Dirty Wars (2013)

           Jeremy Scahill's film about America's covert military operations in undeclared war zones was nominated for Best Documentary for the 2014 Oscars. Scahill has been a war correspondent for over ten years, and is best known as a writer for The Nation and author of the best seller book Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army (2008). This film coincides with the 2013 publication of his new book by the same name. We usually think of wars that are officially declared, and authorized by Congress. But the Joint Special Operations Command conducts covert wars in over 75 countries, almost none of which has congressional oversight (and in many cases, even their knowledge). Is it any wonder that when we massacre innocent civilians in drone strikes that one of them tells Scahill, "We call them the American Taliban, with their big beards and their cruelty." I watched this film on Netflix streaming.