do I intend to.

- do you have any
interest as to whether or not,

As the u.S. Ambassador?

- I don't...

U.S. Marines are actually
operating in iran right now?

- I said I had not
heard of the report,

And I didn't intend to read
the article in the new yorker.

- if I gave you
this article right now,

Walked it over,
would you look at it?

- I don't think so
honestly, congressman,

'cause I don't have the
time to read much fiction.

- we have teams
inside iran and these include

Joint special operation
force, of our most

Elite commando unit.

It has been given executive
authority by the president

In as many as 12
countries, to go in

And kill, we're talking
about high value targets.

They're operating
now, and they go into

Countries outside of
the war zone, outside

Of afghanistan and
outside of iraq,

Without telling the
american cia station chief,

Or the american
ambassador, they go in

Sterile and they kill people.

- We have to worry about
the sort of dark side

If you will, when I spend
time in the shadows,

In the intelligence world.

Will have to be done quietly,
without any discussion,

Using sources and
methods that are

Available to our
intelligence agencies.

- The doctrine that has
endured from bush to obama

Is that the world
is a battlefield.

And that the united
states has the right

To go into any country
around the world

To conduct, what they
call, kinetic operations,

Lethal operations, regardless of

What international law says.

What is president
obama's response to that?

How is he going to deal with it?

He embraced the very
covert shadow forces

That a decade
earlier had only been

Talked about in hushed
tones in the pentagon.

Not just as the implementors
of a policy that said

We should decapitate
terror networks,

And engage in preemptive
strikes, but they

Became the policy itself.

President obama's
administration have built

Up something called
the disposition matrix.

It's like an algorithm
for determining

Who should be
killed, or who should

We seek to capture.

And one of the more, sort
of, grotesque aspects

Of this, is that there
were actually meetings

On tuesdays, in the white house,

That have been nicknamed
terror Tuesday meetings.

Where they're going
through rosters of names

To put on, or take off the list.

Maybe someone within
that group has been

In contact with someone
that the u.S. Is watching.

They went to the same
mosque as someone.

They keep ordering pizza
from the same place

As a taliban leader.

And you decide, these
guys are probably up

To no good, and so, on
this particular day,

We're gonna remove
them from planet earth.

- So now we're getting
into minority report.

Into this sort of
sci-fi world of pk dick.

Where it's justifiable homicide.

Even though it's for
an act that might

Take place in the future.

It's okay to kill
from a distance,

Without a warrant, without
a trial, without a jury.

And the execution
takes place off screen.

- Where appropriate, we will
bring terrorists to justice.

- When...

- When we...

- We went...

- He went on to...

- We went on...

- We're addressing that ma'am.

- The voice of that woman is
worth paying attention to.

Obviously I do not agree
with much of what she said.

- The president is not
implementing policies that

We need to see change,
for example that he

Would stop the authorization
of signature strikes.

Which means killing
people only on the basis

Of suspicious behavior,
that's led to the

Killing of many
innocent people...

- You know I post the
question on my facebook page,

And asked them what
they wanted to ask you.

And a lot of them
said that you were

Hurting your own
cause, because, one,

You appeared rude to the
president of the United States,

And two, you just
seemed a little crazy.

- Well I think killing
innocent people

With drones is rude.

I think not apologizing
to the families

Of innocent people who
are killed is rude.

There are a lot of rude
things about our policies.

- I want to make sure
the people understand,

Actually drones have not caused

A huge number of
civilian causalities.

For the most part
they have been very

Precise, precision
strikes against al-qaeda.

- How do you expect
the people of pakistan

Not to have
anti-american sentiments

When day in, and day out,
we hear about drone attacks

That kill more innocent
people than militants?

How do you explain that?

- Well I do not believe
that there is any

Basis for your comment.

- Lockheed martin, boeing,
dyncorp international,

Computer sciences corporation,
and aerovironment,

All told eric,
about 70 companies

Are interested in this one
billion dollar contract.

- As we look out three,
five, seven, 10 years,

This market remains a
very much a growth market.

- It's the disease of
permanent war that destroyed

The middle east.

It's not islamic fundamentalism.

It empower all of those who
profit from permanent war.

Politically, economically
and militarily.

- Make no mistake,
a nuclear armed iran

Is not a challenge
that can be contained.

It would threaten the
elimination of israel.

The security of gulf nations.

And the stability of
the global economy.

It risks triggering
a nuclear arms race

In the region, and
the unraveling of the

Non-proliferation treaty.

- And how close is
iran to getting it?

Well let me show you.

I brought a diagram for you.

Here's the diagram.

This is a bomb.

This is a fuse.

Where should a
red line be drawn?

A red line should
be drawn right here.

- The threat from iran
is a political football.

What was interesting
was that many israelis,

Including people from
the military said,

As long as there is
an existential threat,

Somewhere, somehow, that
it is certainly helping

Us expand our
budgets, in ways that

Is not possible to
do in the absence

On anything that can be
defined as such a threat.

- If you were iran
what would you do?

I mean, israel has what,
three to 400 nuclear weapons.

They're the ones who
started the damn arms race

In the middle east anyway.

They didn't sign a
non-proliferation treaty.

They built this
program in secret.

India and pakistan then went
on to do the same thing,

And iran, which did
sign the nuclear

Non-proliferation
treaty, looked around

And realized they'd
gotten screwed.

- the
obama administration
wants to sell bunker

Buster bombs which can penetrate

20 feet of solid
concrete to the uae.

The deal is the
latest u.S. Arms sale

To members of the gulf
cooperation council,

Six nations that neighbor iran.

- War has become a commodity
for several reasons.

One is because you
need somebody to

Buy the stuff you produce.

- another
u.S. Arms deal

With saudi arabia
is in the pipeline.

The biggest in history.

This deal alone surpasses
the entire global

Arms sale already
57 billion dollars.

- saudi arabia
does this enormous service

Of recycling the arms trade.

But war is also a
business in another sense.

There is a business
that uses war to

Get it's ends established.

This is george orwell's 1984.

Two powers are always
going to be in battle

And guess who's making
out really well?

Of course the weapons dealers,
and the people in power.

- Well the ultimate
manifestation of the national

Security state is
that it, not only

Seeks a perpetual state of war,

It will even go to
all ends to create

That perpetual state of war.

- I am always reminded of a book

I read a long time ago,
called invisible man.

And that book has a
beautiful sentence,

"I am an invisible man.

"not because I don't exist, but

"because you choose
not to see me."

- Prince bandar do you
know the bin laden family?

- This is ironic, in the
mid 80's, if you remember

Supporting the mujahideen
to liberate afghanistan

From the soviets.

Bin laden came to
thank me for my efforts

To bring the
americans, our friends,

To help us against the atheist,
he said, the communist.

- When I last saw bin
laden, in this camp

High in the mountains
of afghanistan,

With an air raid shelter
built into the living

Rock of the mountain,
25, 30 feet high,

That camp was built by the cia.

Later they tried to fire
cruise missiles at it,

Of course they
knew where it was.

They built it.

No wonder bin laden
kept smiling at me.

No wonder he did.

- The american saudi arabia
put one billion dollars each

To give them arms,
training, equipment,

We are the ones who cleared
all those people to go.

We and you.

- There must be something
wrong with the way we think.

That we can't say
that the grammar

Of the past, is operating today.

- We have been pumping
money, a great deal of money,

Without congressional authority,

Without any
congressional oversight.

Prince bandar of saudi
arabia is putting

Up some of this money
for covert operations

In many areas of the
middle east where we want

To stop the shiite
influence; they

Call it the shiite crescent.

- Thank you...

- the arabic
word is fitna, civil war.

We're in a business
right now of creating,

In some places,
sectarian violence.

- it's an odd
situation because

We are trying to
destroy and liquidate

Al-qaeda and marlie,
but trying to give

Arms training to them
in northern syria.

It really is a world gone mad,

But oddly enough, you
have to be in syria

To realize how mad it is.

When you actually are
traveling around syria,

And you listen to
the news coming out

Of washington, it's
like americans are

Living in this kind
of fantasy world

That bears no relation
to planet earth,

Where I'm trying to report.

- Today there are good
terrorists, and bad terrorists.

The bad terrorists
are those in yemen,

Who the United States
deems to be a threat.

The good terrorists are
those who are in syria.

The joke here is we've
been there before.

I mean, if you consider
the afghanistan story,

They've learned nothing.

Today if I say that the
saudis are giving money

To groups that are in
syria, that are not only

Al-nusra, but also the isis.

People will say you are
a conspiracy theorist,

But what I'm just
trying to say is

In the moment of
the contemporary,

This grammar of
dangerous politics

Sounds insane.

So what appears to have been
a conspiracy at the time,

When documents appear,
turns out to be true.

- We must address the
cycle of conflict,

Especially sectarian
conflict, that

Creates the conditions
that terrorists prey upon.

- in public they
say, we have to end terrorism.

Meanwhile, this private
work of getting involved

In conflicts stirs the
pot, which produces

Characters that appear
to become terrorists.

Which reinforces the
public narrative,

And then makes things
like intervention okay.

- Good morning everybody.

Last night on my orders,
america's armed forces

Began strikes against
isil targets in syria.

- just ahead
of air strikes in syria,

Defense firms, lockheed
martin, northrop, raytheon,

And general dynamics
corporation all set

Stock price records.

Their shareholders
are making money off

The unusually large number of
conflicts around the world.

- every two years
or so, the israeli military

Attacks the gaza
strip and right after

There is a trade
show, in which israeli

Weapon companies show
their technologies.

Which are becoming an
increasingly important

And very significant
part of the israeli

Economy depend on those wars.

They try to market,
"we've already used

"that on actual human beings."

By making that claim
they're able to compete

With weapon manufacturers
from other countries.

The United States is the biggest

Supplier of military
aid to israel.

This attack on gaza
is also a trade show

For the united
states arms industry.

- Iran and isis are
competing for the

Crown of militant islam.

One calls itself the
islamic republic.

The other calls itself
the islamic state.

Both want to impose a
militant islamic empire.

First in the region.

And then on the entire world.

They just disagree
among themselves

Who will be the
ruler of that empire.

In this deadly game
of thrones, there's

No place for america,
or for israel.

- Today, after two
years of negotiations,

The United States, together
with our international partners,

Has achieved
something that decades

Of animosity has not.

A comprehensive
long-term deal with iran,

That will prevent it from
obtaining a nuclear weapon.

- This was a very
difficult negotiations,

And part of it is
because of this

Entrenched and
compounded mistrust

That we have built
between ourselves mutually

For the last three,
four decades.

But I'm happy that,
we simply write,

Diplomacy pre-write,
that people exercised

A great deal of
restraint and patience,

And wisdom, and we
are where we are,

And I hope this will
be a good beginning.

- as this
nuclear deal goes through

We're still dealing
with the problem

That the states of this
region are collapsing.

And the void that
they will fill,

You will see more violence
and you will see more weapons.

It is important to understand

That that's not a
result of this deal.

That is a result of the
paradigm not shifting

Towards de-militarization,
and collective

Security, soon enough.

- The saudis and the israelis
are on the same page.

They worry about iran...

- And that's not new, they've
been worried for a long...

- but can
they do anything about it?

- Well they can get
their own weapons.

- this is a
region that has more arms

Per capita than any other
region in the world.

Much thanks to the
defense industry,

Israel and some of
the arab states are

Going to be able to
buy more weapons,

And more advanced weapons.

If the nuclear threat
from iran is decreasing,

Why should these other countries

Get a chance to actually
arm themselves more?

- Pakistan is a friend
of saudi arabia.

Pakistan has nuclear weapons.

Are you in discussions
with pakistan about,

Perhaps, getting a nuclear
bomb from pakistan?

- But wolf we've known
each other for 25 years,

You don't really expect me
to answer this question.

- we're not
going to have a truly

De-militarization in
the region, unless

Israel's nuclear arsenal
also is addressed.

The significant
of this peace deal

Is that it is a game
changer in the region.

And it's gonna be a
question about the

Political willingness of leaders

To whether they will
pursue these opportunities,

Or whether they will fall
into the patterns of the past.

- Once you start a war,

You open a kind
of pandora's box.

You don't control
it, it controls you.

The use of that
kind of violence has

Unforeseen consequences,
that no one can predict.

And it propels you in directions

You never thought you'd go.

That's what war does.

So, the images of war are
very carefully controlled

And countered by
the lives that have

Been disseminated
through every institution

In society, schools, government,

Entertainment, the press.

When you shatter the myth,

And when you
understand, especially

What techno-war,
industrial war is about,

Which is really about
murder, about slaughter,

People would be so repulsed.

It would be very
hard to wage war.

♪ I see no one

♪ as happy as I am

♪ I feel like a

♪ darling let's dance
together till morning ♪