"No End in Site" is a great Documentary - GoFuckYourself.com

J-Reel · 01-30-2008, 02:15 PM

about the Iraq war.

Here's a BBC story about it...

https://youtube.com/watch?v=1vBHnbtvbXc

Chronological look at the fiasco in Iraq, especially decisions made in the spring of 2003 - and the backgrounds of those making decisions - immediately following the overthrow of Saddam: no occupation plan, an inadequate team to run the country, insufficient troops to keep order, and three edicts from the White House announced by Bremmer when he took over: no provisional Iraqi government, de-Ba'athification, and disbanding the Iraqi armed services. The film has chapters (from History to Consequences), and the talking heads are reporters, academics, soldiers, military brass, and former Bush-administration officials, including several who were in Baghdad in 2003.

The first film of its kind to chronicle the reasons behind Iraqs descent into guerilla war, warlord rule, criminality and anarchy, NO END IN SIGHT is a jaw-dropping, insiders tale of wholesale incompetence, recklessness and venality. Based on over 200 hours of footage, the film provides a candid retelling of the events following the fall of Baghdad in 2003 by high ranking officials such as former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, Ambassador Barbara Bodine (in charge of Baghdad during the spring of 2003), Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, former chief of staff to Colin Powell, and General Jay Garner (in charge of occupation of Iraq through May 2003), as well as Iraqi civilians, American soldiers and prominent analysts. NO END IN SIGHT examines the manner in which the principal errors of US policythe use of insufficient troop levels, allowing the looting of Baghdad, the purging of professionals from the Iraqi government and the disbanding of the Iraqi military largely created the insurgency and chaos that engulf Iraq today.

Jimmy Rock · 01-30-2008, 02:21 PM

Looks great, I want to see it for sure

Paper_Amar · 01-30-2008, 02:29 PM

Def going to check it out

LuckyMax · 01-30-2008, 02:42 PM

I'll check it out

Deej · 01-30-2008, 02:48 PM

keepin an eye out for it ...

GAMEFINEST · 01-30-2008, 03:03 PM

Ill Check It Out Too, Thanks

J-Reel · 01-30-2008, 03:15 PM

It's just amazing how incompetent the Bush admin really is.

Titty Fucker · 01-30-2008, 03:48 PM

Saw it last week. very eye opening... I new the break up of the Iraqi army was a huge mistake, but I didn't know about the de-baathafication. Whoops!

Here's a good review...

http://www.dvdtalk.com/dvdsavant/s2446end.html

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

Reviewing documentaries about the Iraq war is a problematic activity that quickly reveals any reviewer's own bias, this reviewer included. No End in Sight is the best docu I've yet seen on the subject. It's a fascinating hundred minutes of reasoned testimony about the situation in Iraq, up to the first months of 2007. Unlike some other advocacy docus, No End in Sight doesn't strive to entertain with sensational or shocking footage, or to score points with editorial tricks or comical jests at public figures. It has nothing in common with the 'ambush & belittle' approach of Fahrenheit 911. Using satire to reveal underlying truths no longer works, if reality is already an absurd exaggeration.

No End in Sight instead tells the straight story of what went wrong in Iraq, starting when American forces took Baghdad in 2003. Director Charles Ferguson relies on the testimony of many high-ranking military and diplomatic personnel as they explain how no occupation plan was ever formulated or executed to fill the gap left when Saddam Hussein's regime was toppled. When structure and order were needed, the administration did nothing, allowing Iraq to destroy itself in an orgy of looting and vandalism. Intelligence reports were not read and common sense was ignored, while administration spokespeople assured America that expert advice was being consulted at all times. Washington ignored on-site officials that said promises were being broken and opportunities squandered. An experienced general told Congress that hundreds of thousands of troops would be needed to secure Iraq, and was soon replaced. Any information contradicting the Administration's idea of easy success was labeled 'guesswork', and ignored.

Almost all of these interviewees are retired or 'have been excused from duty' in Iraq, but it's difficult to make a case that any of them are vindictive enemies of the Bush administration. Ambassador Barbara Bodine talks about trying to establish an office in a city without even simple resources - no typewriters, no chairs. She organized neighborhood councils, but her leading contact was assassinated. Jay Garner, a retired Army general placed in charge of Iraq, was quickly replaced by Bush's appointee Paul Bremer, a non-diplomat with no related experience. Bremer almost immediately disbanded the Iraqi army, putting a hundred thousand armed men out of work and guaranteeing that the country would be thrown into utter chaos.

The docu brings a number of facts into much better focus. After the liberation of Baghdad, a strong authority might have kept the country intact. While U.S. forces concentrated on securing oil installations, future insurgents and terrorists seized Hussein's vast arms and weapons stockpiles, which had been left unguarded. Even worse, the country's libraries, museums and archives were looted and burned, even after promises were given that they would be protected. As those archives contained vast holdings and manuscripts about the region's ancient civilizations, the loss is comparable to the destruction of the Library of Alexandria.

The United Nations sent special representative Sergio Vieira de Mello to Iraq, to help bring order. After a couple of photo ops with Paul Bremer, he was ignored. De Mello was killed in a terror attack that destroyed most of his office building.

Maps show Baghdad in early 2007 as a crazy quilt of armed camps. A multiplicity of warring factions, warring Islamic camps, and self-armed neighborhoods have set up their own territorial boundaries; the rest of the city is up for grabs. The United States 'coalition' controls only the Green Zone and the airport, but even those strongholds are regularly attacked. Nowhere are troops secure from attack. The few diplomats that venture outside the Green Zone must be protected by mercenary gunmen. We're also shown a realistic estimate of the astronomical cost of the war, and how it has crippled the USA's ability to function militarily.

No End in Sight limits its direct criticism of the administration to public statements expressing an arrogant contempt for the media, the public and the truth. Familiar White House faces act cavalier about the Iraq mission as they are caught in fraudulent statements and outright lies. The show does not draw hard conclusions, solicit emotional responses or wave the flag for any particular course of action. No End in Sight is simple public information, clearly stated.

Much of the show was produced in Iraq, showing how the Iraqi people are struggling to survive. Contradicting official figures, we hear estimates that hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis have been killed since the 2003 'mission accomplished' victory. Killings are wholesale and ransom kidnappings are epidemic. The besieged American forces can trust nobody and private 'security' mercenaries can and do kill civilians with complete impunity. Rather than go for a big finish, director Ferguson simply lets a Marine express his sincere misgivings: "America can do better than this."

Magnolia's DVD of No End in Sight is a handsomely packaged and encoded disc; the enhanced widescreen image is consistently good-looking.

Viewers who have already seen No End in Sight will want to loan it to their friends. Magnolia's disc contains a number of arresting extras culled from unused interview material.
Additional interviews are presented with Richard Armitage (Deputy Secretary of State, 2001-2005), Aida Ussayran (Deputy Minister Iraq Human Rights Ministry) and Omar Fekeiki (Office Manager, Baghdad Bureau The Washington Post).
Other topics discussed are as follows:
Personal story: Larry Diamond presents a former Stanford professor talking about what happened when he was enlisted by Condoleeza Rice to go to Iraq to help with the political transition.
In Life Under Saddam, Iraqi ambassador Faisal Al-Istrabadi describes conditions in Iraq in the pre-invasion period.
General Jay Garner and Ambassador Barbara Bodine discuss the De-ba'thification policy.
Originally produced for the New York Times website, Disbanding the Iraqi Army has input from relief official Joost Hiltermann, U.N. diplomat Jamal Benomar, security advisor Walter Slocombe, occupational strategist Colonel Paul Hughes and Faisal Al-Istrabadi.
The CPA discusses the Bremer regime, with Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, Ambassador Barbara Bodine, Army civil affairs officer Heather Coyne, Intelligence officer Paul Pillar and Professor Linda Bilmes.
Journalist Chris Allbritton and journalist and bodyguard Warzer Jaff talk about their experiences with Kidnapping and Crime.
Iraqi journalist Ali Fadhil talks about being arrested in a night raid in U.S. Military Conduct.
The question Could It Have Been Different? is addressed by Barbara Bodine and Paul Pillar.
Faisal Al-Istrabadi, Journalist Nir Rosen ask themselves Was it Worth It?
Author Jessica Stern, General Jay Garner and Jamal Benomar talk about the greater regional Consequences of the botched occupation of Iraq.

Finally, Footage of Iraq assembles just under ten minutes of the production's raw video footage of life in the occupation.

On a scale of Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor, No End in Sight rates:
Movie: Excellent
Video: Excellent
Sound: Excellent
Supplements: Large gallery of interview extras, see above
Packaging: Keep case
Reviewed: October 31, 2007

V_RocKs · 01-30-2008, 04:27 PM

In the end will everyone be brought up on charges?

Lame if not...

My first action as president would be to push for charges on the previous group.

D Ghost · 01-30-2008, 04:40 PM

Fuck yeah. that documentary rocks!

gage · 01-30-2008, 05:07 PM

it's been out for a while and it's on netflix instant viewing.. and it's awesome. //g

J-Reel · 01-31-2008, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deejne

Fuck yeah. that documentary rocks!

JUSTB · 01-31-2008, 01:29 PM

the content was amazing but the presentation was a bit tedious

I did a lot of headshaking while watching it and was pretty depressed by the time it ended

DaddyHalbucks · 01-31-2008, 02:25 PM

Mistakes were made in Vietnam, WWII, and all other wars. Let's hope the future there in Iraq will be more peaceful.

01-30-2008, 02:15 PM	#1
J-Reel Confirmed User Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Boneprone's guest house Posts: 3,782	"No End in Site" is a great Documentary about the Iraq war. Here's a BBC story about it... https://youtube.com/watch?v=1vBHnbtvbXc Chronological look at the fiasco in Iraq, especially decisions made in the spring of 2003 - and the backgrounds of those making decisions - immediately following the overthrow of Saddam: no occupation plan, an inadequate team to run the country, insufficient troops to keep order, and three edicts from the White House announced by Bremmer when he took over: no provisional Iraqi government, de-Ba'athification, and disbanding the Iraqi armed services. The film has chapters (from History to Consequences), and the talking heads are reporters, academics, soldiers, military brass, and former Bush-administration officials, including several who were in Baghdad in 2003. The first film of its kind to chronicle the reasons behind Iraqs descent into guerilla war, warlord rule, criminality and anarchy, NO END IN SIGHT is a jaw-dropping, insiders tale of wholesale incompetence, recklessness and venality. Based on over 200 hours of footage, the film provides a candid retelling of the events following the fall of Baghdad in 2003 by high ranking officials such as former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, Ambassador Barbara Bodine (in charge of Baghdad during the spring of 2003), Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, former chief of staff to Colin Powell, and General Jay Garner (in charge of occupation of Iraq through May 2003), as well as Iraqi civilians, American soldiers and prominent analysts. NO END IN SIGHT examines the manner in which the principal errors of US policythe use of insufficient troop levels, allowing the looting of Baghdad, the purging of professionals from the Iraqi government and the disbanding of the Iraqi military largely created the insurgency and chaos that engulf Iraq today. __________________ Scheck out the new girls at www.hawtmoney.com ICQ 177-447-671

01-30-2008, 02:21 PM	#2
Jimmy Rock Confirmed User Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: West Hollywood Posts: 3,055	Looks great, I want to see it for sure __________________ Jimmy Rock \| ICQ: 285 748 329 [email protected]

01-30-2008, 02:29 PM	#3
Paper_Amar Confirmed User Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: North Miami Beach, Fl Posts: 2,607	Def going to check it out __________________ My icq; 4 4 7 5 4 2 1 2 8 Amar @ paper street cash .com

01-30-2008, 02:48 PM	#5
Deej I make pixels work Industry Role: Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: I live here... Posts: 24,386	keepin an eye out for it ... __________________ Deej's Designs n' What Not Hit me up for Design, CSS & Photo Retouching Icq#30096880

01-30-2008, 03:03 PM	#6
GAMEFINEST Make STACK$ Industry Role: Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: sexy time Posts: 14,436	Ill Check It Out Too, Thanks __________________ Compound interest.

01-30-2008, 02:42 PM	#4
LuckyMax Registered User Industry Role: Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 55	I'll check it out

01-30-2008, 03:15 PM	#7
J-Reel Confirmed User Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Boneprone's guest house Posts: 3,782	It's just amazing how incompetent the Bush admin really is. __________________ Scheck out the new girls at www.hawtmoney.com ICQ 177-447-671

01-30-2008, 03:48 PM	#8
Titty Fucker Confirmed User Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: In the Valley Posts: 589	Saw it last week. very eye opening... I new the break up of the Iraqi army was a huge mistake, but I didn't know about the de-baathafication. Whoops! Here's a good review... http://www.dvdtalk.com/dvdsavant/s2446end.html Reviewed by Glenn Erickson Reviewing documentaries about the Iraq war is a problematic activity that quickly reveals any reviewer's own bias, this reviewer included. No End in Sight is the best docu I've yet seen on the subject. It's a fascinating hundred minutes of reasoned testimony about the situation in Iraq, up to the first months of 2007. Unlike some other advocacy docus, No End in Sight doesn't strive to entertain with sensational or shocking footage, or to score points with editorial tricks or comical jests at public figures. It has nothing in common with the 'ambush & belittle' approach of Fahrenheit 911. Using satire to reveal underlying truths no longer works, if reality is already an absurd exaggeration. No End in Sight instead tells the straight story of what went wrong in Iraq, starting when American forces took Baghdad in 2003. Director Charles Ferguson relies on the testimony of many high-ranking military and diplomatic personnel as they explain how no occupation plan was ever formulated or executed to fill the gap left when Saddam Hussein's regime was toppled. When structure and order were needed, the administration did nothing, allowing Iraq to destroy itself in an orgy of looting and vandalism. Intelligence reports were not read and common sense was ignored, while administration spokespeople assured America that expert advice was being consulted at all times. Washington ignored on-site officials that said promises were being broken and opportunities squandered. An experienced general told Congress that hundreds of thousands of troops would be needed to secure Iraq, and was soon replaced. Any information contradicting the Administration's idea of easy success was labeled 'guesswork', and ignored. Almost all of these interviewees are retired or 'have been excused from duty' in Iraq, but it's difficult to make a case that any of them are vindictive enemies of the Bush administration. Ambassador Barbara Bodine talks about trying to establish an office in a city without even simple resources - no typewriters, no chairs. She organized neighborhood councils, but her leading contact was assassinated. Jay Garner, a retired Army general placed in charge of Iraq, was quickly replaced by Bush's appointee Paul Bremer, a non-diplomat with no related experience. Bremer almost immediately disbanded the Iraqi army, putting a hundred thousand armed men out of work and guaranteeing that the country would be thrown into utter chaos. The docu brings a number of facts into much better focus. After the liberation of Baghdad, a strong authority might have kept the country intact. While U.S. forces concentrated on securing oil installations, future insurgents and terrorists seized Hussein's vast arms and weapons stockpiles, which had been left unguarded. Even worse, the country's libraries, museums and archives were looted and burned, even after promises were given that they would be protected. As those archives contained vast holdings and manuscripts about the region's ancient civilizations, the loss is comparable to the destruction of the Library of Alexandria. The United Nations sent special representative Sergio Vieira de Mello to Iraq, to help bring order. After a couple of photo ops with Paul Bremer, he was ignored. De Mello was killed in a terror attack that destroyed most of his office building. Maps show Baghdad in early 2007 as a crazy quilt of armed camps. A multiplicity of warring factions, warring Islamic camps, and self-armed neighborhoods have set up their own territorial boundaries; the rest of the city is up for grabs. The United States 'coalition' controls only the Green Zone and the airport, but even those strongholds are regularly attacked. Nowhere are troops secure from attack. The few diplomats that venture outside the Green Zone must be protected by mercenary gunmen. We're also shown a realistic estimate of the astronomical cost of the war, and how it has crippled the USA's ability to function militarily. No End in Sight limits its direct criticism of the administration to public statements expressing an arrogant contempt for the media, the public and the truth. Familiar White House faces act cavalier about the Iraq mission as they are caught in fraudulent statements and outright lies. The show does not draw hard conclusions, solicit emotional responses or wave the flag for any particular course of action. No End in Sight is simple public information, clearly stated. Much of the show was produced in Iraq, showing how the Iraqi people are struggling to survive. Contradicting official figures, we hear estimates that hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis have been killed since the 2003 'mission accomplished' victory. Killings are wholesale and ransom kidnappings are epidemic. The besieged American forces can trust nobody and private 'security' mercenaries can and do kill civilians with complete impunity. Rather than go for a big finish, director Ferguson simply lets a Marine express his sincere misgivings: "America can do better than this." Magnolia's DVD of No End in Sight is a handsomely packaged and encoded disc; the enhanced widescreen image is consistently good-looking. Viewers who have already seen No End in Sight will want to loan it to their friends. Magnolia's disc contains a number of arresting extras culled from unused interview material. Additional interviews are presented with Richard Armitage (Deputy Secretary of State, 2001-2005), Aida Ussayran (Deputy Minister Iraq Human Rights Ministry) and Omar Fekeiki (Office Manager, Baghdad Bureau The Washington Post). Other topics discussed are as follows: Personal story: Larry Diamond presents a former Stanford professor talking about what happened when he was enlisted by Condoleeza Rice to go to Iraq to help with the political transition. In Life Under Saddam, Iraqi ambassador Faisal Al-Istrabadi describes conditions in Iraq in the pre-invasion period. General Jay Garner and Ambassador Barbara Bodine discuss the De-ba'thification policy. Originally produced for the New York Times website, Disbanding the Iraqi Army has input from relief official Joost Hiltermann, U.N. diplomat Jamal Benomar, security advisor Walter Slocombe, occupational strategist Colonel Paul Hughes and Faisal Al-Istrabadi. The CPA discusses the Bremer regime, with Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, Ambassador Barbara Bodine, Army civil affairs officer Heather Coyne, Intelligence officer Paul Pillar and Professor Linda Bilmes. Journalist Chris Allbritton and journalist and bodyguard Warzer Jaff talk about their experiences with Kidnapping and Crime. Iraqi journalist Ali Fadhil talks about being arrested in a night raid in U.S. Military Conduct. The question Could It Have Been Different? is addressed by Barbara Bodine and Paul Pillar. Faisal Al-Istrabadi, Journalist Nir Rosen ask themselves Was it Worth It? Author Jessica Stern, General Jay Garner and Jamal Benomar talk about the greater regional Consequences of the botched occupation of Iraq. Finally, Footage of Iraq assembles just under ten minutes of the production's raw video footage of life in the occupation. On a scale of Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor, No End in Sight rates: Movie: Excellent Video: Excellent Sound: Excellent Supplements: Large gallery of interview extras, see above Packaging: Keep case Reviewed: October 31, 2007 __________________

01-30-2008, 04:27 PM	#9
V_RocKs Damn Right I Kiss Ass! Industry Role: Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Cowtown, USA Posts: 32,409	In the end will everyone be brought up on charges? Lame if not... My first action as president would be to push for charges on the previous group.

01-30-2008, 04:40 PM	#10
D Ghost null Industry Role: Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 9,820	Fuck yeah. that documentary rocks!

01-30-2008, 05:07 PM	#11
gage Confirmed User Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Scottsdale AZ & Colorado Posts: 225	it's been out for a while and it's on netflix instant viewing.. and it's awesome. //g

01-31-2008, 01:29 PM	#13
JUSTB Registered User Industry Role: Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: tampa Posts: 1,740	the content was amazing but the presentation was a bit tedious I did a lot of headshaking while watching it and was pretty depressed by the time it ended

01-31-2008, 02:25 PM	#14
DaddyHalbucks A freakin' legend! Industry Role: Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Las Vegas, Nevada USA Posts: 18,975	Mistakes were made in Vietnam, WWII, and all other wars. Let's hope the future there in Iraq will be more peaceful. __________________ Boner Money