A Way Out Of The War On Terror (Chai Locher, VPRO 2008)

Some call it the War on Terror; some call it the Clash of Civilizations; one man calls it just another conflict on the global political game board to resolve. And for him thats just another day at work.
With the Obama Administration in office, dialogue seems to return once again to the world agenda as the most effective way for resolving conflicts.

Alastair Crooke knows well the power of dialogue.

As a negotiator for the MI6, the British Secret Service, he spent more then 30 years contributing to mediation and resolution of conflicts around the world, from Northern Ireland to the Middle East. Now, with his organisation Conflicts Forum, Alastair fights for his belief that dialogue is the best strategy to find a way out of the War on Terror.

Crooke sees the incapacity to distinguish between different Islamist movements as the biggest threat to Western security. And he believes that misinformation about Islam culture is increasing unjustified violence and impeding peace talks: Open the channels of communications, yes, even though the bombs are going off.

To do so Alastair Crooke uses his relationship with high-ranked leaders in both the Western world and the Middle East to organise exercises in mutual listening, in which leaders from both sides sit around one table, talking face to face with one another .

This documentary shows Crooke bringing together leaders of the Islamist movements Hamas and Hezbollah and the British political heavy weight Michael Ancram, MP and former British Minister for Northern Ireland.

Contains interviews with Michael Ancram, Alastair Crooke and Usama Hamdan, one of the political leaders of Hamas, and others.


Director: Chai Locher
Research: Chai Locher / Gijs Meyer Swantee
Producer: Judith van den Berg
Editors in chief: Jos de Putter/Doke Romeijn

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Alastair Crooke
• Conflicts Forum
• Obama
• Terror
• Middle East
• Hamas
• Hezbollah
• dialogue
• negotiation
• peace
• bomb
• war
• northern Ireland
• Usama Hamdan
• Michael Ancram
• MI6
• Islamist

[chessarama]

As an American, it is refreshing to see "free" media reporting the real news. The news media here serves as a distraction to all Americans to the real fact that we are dangerously engaging in imperialist tactics.

[pixelshade]

As always a quality documentary. Props to backlight/Tegenlight

[stap0510]

@chessarama

No need to exaggerate.

You have independent media in the US.....but you may not necessarily find it on cable.

[michaelpousti]

Nice video..good work!keep it up!

[TENNSUMITSUMA]

@emotionalinvalid

says the imbecile that spend all that time and energy being rude and ignorant instead of answering the fuckin question.

now then provide the proof that my iq is 50, im waiting

[emotionalinvalid]

These arm chair war mongers, and steroid filled franken cops, don't have any balls compared to this soft spoken but intrepid (courageous), extremely insightful, compassionate and intelligent man Alastair Crooke, and the people on his team. Very encouraging to see the "everday joe" type, not so eloquent, American Mark Perry as co-director of conflicts forum. Just goes to show you can't judge by appearances, which i am also guilty of.

[emotionalinvalid]

@TENNSUMITSUMA just go back to watching fox "news". this video is beyond your IQ of 50 to understand.

[emotionalinvalid]

Intelligent, courteous, insightful, courageous, etc are Alistair Crooke, his team, and the Hezbollah and Hamas peacemakers who they met. The most important quality all these people from both sides possess is simple love. Even the purported terrorist/Hamas official.But no one can be kind whilst Israel's leadership walls up, starves, and murders thousands of your people for the killing a dozen Israelis (by july 4th-like rockets)over months, by an al queda offshoot in Gaza,not by Hamas.

[Jcolinsol]

Dialectics, rather than debate.

[TENNSUMITSUMA]

35:15 what the fuck did he say

[fontevraud]

Great program. Thanks.