Review of the Netflix Documentary Series Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror
Rating *****
If you can watch only one 9/11 documentary, make it this one. This five-part documentary series expertly encapsulates the mistakes made before and after that terrible day.
Rather than focus solely on the events of 9/11, this documentary series examines the Bush Administration’s flawed response: the missed opportunity to get Osama Bin Laden when he was still in Afghanistan, the lies and deception that led to the invasion of Iraq, the misguided justification for the use of enhanced interrogation techniques (torture).
One fact that I was not aware of concerned the motivation to go after Sadam Hussain. I always believed, and still do, that the entire Iraq invasion had more to do with a failed assassination attempt on George H. W. Bush than any claims of supposed ties to Al-Qaeda and the possession of weapons of mass destruction. It turns out, however, that part of the justification came from an Al-Qaeda operative who provided false information while undergoing torture by the CIA.
After watching this documentary series, I agree that it was time to leave Afghanistan. We let 9/11 happen partly due to a lack of governmental interagency communication. We tried to force American values on a nation that was only somewhat receptive. We stayed too long. We spent too much money for what we got in return. This documentary series demonstrates the truth behind the statement “elections have consequences.”