Why We Fight Synopsis & Movie Info

During World War II, the U.S. government commissioned a series of propaganda films (some directed by Frank Capra) entitled 'Why We Fight.' Now, filmmaker Eugene Jarecki turns that premise on its head, using the same title to take an incisive, unflinching look at the convention of warfare. Using as his starting point Dwight D. Eisenhower's declaration that a responsible government "must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex," Jarecki charges that in the current political climate, the government's ambitions -- stated or otherwise -- in going to war are often starkly different from the best interests of its citizens. Why do we lack the sense of wartime purpose that previous generations proudly upheld? How large a role do political and corporate agendas play in influencing a U.S. call to arms? These questions and more are addressed in a powerful film that transcends polemical scapegoating, forcing us to confront a new brand of imperialism that cannot easily be justified or ignored.