Film Clips, Chapter 12
International Security
War, a Documentary by Gwynne Dyer
Gwynne Dyer’s seven-part series on war, first published in book form, then later in a TV mini-series, examined the history and effects of warfare, past and present. With his trademark sardonic style, Dyer assembles one of the most comprehensive documentaries on the subject ever done. This link presents each of the parts of the Academy Award-nominated documentary, posted to pulsemedia.org, which hosts the now over three decades old series.
9/11: Remembering and Rebuilding
Ten years after the horrendous attacks against the US on 11 September 2001, CBC news looks back to examine the attacks themselves, and the massive effect they had on global politics and security.
Rwanda: Background to Genocide
In this brief history.com documentary, Rwandan history and society is examined to help explain the eruption of ethnic violence in 1998. That genocide was one of the worst examples of mass murder in history, described as killing “on an industrial scale.” It was a brutal period where 800,000 people were ruthlessly killed. The website also links other videos which describe the genocide, world reaction, and later reconciliation.
1957: Diplomat Lester Pearson Wins Nobel Peace Prize
The Suez crisis, described in the text, led to the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Lester Pearson, then Secretary of State for External Affairs (and later prime minister). In this archival CBC radio clip from 1957, the interviewer captures Pearson’s reaction to winning the prize, and also his thoughts about the crisis and rise of peacekeeping internationally.