The Cult of the Suicide Bomber [2005] (Region 1) (NTSC) [DVD] [US Import]

As a researcher interested in terrorism and political violence, I watched this movie to gain a different perspective on the origins of suicide bombing. The documentary has some amazing interviews of both bombers/martyrs and counterinsurgents. How the filmmakers were able to get these people to speak on tape is incredible. This alone made the film worth watching. The movie is chock full of history and facts about how suicide bombing has evolved since its intial use in Iran.

My only complaint relates to the notion that suicide bombing is a "cult" that lacks ideology and is spreading. What the filmmakers learn through their interviews is that the bombings are a tactic used by weak actors to impose costs on the stronger opponent. Robert Pape's book "Dying to Win" makes this point. In addition, Mia Bloom's book, "Dying to Kill" provides an even deeper description of the process involved. I encourage anyone interested in understanding why the tactic of suicide bombing has been replicated in recent conflicts to read these two books. Paradise Now, a drama about a potential suicide bomber, is also worth watching. If the goal is to understand the process so that this tactic of resistance can be countered/eliminated, consulting all of these sources will help you put together a better explanation for why suicide bombing is on the rise.

If you have been watching broadcast news over the years, there is little that you wouldn't have seen in a equivalent form (other than dramatic pictures of the Bek'aa Valley of Lebanon). If you are new to this, there are numerous valuable segments, but the ordering is driven by chronology rather than an attempt to build understanding. For example, the segment with the interviews with the imprisoned Palestinian bombers (chapter 16) is the first real attempt at explaining the bombers mindset, and should have come much earlier.

The documentary focuses more on an enumeration of the bombers and their attacks, and generally gives too little of the context needed for understanding events.

Many of the interviews are unrevealing - they seem to be the long established "party line" of the interviewee. Getting spontaneity or insights is difficult, but having time to do so is one of the aspects that distinguishes documentaries from news reports.

TECHNICAL: Baer's narration is very flat: he speaks very slowly and carefully. There are too many transition shots of Baer walking or listening (This is routine and acceptable in news broadcasts because they don't have the time to get interesting visuals). The pictures of martyrs and explosions are so many and so dominant that they became tiring, and many seem to be little more than unimaginative visual filler.

INTELLECTUAL MESS: Misleading labeling is an effective tactic in advocacy, but a major impediment to understanding: You fail to ask important questions and block linkages that would lead to insights.

The use of the term "suicide" is derogatory and highly misleading (a point one interviewee makes): It implies that one's own death is the primary motivator for the act. The bombers and those around them use the word "martyr" exclusively, and it better describes their mindset and motivations displayed.

In US mass culture, the term "cult" is derogatory, most commonly used for a group with extreme beliefs or mass adoration of an undeserving someone or something. However, what is presented seems to be the standard honoring of war heroes and the attendant PR for the war effort (from the perspective of the bombers' causes).

The association of "suicide bombing" with Islam is clearly nonsense - the modern version is credited to the Tamil Tigers (Sri Lanka).

Crediting the "first suicide bomber" to the Iran-Iraq war is also nonsense. That type of act is routinely found throughout the history of warfare and is celebrated in its mythology/PR. For example, in the John Wayne movie "The Fighting Seabees", the Wayne character becomes a suicide bomber to blunt a Japanese attack (and thereby redeems himself for earlier transgressions). The movie ends with the other characters at what is effectively a celebration of the martyr.

The Kamikaze pilots (WW2) provide so many useful parallels - both in their operation and their effect on the war--that it is incredible that they aren't mentioned.

Baer states that first suicide bombing by Palestinians was revenge for a massacre of worshippers at a Hebron mosque by an Israeli settler, but goes on to refer to the Israelis killed (in retaliation) as "the first victims." This dismissiveness of what motivated the bombers riddles this documentary. (Note: This is simply my judgment that the documentary should provide such a perspective and not a comment on the legitimacy of arguments and claims of the various parties. However, I expect to be attacked by those who believe that if you aren't 1000% in support of them, you are supporting their enemy).

A brief summary of the state of the Iran-Iraq war would seem to be critical to understanding "the first suicide bombing" but was not provided. Similarly, the first bombing in Lebanon is presented devoid of any context.

MISSED OPPORTUNITIES:
The Imam at noon prayers at Tehran University (Chapter 2) attacks "the White House" repeatedly (not America). When the crowd starts chanting "Death to America," it seemed that about a third were participating, and much of that was lackadaisical and mechanical. Both seemed worthy of a brief follow-up, even though they would have been digressions.

When the family of a bomber talked about motivation, they referred to Israeli terrorism against Palestinians. Some follow-up seemed to be warranted, to indicate how much of this was experience versus a rationale/general polemic.

Robert Baer's "The Cult of the Suicide Bomber" is by far the best documentary I have seen on the topic. Well researched and well presented, the documentary kept me interested for the duration, even though it is longer than an average History Channel documentary by far. Robert Baer went all out, and utilized his extensive experience with the CIA, as well as fantastic interviews with some of the world's worst terrorist extremists and would-be suicide bombers.

Watching the documentary, one almost thinks that Baer is on the side of the fundametalists, in his approach to better understand the acts of violence caused by various jihads over the years. In this Baer exhibits an extraordinary talent that every journalist needs - ability to penetrate the circles of the subject researched. I admire Baer for all the information he presented and all the fascinating interviews that I didn't think were possible. The viewer is reminded of Baer's stand on suicide bombings as he consistently refers to these attacks for what they are - suicides, even after being corrected by the fundamentalists interviewed that these terrorists did not commit suicides, but entered martyrdom instead.

A fascinating journey through the Islamic fundamentalism, bringing some valid grievances to the forefront, grievances that are normally not presented by the western media. Baer's documentary is truly one of a kind, a film that anyone can learn something from, and that everyone should watch.