campus news & events

Colby-Sawyer College to Show Film 'No End in Sight: The American Occupation of Iraq' as Part of Human Rights, Social Justice Film Series

NEW LONDON, N.H., Nov. 29, 2007 — Colby-Sawyer College will show the film “No End in Sight: The American Occupation of Iraq” on Monday, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m. in Wheeler Hall of the Ware Campus Center.

The film is part of the college's Human Rights and Social Justice Film Series, sponsored by the Cultural Events Committee. Admission is free and the public is invited to attend.

“No End in Sight” offers a chronological look at the problems the United States faces in Iraq, focusing on decisions made by the Bush administration in the spring of 2003 following the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, including edicts from the White House that there should be no provisional Iraqi Government and that the Iraqi armed forces should be disbanded.

The film takes an in-depth look at the consequences of the U.S. decision to go to war, including the American military dead and wounded, the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi casualties, Iraq teetering on the brink of civil war, the strengthening of Iran, the weakening of the U.S. military, and an economic cost of over $2 trillion.

“The only suitable expression one can have after a viewing of “No End in Sight” is one of speechless horror,” says John Thomason of Orlando Weekly. “Even those who have studied the Iraq quagmire in detail from day one will find reasons to be shocked in this all-encompassing piece of filmed journalism. It condenses the findings and revelations of Bob Woodward's essential read State of Denial, while uncovering even more intricately disturbing facets of the greatest military blunder in our lifetime.”

In making the film, Director Charles Ferguson shot over 200 hours of footage that alternates between looking at policy decisions made by the U.S. in the spring of 2003 and a detailed dissection of the Bush administration.

Ferguson interviews an array of officials, including Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, Ambassador Barbara Bodine (in charge of Baghdad in the spring of 2003), Colonel Laurence Wilkinson (former Chief of Staff to Colin Powell), and General Jay Garner (in charge of the occupation in Iraq in 2003). In addition to these political figures, Ferguson also interviews Iraqi citizens, American soldiers, and several analysts.

In mid-2005, after learning that there was no major documentary made, or in production, about the American occupation in Iraq, Ferguson formed Representational Pictures and began production of “No End in Sight.” Ferguson is a political scientist with a BA in Mathematics from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Ph.D. in Political Science from MIT. “No End in Sight” is his first film.

To learn about other Colby-Sawyer College events visit: www.colby-sawyer.edu/events.

-Amber Cronin '11


Amber Cronin is a Colby-Sawyer College student who writes for College Communications.

Colby-Sawyer, founded in 1837, is a comprehensive liberal arts college located in the scenic Lake Sunapee Region of central New Hampshire. Students from 25 states and five foreign countries learn in small classes through a select array of programs that integrate the liberal arts and sciences with pre-professional experience. Visit us on the World Wide Web at www.colby-sawyer.edu.

Colby-Sawyer College, 541 Main Street, New London, N.H. 03257 (603) 526-3000