SPINE

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Invisible wars...



...are wars that are one-sided because they are conducted remotely with the aid of technology; at the receiving end of such wars are the defenseless poor, who are designated "enemy combatants" against their consent or knowledge.

The "enemy combatants" die in this warfare without firing back a single shot, because missiles are launched against them when they were sleeping, or are going about their business of daily living.

While the rules of war in the 21st century hasn't changed--still heavily rigged in favor of winners and those who write the rules--the technology, and consequently, the definitions of who or what constitutes the "combatant" have.

Madira Tahir's 2013 Documentary, The Wounds of Waziristan, is about such wars and such enemy combatants. The films makes me wince, but it also makes me feel I understand; I understand why we would like to flock to imaginary landscapes and histories of a Hogwarts (of Harry Potter fame).

Because Waziristan-like realities are too hard to bear.

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