Chechnya: Separatism or Jihad?

Chechnya: Separatism or Jihad? examines the nature of Islam in the ongoing Chechen conflict. In early 1995 numerous foreign mujahadeen went to Chechnya to assist the separatist movement—there have been foreigners there ever since. Their contribution on the battlefield and their influence on the political situation within the Chechen resistance is not clear. It has been the subject of controversy, misinformation and political finger-pointing by all sides in the conflict.

More disturbing, four large scale hostage-taking raids into Russia in the past decade, Budyonnovsk (1995), Kizlar (1996), Moscow Theater (2002) and Beslan (2004), now referred to as “spectaculars”, seem to parallel the growing radicalization of the conflict. These increasingly audacious and violent events also serve as a chronological timeline for the story as they illustrate an evolution and escalation of militant Chechen tactics.

At the center of the conflict is Shamil Basayev, the last remaining field commander from the beginning of war in 1994. Has he become the face of Chechen separatism, of Islamic radicalization in Chechnya, or both? Will his voice dominate following the recent death of the more moderate rebel leader, Aslan Maskhadov, at the hands of Russian commandos?

Chechnya: Separatism or Jihad? explores the larger question of whether or not the Chechen independence movement has been hijacked by militant Islam. www.beyondtheborder.org

Fog and Friction (Combat Films/KBYU, 2005)

War is complicated. Friendly-fire incidents, collateral damage, and plans that fall apart under the stress of combat seem unavoidable. Fog and Friction looks at three specific battles and examines the uncertainty of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. The film also examines the role of the media in modern warfare and the issues of disinformation, perspective, and dependency in these same environments.

3/7 Marines prepare to cross into Iraq during the race for Baghdad, unsure of the strength of their opponent. Later, both soldiers from the 101st Air Assault Division and 3/7 Marines find themselves on the outskirts of Baghdad facing an enemy that has blended into the civilian population. Finally, the pilots and gunners of Bravo Company Apaches meet heavy resistance that requires them to improvise new tactical strategies on the fly during Operation Anaconda in eastern Afghanistan. These stories of battlefield risks and victories are intertwined with stories that illustrate the role of the media in war zones during the uprising at Qala-i-Jangi fortress, Afghanistan in 2002 and as embedded journalists on the Thunder Run to Baghdad in 2003.

Fog and Friction is a glimpse into the decision making process at the height of battle, the ability of the media to portray an accurate view of war, and, according to military scientists, what is being done on a continual basis to overcome the uncertainty of fog and friction. www.beyondtheborder.org

From the Masses to the Masses is the story of Jin Zhilin, a Chinese artist whose career was altered dramatically by the currents th

at have shaped the past century of Chinese history. His personal experience provides a unique window into the life of an artist in a revolutionary society.

Educated as an oil painter in the Western tradition, Jin responded with interest to the 1949 revolution and Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong's call for artists to learn from the masses, and create for the masses. But after Mao called for a Cultural Revolution to purge China's intellectuals and those he deemed insufficiently "red" in 1966, Jin found himself on the wrong side of the new artistic mandates. Imprisoned and alone, he even attempted to take his own life.

Sent to Yan'an upon his release, another political shift finally put Jin in the position to pursue his lifelong passion: to learn from the masses, in this case the traditional artists of Yan'an province. He and his group of students spent the next seven years capturing the life and history of the revolutionary capital on oil, watercolor and wood block prints.

Art has been defined as a medium of expression where the individual and culture come together. What happens to the individual artist when culture becomes a tool of government? How does political upheaval impact art as an expression of the times? Can art and culture survive and overcome government repression?

From the Masses to the Masses uses the actual art discovered three decades later, and interviews with the artists, to record the thought, travail, hardship and camaraderie of this important watershed period in modern Chinese history and offers a unique opportunity to approach some of these larger questions through an artist's eyes. www.beyondtheborder.org

The Cold War is becoming a faded memory. The strategies that guided America’s Military presence in Europe for nearly 50 years have become irrelevant. Now, the first Marine ever to head the European Command is charged with adapting his force for the new century.

Launch Pads to Lily Pads explores the military’s current struggle to adapt its force posture to meet new perceived threats inherent to an expanded America security perimeter. At the heart of the ongoing transformation is a debate regarding what EUCOM’s role should be beyond Western Europe—primarily Africa.
Launch Pads to Lily Pads aired on Scandinavia's TV8 | www.beyondtheborder.org

While world leaders and the international press focus their gaze on the specter of weapons of mass destruction the conventional arms market quietly does several billion dollars worth of business a year. At trade shows like Abu Dhabi's IDEX arms fair, countries from across the globe can shop for a dizzying variety of weapons--from small arms to tanks, to cruise missiles and fighter aircraft--like groceries at market. At IDEX even pariah nations such as Iran and Libya are free to do business with their peers--without the sanctions generally applied to their activities in the international arena.

The weapons bought and sold at IDEX serve to prolong, intensify and escalate conflicts the world over, and are responsible for may thousands of deaths, both civilian and military. Indeed, the land mines, bombs and artillery shells continue to inflict casualties long after the official cessation of hostilities. However, counter wisdom claims that transparency in the arms market around the world creates stability and arming one's friends is far better than not arming them even if they do become an enemy some day.

Of course, buyers and sellers are not the only ones drawn to IDEX. Intelligence agents from all over the world attend as well. The result is a bizarre environment where not everyone is who they seem and tools of death and destruction are cavalierly displayed. So, while prophecies of doom in the form of weapons of mass destruction continue to draw the spotlight, the weapons that will fuel the next Bosnia, Somalia, or Afghanistan are still discretely bought and sold at the Arms Bazaar. www.beyondtheborder.org

The beautiful and historic Caucasus Mountains are home to three major conflicts in the former Soviet Union, Nagorno-Karabakh, Abkhazia and Chechnya, and multiple minor struggles. Corruption is rampant and coups, random killing and kidnappings are so prevalent that foreigners in Georgia's capitol Tbilisi are warned not to walk after dark in its most affluent district, Rustaveli, more commonly referred to as the "red zone".

Intertwined in this convoluted political and geographic landscape is a significant portion of the world's known oil reserves. The Caspian Sea basin boasts great fields of crude and natural gas with one major caveat-there is no accessible sea route to get the precious energy sources to the world market.

Pipelines, constantly under sabotage, exist running east to west through the Caucasus valleys to the Black sea, while a more aggressive international pipeline project spanning the region is in various stages of planning and preparation. The Baku-Ceyhan pipeline will skirt four regional wars and numerous ethnic enclaves where war can break out at any moment.

Fault Lines and Pipelines examines this intriguing yet treacherous region in the context for a secure pipeline route. www.beyondtheborder.org

As the shadow of Soviet control slipped away from the former satellite states, Ukraine stepped forward and declared its independence. Free of Moscow's grip, gone is the state funding that supported the arts. Music is an abandoned program. Once a source of great pride and honor for the former Soviet Republics, many formerly celebrated musicians are now destitute. Young students of music have an uncertain future.

The spiritual repression of the Soviet era, ironically, inspired creative genius and stands in marked contrast to the state of music today in Ukraine. As communism collapsed a surge of nationalism emerged in the light of freedom as the population and musicians alike searched for a heritage from a history dominated by Russian. But the birth and development of a capitalist system and creative liberty has led to another tension: pop music vs. traditional or classical music. In the vacuum created by the fall of communism, the new economic and societal environment threatens to leave behind the musicians and music in this former Soviet satellite.

Ukraine Sonata looks at the years before, during and after the great "Perestroika," of the Soviet Union and how the Independent Republic of Ukraine is negotiating the changes on a musical level. www.beyondtheborder.org

With unprecedented access, award-winning filmmaker Dodge Billingsley tells the story of India Company 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, crack U.S. Frontline troops in Iraq. With some as young as 19, the invasion of Iraq was the first time any of them had actually been sent into combat. Having joined up with the regiment two months before they went into battle, and watched them train and prepare for war, Dodge experienced first hand the fears, hopes, dark humor and occasionally humdrum day to day life of these young men as they played a vital role in the liberation of Iraq. With remarkable footage of battles with the Iraqi 32nd Mechanized Infantry Brigade and the destruction of the Fedayeen Headquarters, Virgin Soldiers reveals the true story of the men who fought their way into the heart of Baghdad. 3/7 Marines remained in Iraq conducting stabilization operations for another four and half months before returning to their desert base in 29 Palms.

The House of War, an hour-long documentary from Emmy-award-winning director Paul Yule, is an insiders’ account of the Mazar-I-Sharif uprising in Afghanistan. Featuring previously unseen footage, The House of War reveals what really happened in the Qala-I-Jangi fortress, from the moment the first prisoner blew himself up with a hand grenade, through seven days of ferocious fighting, to the final surrender. www.channel4.com

On March 2, 2002, over a thousand U.S. and allied troops moved against a large concentration of Taliban and Al Qaeda in the Shah-i Khot valley of Southeastern Afghanistan. Only minutes after H-hour allied troops across the valley came under small arms RPG and mortar fire and two flights of AH-64 Apache attack helicopters swooped in to support them. Unable to hover, and facing massed fire from the ground, the Apaches carried out Close Combat Attacks on a determined and well-concealed enemy for the remainder of the day. By nightfall, five of the seven Apaches in action had been rendered in operable by enemy fire. 18 minutes DVD NTSC

For China, the 1930's were a decade marked by profound uncertainty and sweeping change. It was in this unstable and dangerous enviroment that aspiring American author Helen Foster foound herself when she arrived in China in 1931. She spent the next decade working as a writer, an activist, and humanitarian. She is one of the few Western eyewitnesses to the gathering Chinese Communist revolution.

Award winning Immortal Fortress takes the viewer on a dangerous behind-the-scenes journey into Chechnya, exploring the tiny mountain republic's war driven culture while searching for its most prolific warrior, Shamil Basayev. 52 Minutes Available in NTSC or PAL format