Ran into a link to a BBC special "the power of nightmares" its a 3 part, 3hour documentary on the rise of the neoconservatives and the islamist movements.Though it seems laced with anti american propaganda ,Its pretty interesting. if you watch the whole thing the first hour covers the birth of the jihadist groups from an american educated idealogue tortured by the egyptian government under SADAT to the point where any muslim who supported pro western governments was seen as rejecting the koran and therefore could be killed. on the other hand the "neoconservatives" ( Reagan, rumsfeld cheney, wolfowitz) in the U.S., gain power during the reagan years and deem America as an ailing society needing a common purpose or mythology This mythology was " having divine providence to cleanup the world", Focusing on the communist Soviet union., after the fall of communism , the neoconservatives needed a new bogeyman. Part II andIII say Al-queda is not so much an organizational chart as just an idea collecting disaffected muslims. Google Videos Error In the end the fear is toughted as irrational, and the new base for political power, the person with the scariest predictions claims the most power. Most of the anti terrorist intelligence is based on half truths and assumption built upon assumptions. Super organized or not the france riots prove to me there is an "islamic problem"... but I find the videos eye opening...If you felt a little uncomfortable with colin powells justifications in front of the U.N aboutclassified reports of secret moblie labs ( like I did);It makes the point alqueda is an inflated straw bogeyman, believing and revelling in its own propaganda. The political philosophy today is: Something might happen. Anyone might be a terrorist, It may not happen this year or the next, but it could happen, and we have to prevent it from happening...and that's all that counts...( my words).(Prettty much irrational fear mongering ) We won't know if its over ...ever. If you 've got some time( and recognize the muslims are nice dancing people propaganda) it's an interesting documentary.
Updated - Part One, Two and Three: The Power Of Nightmares -Adam Curtis : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive