October 15, 2004 The well-received documentary After 9/11 was released in a DVD version for general audiences this summer, and is available for purchase through the Watson Institute's Information Technology, War, and Peace (InfoTechWarPeace) Project. Combining critical dialogue, conceptual analysis, and a montage of multimedia, After9/11 anticipates many of the recent revelations about the darker side of the war against terror, and, in a reflective postscript, provides a positive vision for moving America beyond 9/11.
After 9/11 will appeal to a variety of audiences—from university and secondary education settings to community groups to the general public—grappling with a world radically altered by global terrorism and its conductivity through IT. The documentary was previously screened in Germany, England, Canada, and the United States, receiving high praise for its innovative approach to security and information technology (IT) in a post-9/11 era. Since June, the film has received a broad distribution on LinkTV via Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS). (Broadcast times for different times zones and possible future broadcasts can be found at the LinkTV website for After 9/11.)
Produced in collaboration with Udris Productions, the hour-long film tracks the emergence of an Age of InfoTerror, from the terrorist attack of September 2001 to the information war leading up to the Iraq War. Two opposing voices guide the viewer through a richly visual and openly critical appraisal of the current political landscape. The first is a selection of national security speeches by President Bush, which provide a chronology for the evolution of a US government policy after 911. The second voice is novelist and Brown professor, Robert Coover, who uses a powerful dream narration to frame a montage of the technologies of war, media, and surveillance that have overtaken more human concerns.
After 9/11 offers viewers unprecedented access to a wide range of scholars and journalists, artists and writers, governmental and military officials, who have participated in InfoTechWarPeace events and offer critical reflection and historical background to supplement our understanding of contemporary world politics.
InfoTechWarPeace tracks the effects of IT on traditional statecraft and new forms of networked global politics. The overall goal of the project is to produce, sustain, and extend global networks of knowledge and authority that will help raise public awareness and inform new policies on information technology in international relations. InfoTechWarPeace makes a conscientious effort to bring together a diverse range of experts from governmental and non-governmental organizations, the media and military, as well as industry and academy.
For background materials about After 9/11, to buy your own copy, or to find out about future screenings in your area, go to the After 9/11 website.
For more information about the work of InfoTechWarPeace, visit its award-winning website infopeace.org or contact Annick Wibben at Annick_Wibben@brown.edu or by phone at 401.863.3473.
