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A Louder Call to Action
In Shifting Sands: The Truth About UNSCOM and the Disarming of Iraq
Directed by Scott Ritter
film review by Bob Hicks
In some ways, the strength of the documentary In Shifting Sands lies
in its beginning. And the same can be said about its director, Scott
Ritter. Mr. Ritter has a hawkish past as a retired Marine, former
United Nations Chief Inspector in Iraq and card-carrying Republican.
He voted for George W. Bush in the 2000 election. His military
experience in Desert Storm and often volatile relations with the Iraqi
government seem to endorse his outspoken opposition to an attack
against Iraq, as it invalidates the pat depiction of peaceniks as out
of touch with the harsh realities of life.
Similarly, Ritter's film begins by detailing Iraq's invasion of Kuwait
and its manipulation and outright defiance of the initial weapons
inspections. However, as the film unfolds, it discloses an inspection
process that the US increasingly undermines and exploits as grounds
for the four-day strike against Iraq in 1998. Inspection videotape of
tense showdowns with Iraqi military contrasts with the mundane
technical and procedural footage of the team locating and destroying
weaponry. The complexities of diplomatic negotiations and frequent
protracted conflicts are demonstrated through a wide array of
interviews, including with former UN Chief Inspector Rolf Ekeus,
former Weapons Inspector Tim Trevan, Lt. General Amer Rashid, Lt.
General Amer al-Sa'adi, and Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz.
Unfortunately, the reasoned persuasiveness of much of the interviews
is somewhat offset by appearances of the director. Contentious points
seem to bring out a bit of the blustery smart aleck in Ritter.
In Shifting Sands provides a near-overload of information and may be
difficult if viewers have not read extensively on the subject. It is
not an entertaining movie; it is often less than linear and leaves us
with some major unanswered questions. However, it is these very
aspects that lend weight to the film's argument that the US government
has either undercut or controlled the UN weapons inspection for its
own gain, while untold numbers of innocent Iraqi citizens have
perished from the resulting bombs and sanctions. While the media's
usual sound bites offer biased diatribes or, at best,
point/counterpoint volleying, the real world is decidedly more
complex, with less distinct heroes and villains, but with a much
louder and greater call to action.
Some have criticized In Shifting Sands for its financial backing, as
some $400,000 of the film's $500,000 budget was from a loan by
Iraqi-American businessman Shakir al-Khafaji. During a visit to
Seattle last fall, Ritter countered these objections by saying he took
extraordinary cautions to ensure none of this support was derived from
the Iraqi government.
Bob Hicks is a peace activist in Washington State.
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