Bitter Lake

Short Kansas political news commentaries  interspersed between audio segments.

"New World Notes" is produced under the auspices (Latin for "resigned sighs") of WWUH-FM, a community service of that beacon of light in darkest Connecticut, the University of Hartford.More details, photos, nice links, & other good stuff on the show's Web site: http://newworldnotes.blogspot.com

Adam Curtis's new documentary, condensed & adapted to radio by Kenneth Dowst. An interesting and entertaining look at the histories and politics of Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and the U.S. since the 1940s.

PART ONE It's about the history and politics of Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and the U.S. since 1946. About the many failures of reformers--American, Russian, and Afghan alike--to remake and modernize Afghanistan. It's about shrewd and cynical calculations by Saudi and American leaders--who promote development and stability in Saudi Arabia by exporting Saudi extremist Islam (Wahhabism) abroad--including to Afghanistan.

PART TWO looks at the failed Russian attempts to reform Afghanistan in the 1980s ... the failed American attempts to reform Afghanistan since 2001 ... the transfer of political power in the West from governments to defense industries and the banks

PART THREE shows the corruption, conflicts, complexity, warlordism, and ever-shifting local alliances of Afghan society today. And it shows the naivete and ignorance of the English and American occupying forces (and of the politicians who dispatched them).