View source for The Power of Nightmares

{{short description|BBC television documentary series}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Infobox television
| image              = PowerNightTitle.jpg
| caption            = Title screen
| runtime            = 180 mins <small>(in three parts)</small>
| writer             = [[Adam Curtis]]
| director           = Adam Curtis
| producer           = Adam Curtis<br>Lucy Kelsall
| executive_producer = [[Stephen Lambert (media executive)|Stephen Lambert]]<br>[[Peter Horrocks]]
| starring           =
| music              = 
| country            = United Kingdom
| language           = English
| company            = [[BBC]]
| network            = [[BBC Two]]
| released           = 
| first_aired        = {{start date|2004|10|20|df=yes}}
| last_aired         = {{end date|2004|11|3|df=yes}}
| num_series         = 1
| num_episodes       = 3
| related            = {{Plainlist|
* ''[[The Century of the Self]]'' (2002)
* ''[[The Trap (British TV series)|The Trap]]'' (2007) 
}} 
}}

'''''The Power of Nightmares: The Rise of the Politics of Fear''''' is a [[BBC]] television [[documentary]] series by [[Adam Curtis]]. It mainly consists of archive footage, with Curtis narrating. The series was originally broadcast in the United Kingdom in 2004.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/cc3b6876ce754703b8db7fe6731a4943|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160228180832/http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/cc3b6876ce754703b8db7fe6731a4943|url-status=dead|archive-date=28 February 2016|title=The Power of Nightmares: 1/3: Baby It's Cold Outside |date=14 October 2004|work=[[BBC Genome]] |publisher=BBC |access-date=19 October 2015}}</ref> It has subsequently been aired in multiple countries and shown at various film festivals, including the [[2005 Cannes Film Festival]].

The film compares the rise of the [[Neoconservatism|neoconservative]] movement in the United States and the [[Islamist terrorism|radical]] [[Islamism|Islamist]] movement, drawing comparisons between their origins, and remarking on similarities between the two groups. More controversially, it argues that radical [[Islamism]] as a massive, sinister organisation, specifically in the form of [[al-Qaeda]], is a myth, or [[noble lie]], perpetrated by leaders of many countries—and particularly neoconservatives in the U.S.—in a renewed attempt to unite and inspire their people after the ultimate failure of [[utopia]]n ideas.

''The Power of Nightmares'' was praised by film critics in Britain and the United States. Its message and content have also been the subject of various critiques and criticisms from [[conservatism|conservatives]] and [[progressivism|progressives]].

== Synopsis ==

=== Part 1. "Baby It's Cold Outside" ===
The first part of the series discusses the origins of [[Islamism]] and [[neoconservatism]]. It shows [[Egypt]]ian civil servant [[Sayyid Qutb]], depicted as the founder of modern Islamist thinking, visiting the U.S. to learn about its education system, then becoming disgusted at what he judged to be the corruption of morals and virtues in [[Western world|western society]] through [[individualism]]. When he returns to Egypt, he is disturbed by [[westernization|westernisation]] under [[Gamal Abdel Nasser]] and becomes convinced that in order to save his own society, it must be completely restructured along the lines of [[Sharia|Islamic law]] while still using western [[technology]]. He then becomes convinced that his vision can only be accomplished through use of an elite "vanguard" to lead a revolution against the established order. Qutb becomes a leader of the [[Muslim Brotherhood]] and, after being tortured in one of Nasser's jails, comes to believe that western-influenced leaders can be justifiably killed to remove their corruption. Qutb is [[Death penalty|executed]] in 1966, but he influences [[Ayman al-Zawahiri]], the future mentor of [[Osama bin Laden]], to start his own secret Islamist group. Inspired by the [[1979 Iranian revolution]], Zawahiri and his allies [[Assassination of Anwar Sadat|assassinate]] Egyptian president [[Anwar Al-Sadat]] in 1981 in the hopes of starting their own revolution. However, the revolution does not materialise, and Zawahiri comes to believe that a majority of Muslims have been corrupted, not only by their western-inspired leaders, but Muslims themselves have been affected by [[jahiliyyah]] and thus may be legitimate targets of violence if they refuse to join his cause. They continued to believe that a vanguard was necessary to rise up and overthrow the corrupt regime and replace it with a 'pure' Islamist state.

At the same time in the United States, a group of disillusioned liberals, including [[Irving Kristol]] and [[Paul Wolfowitz]], look to the political thinking of [[Leo Strauss]] after the perceived failure of [[Lyndon Johnson|President Johnson's]] "[[Great Society]]". They conclude that an emphasis on individual liberty was the undoing of Johnson's plans. They envisioned restructuring America by uniting the American people against a common evil, and set about creating a mythical enemy. These factions, the neoconservatives, came to power during the 1980s under the [[Ronald Reagan|Reagan]] administration, with their allies [[Dick Cheney]] and [[Donald Rumsfeld]]. They alleged that the Soviet Union was not following the terms of a disarmament treaty between the two countries, and together with the outcomes of "[[Team B]]", they built a case using dubious evidence and methods to prove it to Ronald Reagan.

=== Part 2. "The Phantom Victory" ===
In the second part, Islamist factions, rapidly falling under the more radical influence of Zawahiri and his rich [[Saudi Arabia|Saudi]] acolyte [[Osama bin Laden]], join the neoconservative-influenced Reagan administration to combat the [[Soviet–Afghan War|Soviet Union's invasion]] of [[Afghanistan]]. When the Soviets eventually pull out of Afghanistan, and when the [[Eastern Bloc]] [[Revolutions of 1989|begins to collapse]] in 1989, both the Islamists and the neoconservatives believe they are the primary architects of the [[Dissolution of the Soviet Union|Soviet Union's demise]]. Curtis argues that the Soviet Union was on the verge of collapsing anyway. However, the Islamists see it quite differently. In their triumph, they believe they have the power to create 'pure' Islamic states in Egypt and [[Algeria]]. Attempts to create such Islamic states are blocked by force. The Islamists then try to foment revolutions in Egypt and Algeria by using terrorism to scare the people into rising up against their leaders. But the people are terrified by the violence, and the Algerian government exploits that fear as a way to hang on to power. In the end, the Islamists declare the entire populations of the countries to be thoroughly contaminated by western values. Finally, in Algeria, they begin to turn on each other, each believing that members of other terrorist groups are not true Muslims.

In America, neoconservative aspirations to use the United States' military power to further destroy evildoers are thrown off track by the election of [[George H. W. Bush]] to the [[President of the United States|presidency]], followed by the election in 1992 of [[Bill Clinton]] which left them totally out of power. The neoconservatives, along with their [[Christian right|conservative Christian]] allies, attempt to demonize Clinton throughout his presidency with various real and fabricated stories of corruption and immorality. To their disappointment, the American people do not turn against Clinton. Meanwhile, Islamist attempts at revolution end in massive bloodshed, leaving the Islamists without popular support. Zawahiri and bin Laden flee to the relative safety of [[Afghanistan]] and declare a new strategy. To fight Western-inspired moral decay, they must deal a blow to its source: the United States.

=== Part 3. "The Shadows in the Cave" ===
[[File:National Park Service 9-11 Statue of Liberty and WTC fire.jpg|thumb|200px|The neoconservatives use the [[September 11 attacks|11 September attacks]], with al-Fadl's description of al-Qaeda, to launch the [[war on terror]].]]
The final part addresses the actual rise of [[al-Qaeda]]. Curtis argues that, after their failed revolutions, bin Laden and Zawahiri had little or no popular support, let alone a serious complex organisation of terrorists, and were dependent on independent operatives to carry out their new call for [[jihad]]. However, the film argues that in order to prosecute bin Laden [[trial in absentia|''in absentia'']] for the [[1998 U.S. embassy bombings]], U.S. prosecutors had to prove that he is the head of a criminal organisation responsible for the bombings. They find a former associate of bin Laden, [[Jamal al-Fadl]], and pay him to testify that bin Laden is the head of a massive terrorist organisation called "al-Qaeda". With the [[September 11, 2001 attacks|September 11 attacks]], neoconservatives in the new [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] administration of [[George W. Bush]] use this invented concept of an organisation to justify another crusade against a new enemy, culminating in the launch of the [[war on terror]].

After the [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|American invasion of Afghanistan]] fails to uproot the alleged terrorist organisation, the Bush administration focuses inwards, searching unsuccessfully for terrorist [[sleeper cell]]s in America. In 2003, they extend the war on terror to a war on general perceived evils with the [[2003 invasion of Iraq|invasion of Iraq]]. The ideas and tactics also spread to the United Kingdom, where [[Tony Blair]] uses the threat of terrorism to give him a new [[moral authority]]. The repercussions of the neoconservative strategy are also explored, with an investigation of indefinitely-detained terrorist suspects in [[Guantanamo Bay detention camp|Guantanamo Bay]], many allegedly taken on the word of the anti-[[Taliban]] [[United Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan|Northern Alliance]] without actual investigation on the part of the United States military, and other forms of "[[Preemptive war|preemption]]" against non-existent and unlikely threats made simply on the grounds that the parties involved had the potential to become a threat. Curtis specifically attempts to allay fears of a [[dirty bomb]] attack, and concludes by reassuring viewers that politicians will eventually have to concede that some threats are exaggerated and others have no foundation in reality. He says, "In an age when all the grand ideas have lost credibility, fear of a phantom enemy is all the politicians have left to maintain their power."

==Contributors==
{{Columns-list|colwidth=20em|
* [[John Calvert (scholar)|John Calvert]], historian of Islamism
* Prof. [[Harvey Mansfield]], Straussian philosopher, [[Harvard University]]
* Prof. [[Stanley Rosen]], pupil of [[Leo Strauss]], 1949
* [[Azzam Tamimi|Dr Azzam Tamimi]], Institute of Islamic Political Thought
* General Fouad Allam, interrogator, Interior Ministry 1958–87
* Roxanne Euben, political scientist
* [[Irving Kristol]], American journalist
* [[William Kristol]], Chief of Staff to the Vice President 1988–92
* Prof. [[Stephen Holmes (academic)|Stephen Holmes]], political philosopher
* [[Henry Kissinger]] (interviewed 1975)
* [[Melvin Goodman]], Head of Office, Soviet Affairs, CIA 1976–87
* Prof. [[Richard Pipes]], adviser to President Reagan 1980–83
* [[Anne Hessing Cahn|Dr Anne Cahn]], [[Arms Control and Disarmament Agency]] 1977–80
* Omar Azzam, cousin of [[Ayman al-Zawahiri]], Egyptian al-Qaeda leader
* [[Kamal Habib|Dr Kamal Habib]], founder member of Islamic Jihad
* [[Gilles Kepel]], historian of Islamist Movement
* [[Paul Weyrich]], religious activist; member of Republican Party
* [[Michael Ledeen]], Special Adviser to the US Secretary of State 1981–82
* [[John P. Wheeler III|Jack Wheeler]], Adviser to the Reagan administration 1981–84
* [[Richard Perle]], Assistant Secretary of Defense 1981–87; Chairman of [[Defense Policy Board Advisory Committee|Pentagon Defense Policy Board]] 2001–03
* [[Milton Bearden]], CIA Field Officer, Afghanistan 1985–89
* [[Abdullah Anas]], General Commander, Afghan Arabs, Northern Afghanistan 1984–89
* [[Mikhail Gorbachev]], General Secretary, Soviet Communist Party (archive)
* Saif Al Banna, senior member of Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt (archive)
* Ali Haroun, Algerian Minister for Human Rights 1991–92 (archive)
* [[Essam el-Erian]], senior member of Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt
* [[Brent Scowcroft]], National Security Adviser to President George Bush Snr (interviewed 1996)
* [[Michael Lind]], journalist and former neoconservative
* [[David Brock]], author, ''[[Blinded by the Right]]''
* Judge [[Robert Bork]], senior member, [[Federalist Society]]
* [[Joe Conason]], writer, ''[[The Hunting of the President]]'' 
* [[Jason Burke]], author, ''[[Al-Qaeda: Casting a Shadow of Terror]]''
* [[Sam Schmidt]], defence lawyer at [[1998 United States embassy bombings|US Embassy Bombings]] trial
* [[Vincent Cannistraro]], Head of Counter-terrorism, CIA 1988–90
* [[Paul Wolfowitz]], US Deputy Secretary of Defense
* Prof. [[David D. Cole|David Cole]], law professor, [[Georgetown University]]
* Ron Hansen, reporter, ''[[The Detroit News]]''
* William Swor, defence lawyer at [[Detroit Sleeper Cell]] trail
* John Molloy, defence lawyer at [[Buffalo Six|Lackawanna Cell]] trial
* [[Bill Durodié]], Director, International Centre for Security Analysis, [[King's College London|Kings College]]
* Dr John Prados, [[National Security Archive]], Washington
* Dr Theodore Rockwell, nuclear scientist
* Lewis Z. Koch, ''[[Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists]]''
* David Johnston, Intelligence Specialist, ''[[New York Times]]''
}}

== Content ==
[[File:Adam curtis.jpg|thumb|175px|right|[[Adam Curtis]], the director of ''The Power of Nightmares'']]
Adam Curtis originally intended to make a film about conflict within the [[conservative]] movement between the ideologies of neoconservative "elitism" and the more individualist [[Libertarianism|libertarian]] factions. During his research into the conservative movement, Curtis discovered what he saw as similarities in the origins of the neoconservative and Islamist ideologies. The topic of the planned documentary shifted to these other two ideologies, with the libertarian element eventually being phased out.<ref name="cinescope">{{cite web|last=Koehler |first=Robert |url=http://www.cinema-scope.com/cs23/int_koehler_curtis.htm |title=Neo-Fantasies and Ancient Myths: Adam Curtis on The Power of Nightmares |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050811082028/http://www.cinema-scope.com/cs23/int_koehler_curtis.htm |archive-date=11 August 2005 |url-status=dead |work=Cinema Scope}}</ref> Curtis first pitched the idea of a documentary on conservative ideology in 2003 and spent half a year researching the film.<ref name="exorcist">{{cite news |title=The Exorcist |first=Tim |last=Adams |newspaper=[[The Observer]] |publisher=Guardian News and Media |url=https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2004/oct/24/features.review7 |date=24 October 2004 |access-date=14 July 2010 }}</ref><ref name="guardcanned">{{cite news |title=The film US TV networks dare not show |first=Stuart |last=Jeffries |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |publisher=Guardian News and Media |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2005/may/12/cannes2005.cannesfilmfestival4 |date=12 May 2005 |access-date=14 July 2010 }}</ref> Final recordings were made on 10 October, 19 October and 1 November 2004.<ref name="cata1">{{cite web|url=http://catalogue.bbc.co.uk/catalogue/infax/programme/ANSS869N |title=The Power of Nightmares: Baby it's Cold Outside |access-date=18 July 2007 |work=BBC Programme Catalogue |publisher=BBC }}{{dead link|date=September 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref name="cata2">
{{cite web|url=http://catalogue.bbc.co.uk/catalogue/infax/programme/ANSS870H |title=The Power of Nightmares: The Phantom Victory |access-date=18 July 2007 |publisher=BBC |work=BBC Programme Catalogue }}{{dead link|date=September 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref name="cata3">
{{cite web|url=http://catalogue.bbc.co.uk/catalogue/infax/programme/ANSS871B |title=The Power of Nightmares: The Shadows in the Cave |access-date=18 July 2007 |publisher=BBC |work=BBC Programme Catalogue }}{{dead link|date=September 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

As with many of Curtis's films, ''The Power of Nightmares'' uses a montage of stock footage taken from the BBC archives which Curtis narrates.<ref name="cinescope"/><ref name="exorcist"/> Curtis has credited [[David James Mossman|James Mossman]] as the inspiration for his montage technique, which he first employed for the 1992 series ''[[Pandora's Box (British TV series)|Pandora's Box]]'',<ref name="GC">{{cite web|url=http://www.greencine.com/central/node/430/print |title=Adam Curtis: "I'm a modern journalist." |access-date=6 August 2007 |date=29 May 2005 |publisher=[[GreenCine]] |work=[[GreenCine Daily]] |last1=Eaves |first1=Hannah |last2=Marlow |first2=Jonathan |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607090257/http://www.greencine.com/central/node/430/print |archive-date=7 June 2011 }}</ref> while his use of humour has been credited to his first work with television as a talent-scout for the magazine programme ''[[That's Life!]]''<ref name="exorcist"/> Curtis has also compared the entertainment aspect of his films to the [[Fox News]] channel in America, claiming that the network is successful because of "[their viewers] really enjoying what they're doing."<ref name="cinescope"/>

To help drive his points, Curtis uses interviews with various political and intellectual figures. In the first two parts, former [[Arms Control and Disarmament Agency]] member [[Anne Cahn]] and former ''[[The American Spectator|American Spectator]]'' writer [[David Brock]] accuse the neoconservatives of knowingly using false evidence of wrongdoing in their campaigns against the Soviet Union and President Bill Clinton. [[Jason Burke]], author of ''[[Al-Qaeda: Casting a Shadow of Terror]]'', comments in ''The Shadows in the Cave'' on the failure to expose a massive terrorist network in Afghanistan. Additional interviews with major figures are added to drive the film's narrative. Neoconservatives [[William Kristol|William]] and [[Irving Kristol]], [[Richard Pipes]], [[Richard Perle]] and [[Michael Ledeen]] are invited to provide a neoconservative view of the film's subject. The history of Islamism is discussed by the Institute of Islamic Political Thought's [[Azzam Tamimi]], political scientist Roxanne Euben, and Islamist [[Abdullah Anas]].

The film's soundtrack includes at least two pieces of music from the films of [[John Carpenter]], who Curtis credited as inspiration for his soundtrack arrangement techniques,<ref name="GC"/> as well as tracks from [[Brian Eno]]'s ''[[Another Green World]]''. There is also music by composers [[Charles Ives]] and [[Ennio Morricone]], while Curtis has credited the [[industrial music|industrial]] band [[Skinny Puppy]] for the "best" music in the films.<ref>{{cite news| first = Adam| last = Curtis| author-link = Adam Curtis| title = Power of Nightmares music| url = https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/4202789.stm| publisher = BBC |work=[[BBC News]]| date = 24 January 2005| access-date = 18 June 2007}}</ref>

== Airings and distribution ==
<!-- This section previously mentioned the film being broadcast on Danish Channel DR2. Would someone with an English source, or a translator of some sort, please verify and add when? From what I can tell, it could have been as early as 2005, but the text here put it at 2007. Information concerning plans to air it on al Jazeera would also be appreciated.-->
''The Power of Nightmares'' was first broadcast in three parts on [[BBC Two]] in 2004 in the United Kingdom, beginning with 'Baby it's Cold Outside' on 20 October, 'The Phantom Victory' on 27 October, and 'The Shadows in the Cave' on 3 November. The murder of [[Kenneth Bigley]] led the [[BBC]] to cease publicising the final episode prior to its airing.<ref name="cata1"/><ref name="cata2"/><ref name="cata3"/><ref>{{cite news |first= Andy|last= Beckett|title= The making of the terror myth|url= https://www.theguardian.com/terrorism/story/0,12780,1327904,00.html|work= [[The Guardian]]|date= 15 October 2004|access-date=6 June 2007 | publisher=Guardian News and Media}}</ref> It was broadcast again over three days in January 2005, with the third part updated to note the [[Judicial functions of the House of Lords|Law Lords]] ruling from the previous December that detaining foreign terrorist suspects without trial was illegal.<ref>{{cite news| title = The Power of Nightmares: The Shadows in the Cave| url = https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/3970901.stm| publisher = BBC |work= [[BBC News]]| date = 14 January 2005| access-date = 6 June 2007}}</ref>

In May 2005, the film was screened in a 2½ hour edit at the [[2005 Cannes Film Festival|Cannes Film Festival]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.festival-cannes.com/index.php/en/archives/films/year/2005|title=Feature Films Out of Competition|access-date=6 June 2007|publisher= [[Cannes Film Festival]]|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070930155016/http://www.festival-cannes.com/index.php/en/archives/films/year/2005 |archive-date = 30 September 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Pathé]] purchased distribution rights for this cut of the film.<ref name="guardcanned"/>

By 2008, the film had yet to be aired in the United States. Curtis has remarked on this failure,

{{blockquote|Something extraordinary has happened to American TV since September 11. A head of the leading networks who had better remain nameless said to me that there was no way they could show it. He said, 'Who are you to say this?' and then he added, 'We would get slaughtered if we put this out.' When I was in New York, I took a [[DVD]] to the head of documentaries at [[HBO]]. I still haven't heard from him.<ref name="guardcanned"/>}}

Although the series has never been shown on U.S. television, its three parts were shown on 26 February 2005 as part of the [[True/False Film Festival]] in [[Columbia, Missouri]], with a personal appearance made by Curtis.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.truefalse.org/2005/films.htm |title=Films |access-date=6 June 2007|publisher= [[True/False Film Festival]]|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070927235157/http://www.truefalse.org/2005/films.htm |archive-date = 27 September 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| first = Pete| last = Bland| title = So True| url = http://www.columbiatribune.com/2005/truefalse/blog.asp| archive-url = https://archive.today/20070409014424/http://www.columbiatribune.com/2005/truefalse/blog.asp| url-status = dead| archive-date = 9 April 2007| work = [[Columbia Daily Tribune]]| publisher = [[GateHouse Media]] | date = 1 March 2005| access-date = 6 June 2007}}</ref> It has also been featured at the 2006 [[Seattle International Film Festival]] and the [[San Francisco International Film Festival]], the latter awarding Curtis their Persistence of Vision Award.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.seattlefilm.org/festival/film/detail.aspx?id=16640&fid=13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060614232253/http://www.seattlefilm.org/festival/film/detail.aspx?id=16640&FID=13 |url-status=usurped |archive-date=14 June 2006|title=Films/The Power of Nightmares; The Rise of the Politics of Fear |access-date=18 June 2007 |publisher=Cinema Seattle |work=[[Seattle International Film Festival]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sffs.org/fest05/titleDetail.asp?title_id=77 |title=Power of Nightmares: The Rise of the Politics of Fear, The |access-date=18 June 2007 |publisher=[[San Francisco Film Society]] |work=[[San Francisco International Film Festival]] |last=Thomson |first=David |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070811005006/http://www.sffs.org/fest05/titleDetail.asp?title_id=77 |archive-date=11 August 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Thomson |first=David |url=http://www.sffs.org/fest05/awards/adam_curtis.html |title=Secret Histories |access-date=18 June 2007 |publisher=[[San Francisco Film Society]] |work=[[San Francisco International Film Festival]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928055514/http://www.sffs.org/fest05/awards/adam_curtis.html |archive-date=28 September 2007 }}</ref> The film was also screened at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York, and there was a brief theatrical run in New York City in 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://tribecafilm.com/filmguide/archive/512cdbe41c7d76e04600026e-power-of-nightmares|title= The Power of Nightmares|access-date= 28 February 2014|publisher= [[Tribeca Film Festival]]|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140303185153/http://tribecafilm.com/filmguide/archive/512cdbe41c7d76e04600026e-power-of-nightmares|archive-date= 3 March 2014|url-status= dead}}</ref><ref name="NYT">{{cite news| first = A. O.| last = Scott| title = Deconstructing the Realities of Politics and Terrorism| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/09/movies/deconstructing-the-realities-of-politics-and-terrorism.html| work=[[The New York Times]]| date = 9 December 2005| access-date = 18 July 2007}}</ref>

The film was first aired by [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]] in Canada in April 2005, and again in July 2006.<ref>{{cite news| title = The Power of Nightmares| url = http://www.cbc.ca/passionateeyesunday/powerofnightmares/index.html| work = [[The Passionate Eye]]| publisher = [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]]| access-date = 6 June 2007| url-status = dead| archive-date = 12 June 2008| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080612171718/http://www.cbc.ca/passionateeyesunday/powerofnightmares/index.html}}</ref> The Australian channel [[Special Broadcasting Service|SBS]] had originally planned to air the series in July 2005, but it was cancelled, reportedly in light of the [[7 July 2005 London bombings|London bombings]] of 7 July.<ref>{{cite news | title = Documentary Series: The Power of Nightmares| work=TV What's On | url = http://www.sbs.com.au/whatson/index.php3?id=1046| publisher = [[Special Broadcasting Service]]| access-date = 6 June 2007|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060613230229/http://www.sbs.com.au/whatson/index.php3?id=1046 |archive-date = 13 June 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="AIJAC">{{cite web| last = Fleischer | first = Tzvi | title = Scribblings: Conspiracy Theories | publisher = [[AIJAC]] |date=1 August 2005 | url = http://www.aijac.org.au/news/article/scribblings-conspiracy-theories | access-date = 28 February 2014}}</ref> It was ultimately aired in December, followed by [[Peter Taylor (journalist)|Peter Taylor's]] ''The New Al-Qaeda'' under the billing of a counter-argument to Curtis.<ref>{{cite news| work=TV What's On|title=Cutting Edge Terrorism Special| url = http://www.sbs.com.au/whatson/index.php3?id=1131| publisher = [[Special Broadcasting Service]]| access-date = 6 June 2007|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070915115753/http://www.sbs.com.au/whatson/index.php3?id=1131 |archive-date = 15 September 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In April 2005, Curtis expressed interest in releasing an official DVD because of popular demand, but noted that his montage technique created serious legal problems with getting such a release approved.<ref name="awakened">{{cite news| first = Adam| last = Curtis| author-link = Adam Curtis| title = Power of Nightmares re-awakened| url = https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/4202741.stm| publisher = BBC |work=[[BBC News]]| date = 26 April 2005| access-date = 6 June 2007}}</ref> An unofficial DVD release was made in the quarterly DVD magazine ''[[Wholphin (DVD magazine)|Wholphin]]'' over three issues.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wholphindvd.com/issues/issue_2.php |title=Issue 2: Spring 2006 |access-date=6 June 2007 |work=[[Wholphin (DVD magazine)|Wholphin]] |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070704230733/http://www.wholphindvd.com/issues/issue_2.php |archive-date = 4 July 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wholphindvd.com/issues/issue_3.php |title=Issue 3: Fall 2006 |access-date=6 June 2007 |work=[[Wholphin (DVD magazine)|Wholphin]] |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070613103459/http://www.wholphindvd.com/issues/issue_3.php |archive-date = 13 June 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wholphindvd.com/issues/issue_4.php |title=Issue 4: Spring 2007 |access-date=6 June 2007 |work=[[Wholphin (DVD magazine)|Wholphin]] |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070607141350/http://www.wholphindvd.com/issues/issue_4.php |archive-date = 7 June 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Reaction ==

=== Critical reaction ===
<!-- The following section is intended for the main critical reaction to the film itself. If you wish to add notes on criticism of its content, see the next section. -->
''The Power of Nightmares'' received generally favourable reviews from critics.<ref name="meta">{{cite web | url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-power-of-nightmares-the-rise-of-the-politics-of-fear | title=The Power of Nightmares: The Rise of the Politics of Fear Reviews | publisher=[[Metacritic]] |access-date=22 July 2008 }}</ref> ''[[Rotten Tomatoes]]'' reported that 88% of critics gave the film positive write-ups, with an [[weighted mean|average]] score of 8.1/10, based upon a sample of 8 reviews.<ref name="rt">{{cite web | url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/power_of_nightmares_the_rise_of_the_politics_of_fear/ | title=The Power of Nightmares: The Rise of the Politics of Fear | work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] | date=20 October 2004 | publisher=[[Fandango Media]] | access-date=19 April 2018}}</ref> At ''[[Metacritic]]'', which assigns a [[Standard score|normalised]] rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film received an average score of 78, based on six reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".<ref name="meta"/> ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' described the film as "a fluid cinematic essay, rooted in painstakingly assembled evidence, that heightens and cleanses your perceptions" while ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' called it "a superb, eye-opening and often absurdly funny deconstruction of the myths and realities of global terrorism."<ref>{{cite magazine | first = Owen| last = Gleiberman| title = The Power of Nightmares: The Rise of the Politics of Fear | url = http://ew.com/article/2005/12/14/power-nightmares-rise-politics-fear/| magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|publisher=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]| date = 14 December 2005| access-date = 18 July 2007}}</ref><ref name="Variety">{{cite news | first = Scott| last = Foundas| title = The Power of Nightmares: The Rise of the Politics of Fear| url = https://variety.com/2005/film/markets-festivals/the-power-of-nightmares-the-rise-of-the-politics-of-fear-1200526602/| publisher = [[Penske Business Media]] |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]| date = 13 April 2005| access-date = 18 July 2007}}</ref> The ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'' had an equally enthusiastic view of the film and likened it to "a brilliant piece in the ''[[Atlantic Monthly]]'' that's (thankfully) come to cinematic life."<ref name="SFGate">{{cite news|first1=Mick |last1=LaSalle|first2=Ruthe |last2=Stein|first3=John |last3=McMurtrie|first4=Jonathan|last4=Curiel|title=Film Clips |url=https://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/FILM-CLIPS-2663775.php |work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |publisher=[[Hearst Communications]] |date=10 June 2005|access-date=19 July 2007}}</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]'' had a more skeptical review, unimpressed by efforts to compare attacks on Bill Clinton by American conservatives with Islamist revolutionary activities, claiming (in a review by literary and film critic [[A. O. Scott]]) that, "its understanding of politics, geo- and national, can seem curiously thin."<ref name="NYT"/> In May 2005, Adam Curtis was quoted as saying that 94% of e-mails to the BBC in response to the film were supportive.<ref name="guardcanned"/>

The film won a [[British Academy Television Award|BAFTA Award]] in the category of Best Factual Series in 2005.<ref>{{cite news| title = Bafta TV Awards 2005: The winners| url = https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4345533.stm| publisher = BBC|work=[[BBC News]]| date =17 April 2005| access-date = 6 June 2007}}</ref> Other awards were given by the [[Director's Guild of Great Britain]] and the [[Royal Television Society]].<ref>{{cite news| title = Top UK directors award for Kinsey| url = https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4366631.stm| publisher = BBC|work=[[BBC News]]| date = 20 March 2005| access-date = 6 June 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rts.org.uk/programme-awards-winners-2004 |title=Programme Award Winners 2004 |access-date=28 February 2014 |publisher=[[Royal Television Society]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140305080726/http://www.rts.org.uk/programme-awards-winners-2004 |archive-date=5 March 2014 }}</ref>

===Political reaction===
Progressive observers were particularly pleased with the film. [[Common Dreams]] had a highly positive response to the film, comparing it to the "[[red pill]]" of the [[The Matrix (series)|''Matrix'' series]], a comparison Curtis appreciated.<ref name="awakened" /><ref>{{cite news|first=Thom |last=Hartman |title=Hyping Terror For Fun, Profit—And Power |url=http://www.commondreams.org/views04/1207-26.htm |publisher=[[Common Dreams]] |date=7 December 2004|access-date=6 June 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060419035243/http://www.commondreams.org/views04/1207-26.htm |archive-date=19 April 2006 |df=dmy }}</ref> Commentary in ''[[The Village Voice]]'' was also mostly favorable, noting, "As partisan filmmaking, it is often brilliant and sometimes hilarious – a superior version of ''[[Syriana]]''."<ref name="village">{{cite news|first=J. |last=Hoberman |title=The Phantom Menace |url=http://www.villagevoice.com/film/0549,hoberman,70708,20.html |work=[[The Village Voice]] |date=6 December 2005 |access-date=6 June 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070329224946/http://www.villagevoice.com/film/0549%2Choberman%2C70708%2C20.html |archive-date=29 March 2007 }}</ref> ''[[The Nation]]'', while offering a detailed critique on the film's content, said of the film itself "[it] is arguably the most important film about the 'war on terrorism' since the events of September 11."<ref name="BergenNation1">{{cite news |last=Bergen |first=Peter |title=Beware the Holy War |page=1 |work=[[The Nation]] |date=2 June 2005 |url=http://www.thenation.com/doc/20050620/bergen |access-date=18 July 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050930094202/https://www.thenation.com/doc/20050620/bergen |archive-date=30 September 2005 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

Among [[conservative]] and [[neoconservative]] critics in the United States, ''The Power of Nightmares'' has been described as "[[conspiracy theory]]", [[anti-American]] or both. [[David Asman]] of [[FoxNews.com]] said, "We wish we didn't have to keep presenting examples of how the European media have become obsessively anti-American. But they keep pushing the barrier, now to the point of absurdity."<ref>{{cite news |last=Asman |first=David |title=Anti-American Europeans |publisher=[[Fox News]] |date=20 October 2004 |url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/anti-american-europeans |access-date=12 June 2007}}</ref> His views were shared by commentator Clive Davis, ending his commentary on the film for ''[[National Review]]'' by saying, "British producers, hooked on [[Noam Chomsky|Chomskyite]] visions of 'Amerika' as the fount of all evil, are clearly not interested in even beginning to dig for the truth."<ref name="Davis_NRO">{{cite news |last=Davis |first=Clive |title=The Power of Bad Television |work=[[National Review]] |date=21 October 2004 |url=http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/davis200410211043.asp |access-date=6 June 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-date=10 June 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070610220656/https://www.nationalreview.com/comment/davis200410211043.asp}}</ref> Other commentators have variously described the film as pushing a [[conspiracy theory]]. Davis and British commentator [[David Aaronovitch]] both explicitly labelled the film's message as a conspiracy theory, with the latter saying of Curtis "his argument is as subtle as a house-brick."<ref name="Davis_NRO" /><ref>{{cite news |last=Aaronovitch |first=David |title=Al-Qaida is no dark illusion |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=19 October 2004 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/Columnists/Column/0,5673,1330499,00.html |access-date=6 June 2007 |publisher=Guardian News and Media}}</ref> Attacks in this vein continued after the [[7 July 2005 London bombings]], with the [[Christian Broadcasting Network]] referencing the film as a source for claims by the "British left" that "the U.S. war on terror was a fraud", and the [[AIJAC|Australia Israel & Jewish Affairs Council]] calling it "the loopiest, most extreme anti-war documentary series ever sponsored by the BBC."<ref name="AIJAC" /><ref name="cbn">{{cite news|last=Hurd |first=Dale |title=How Leftists Aid Radical Islam |publisher=[[Christian Broadcasting Network]] |work=[[CBN News]] |url=http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/050715a.aspx |access-date=29 June 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070618022118/https://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/050715a.aspx |archive-date=18 June 2007 }}</ref> In ''The Shadows in the Cave'', Curtis emphasises that he does not discount the possibility of any terrorist activity taking place, but that the threat of terrorism had been greatly exaggerated. He responded to accusations of creating a conspiracy theory by saying he believes the alleged use of fear as a force in politics is not the result of a conspiracy but rather the subjects of the film "have stumbled on it."<ref name="awakened" />

[[Peter Bergen]], writing for ''The Nation'', offered a detailed critique of the film. Bergen wrote that even if [[al-Qaeda]] is not as organised as the Bush administration stressed, it is still a very dangerous force due to the fanaticism of its followers and the resources available to bin Laden. On Curtis's claim that al-Qaeda was a creation of neoconservative politicians, Bergen said, "This is nonsense. There is substantial evidence that Al Qaeda was founded in 1988 by bin Laden and a small group of like-minded militants, and that the group would mushroom into the secretive, disciplined organisation that implemented the 9/11 attacks."<ref name=thenation2005-06-02pp2-5 /> Bergen further claimed that Curtis's arguments serve as a defence of Bush's failure to capture bin Laden in the [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|2001 invasion of Afghanistan]] and his ignoring warnings of a terrorist attack prior to 11 September.<ref name=thenation2005-06-02pp2-5 />

Additional issues have been raised over Curtis's depiction of the [[neoconservatives]]. Davis's article in ''National Review'' showed his displeasure with Curtis's depiction of Leo Strauss, claiming, "In Curtis's world, it is Strauss, not Osama bin Laden, who is the real evil genius."<ref name="Davis_NRO" /> Peter Bergen claimed the film exaggerated the influence of Strauss over neoconservatism, crediting the political philosophy more to [[Albert Wohlstetter]].<ref name=thenation2005-06-02pp2-5>{{cite news |last=Bergen |first=Peter |title=Beware the Holy War |pages=2–5 |work=[[The Nation]] |date=2 June 2005 |url=http://www.thenation.com/doc/20050620/bergen |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050929093056/http://www.thenation.com/doc/20050620/bergen |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 September 2005 |access-date=29 June 2007}}</ref> A 2005 review on [[Christopher Null]]'s Filmcritic.com took issue with Curtis's retelling of the attacks on Bill Clinton in 'The Phantom Victory', crediting these more to the [[American religious right]] than the "bookish university types" of the neoconservative movement.<ref>{{cite news |last=Barsanti |first=Chris |title=The Power of Nightmares: The Rise of the Politics of Fear |work=FilmCritic.com |year=2005 |url=http://www.filmcritic.com/misc/emporium.nsf/2a460f93626cd4678625624c007f2b46/c346566583f465df882570080065a710?OpenDocument |access-date=18 July 2007|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071017070927/http://www.filmcritic.com/misc/emporium.nsf/2a460f93626cd4678625624c007f2b46/c346566583f465df882570080065a710?OpenDocument |archive-date=17 October 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Daniel Pipes]], a conservative American political commentator and son of [[Richard Pipes]] who was interviewed in the film, wrote that the film dismisses the threat posed by [[Communism]] to the United States as, in Pipes' words, "only a scattering of countries that had harmless Communist parties, who could in no way threaten America." Pipes noted that the film adopts this conclusion without mentioning the [[Comintern]], [[Julius and Ethel Rosenberg]], [[Klaus Fuchs]] or [[Igor Gouzenko]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Pipes |first=Daniel |title=The BBC Announces: There Is No Terrorist Threat |work=Daniel Pipes: Middle East Forum |date=15 October 2004 |url=http://www.danielpipes.org/blog/2004/10/the-bbc-announces-there-is-no-terrorist.html |access-date=22 July 2008}}</ref>

Allegations have been made of omissions in the history described by the film. The absence of discussion of the [[Israeli–Palestinian conflict]] was noticed by some viewers.<ref name="NYT" /><ref name="village" /> Davis claimed that Leo Strauss's ideas had been formed by his experiences in Germany during the [[Weimar Republic]], and alleged that the film's failure to mention this was motivated by a wish to portray Strauss as concerned with American [[suburban]] culture, like Qutb.<ref name="Davis_NRO" />

=== Comparisons to ''Fahrenheit 9/11'' ===
After its release, ''The Power of Nightmares'' received multiple comparisons to ''[[Fahrenheit 9/11]]'', American filmmaker [[Michael Moore]]'s 2004 critique of the [[George W. Bush's first term as President of the United States|first four years]] of George W. Bush's presidency of the United States. The ''Village Voice'' directly named ''The Power of Nightmares'' as, "the most widely discussed docu [[agitprop]] since ''Fahrenheit 9/11''."<ref name="village"/> ''The Nation'' and ''Variety'' both gave comments lauding Curtis's film as superior to ''Fahrenheit'' and other political documentaries in various fields; the former cited Curtis's work as being more "intellectually engaging" and "historically probing", while the latter cited "balance, broad-mindedness and sense of historical perspective."<ref name="Variety"/><ref name="BergenNation1"/> Moore's work has also been used as a point of comparison by conservative critics of Curtis.<ref name="Davis_NRO"/>

Curtis has attempted to distinguish his work from Moore's film, describing Moore as "a political [[agitprop]] film-maker," arguing that, "you'd be hard pushed to tell my politics from watching [''The Power of Nightmares'']."<ref name="guardcanned"/>

== See also ==
* [[Culture of fear]]
* ''[[Bitter Lake (film)|Bitter Lake]]'' (2015)
* ''[[The Century of the Self]]'' (2002)
* ''[[The Living Dead (TV series)|The Living Dead]]'' (1995)
* ''[[The Mayfair Set]]'' (1999)
* ''[[Pandora's Box (British TV series)|Pandora's Box]]'' (1992)
* ''[[The Trap (British TV series)|The Trap]]'' (2007)

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
* {{Official website|https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/p088s5k4/the-power-of-nightmares|''The Power of Nightmares'' (Part 1)}} – official site at [[BBC iPlayer]]
* {{Official website|https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p088s6zx/the-power-of-nightmares-2-the-phantom-victory|''The Power of Nightmares'' (Part 2)}} – official site at [[BBC iPlayer]]
* {{Official website|https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p088s82j/the-power-of-nightmares-3-the-shadows-in-the-cave|''The Power of Nightmares'' (Part 3)}} – official site at [[BBC iPlayer]]
* {{IMDb title|id=0430484|title=The Power of Nightmares}}
* [https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/4202741.stm ''Power of Nightmares''] re-awakened – BBC viewers questions answered by Curtis
* [https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/4202891.stm ''Power of Nightmares''] background – suggested further reading by Curtis
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050811082028/http://www.cinema-scope.com/cs23/int_koehler_curtis.htm Adam Curtis] interview at [[Cinema Scope]] (archive)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130420111434/http://www.greencine.com/article?action=view&articleID=209 Adam Curtis] interview at [[GreenCine]], 12 May 2005 (archived 2013)
* [http://www.errolmorris.com/content/interview/believer0406.html Adam Curtis] interview with [[Errol Morris]] at errolmorris.com
* [https://watchdocumentaries.com/the-power-of-nightmares/ The Power of Nightmares] at Watch Documentaries

{{Adam Curtis}}
{{BAFTA TV Award for Best Factual Series or Strand}}

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