Netflixâs original documentary series Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror first aired on September 1st, 2021. The series consists of five hour-long episodes and describes the events that occurred on September 9th, 2001, and the War on Terror that followed (Netflix, 2021). It touches on the events that led to the formation of Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, how the events of 9/11 affected the people of the United States, and how the government responded to the threats both inside and outside the country. Turning Point delves into several difficult subjects, illustrating how America was not only the victim of 9/11 but also the cause of it happening. Several actions perpetrated by the American government can be compared to the actions of their Islamic enemies, as well as other fundamental groups. However, the series fails to fully delve into the details of the actions perpetrated by the government.
Turning Point lays the groundwork for discussion about the duality of influence of the government, and in doing so allows for arguments regarding the label of âfundamentalist groupâ. Though it is widely used in todayâs media, the fact that the concept initially comes from Christianity is not known to many. The term was initially used in the late 19th century to refer to a movement that wanted to return to traditional Christian values (Sidahmed, 2018). However, what the documentary fails to address is that many religions, including Mormonism, have fundamentalist movements that seek to return to a previously used set of rules. The Mormon fundamentalists, for example, believe that their ancestors should not have abandoned the concept of polygamy, as it was a necessary part of their way of life and faith (Bennion, 2020). However, by utilizing the term âfundamentalistâ without properly explaining it, the documentary has fed into the current-day notion of fundamentalists being linked to terrorist actions. Furthermore, Turning Point fails to address the fact that not only is fundamentalism considered by some to originate from the United States, but also that the actions of the US leadership can be compared to the common ideas attributed to fundamentalist groups as well (Gilligan, 2017).
While Turning Point does a good job of showing both sides of the 9/11 disaster, it does so in a largely pro-American manner. The first episode of the documentary opens with the televised reactions of those present inside the Twin Towers and in the area immediately surrounding them on the day of the event. While the relationship between Al Qaeda and the American government is given later, the immediate emotional response leads viewers to side with the American public that suffered in the event. However, the documentary fails to delve fully into the atrocities perpetrated by the government during the War on Terror. It addresses some, such as Alberto Gonzalez, a member of the White House during the Bush Administration that heavily pushed for the implementation of âenhanced interrogation techniquesâ, however, does not expand to more current-day administrations (Sculos, 2021). For example, it does not address the increased number of drone strikes during the Obama Administration and the continued existence of the Guantanamo Bay detention center. Both were excused from using War on Terror, with Gitmo being used specifically for keeping and interrogating suspected and known terrorists. While this may exceed the scope of the topic the documentary set out to cover, this information would have created a whole picture. This is especially notable since they did delve into current-day events at the end of the last episode, albeit briefly.
Instead, Turning Point chooses to focus on the positive aspects of American presence in Afghanistan and the War on Terror. This may have been done deliberately to maintain an optimistic outlook, however, does not fit the unbiased outlook that a documentary should have. Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror raise several significant questions for discussion in terms of what fundamentalism means and whether it is necessarily bad, but does not fully answer them.
References
Bennion, J. B. (2020). The history and culture of Mormon fundamentalism in the United States. In The Palgrave handbook of global Mormonism (pp. 677-702). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
Gilligan, J. (2017, July). Toward a psychoanalytic theory of violence, fundamentalism and terrorism. In International Forum of Psychoanalysis, 26(3), 174-185. Routledge.
Sculos, B. W. (2021). Absolute impunity: On the legacies of 9/11 & the policies of the war on/of terror. Class, Race and Corporate Power, 9(2), 8.
Sidahmed, A. S. (2018). Islamic fundamentalism. Routledge.
Brian Knappenberger (Director). (2021) Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror. [Netflix series]. Netflix.