American Foreign Policy in Film

Americans love their democracy and strongly desire to strengthen democratic ideas through U.S. foreign policy. How are those decisions made, and how should we reflect on those decisions over the passage of time? Can we learn from our past? What separates just from un-just motivation? We’ll reflect on US policy making through the film maker’s eye. Oppenheimer examines the creation of the first nuclear bomb. The Quiet American illustrates the United States’ pre-Vietnam strategies. The Killing Fields and The Year of Living Dangerously depict the sacrifices made by journalists and nationals covering conflict in southeast Asia and Indonesia, respectively. How do these films contribute to our body of knowledge, and how do we judge their artistic merit?