It is the movie time of the year, especially with the Oscars coming up, and George Clooney having already received his Emmy. I recently watched an award winner from last year, a documentary by the name of “Restrepo”, set in Afghanistan. It was a nominee for last year’s Oscars and it won the Grand Jury Prize for th documentaries at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.

It is based on one of the most dangerous military bases the United States had in Afghanistan, because they have subsequently closed the base down, and it gives you a good idea as to the lifestyle of the soldiers and what they are going through. Marches through the countryside, up and down steep, rocky hills knowing that the enemy is around, but not knowing where they are, and being shot at basically everyday. The rest of the time it is really just about very young men doing gym and counting the days until they can get home. You never see the enemy and nor do they appear to, but there is lots of footage of them being shot at by unknown assailants, presumably Taliban and negotiations with villagers whose cow they have killed.
The soldiers certainly appear well-meaning in their efforts to capture the hearts and minds of the local community, but the average young man who has become a solder for a living and now spends his days inside a military compound with his fellow soldiers, is never going to be able to command the respect of elders in the local community, let alone have diplomatic or negotiation skills and while they are clearly sincere in their efforts, their skills are so lacking that one wonders how America ever hopes, apart from in one or two communities, to win the support of the local people.