Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran: 3 Points of View 2001
Distributed by Chip Taylor Communications, 2 East View Drive, Derry, NH 03038-4812; 800-876-CHIP (2447)
Produced by Journeyman Pictures
Director n/a
VHS, color, 30 min.
Jr. High - Adult
Middle Eastern Studies, Multicultural Studies, Political Science
Date Entered: 11/09/2018
Reviewed by Ethan Pullman, Reference and Instruction Librarian, Hillman Library, University Library System, University of PittsburghThe events of September 11, 2001, brought a relatively unknown region to the forefront: Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran. This region is the subject of Chip Taylor’s film Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran: 3 Points of View. These countries made the news on various occasions, but rarely do we get a chance to understand the relationship within that region as we do in this film.
The film begins with Pakistan: The Fundamental View and explores the tension between country’s moderate rulers and the growing radical attitude. This tension explains the difficulty in extracting US support from a country that’s on the brink of political destabilization. One begins to comprehend a close link between the people of Pakistan and Afghanistan that, while have existed for centuries, only recently have become so visible.
The second part of this film, Afghanistan: No Simple Solution, brings us a quick historical perspective that explains the complexity of reaching a solution and gaining support from the Northern Alliance. As one of the citizens puts it “the Taliban are our brothers. And the Northern Alliance are also our brothers. And if the United States helps the Northern Alliance to fight the Taliban, once again Afghanistan and its people faces destruction.” Whatever the solution is, it has to come from within the Afghan people.
So how does Iran, fit in the picture? Iran: The Drug War, as the name of the third part of this film implies, explains how Afghans use the Iranian borders to smuggle drugs to the west for procuring money for their weapons. Afghan produces %80 of the world’s opium and heroin. Unfortunately, citizens looking to escape Afghan fall victims in the process. They are often made to fill their travel bags with drugs. When caught they often face execution. But only %5 of the shipments is actually ceased. So the war lives on.
Although the film is very brief, which makes it more useful as a discussion catalyst rather than a comprehensive information source, this film is of high audio and video quality, great investigative reporting, and extremely valuable for academic libraries with programs in international affairs, political science, or Middle Eastern studies.