Syriana
I saw Syriana this weekend and really liked it. Perhaps it is a weakness of mine that when the plot of a book or movie seems to show me the way the world “really” works, I can overlook certain artistic flaws. The plot was right up my alley, political intrigue, interlocking story lines, the US government as the ultimate bad guy, etc. There was much art to it as well. While there were too many characters to get a particularly in depth look at any one, the views we had of each of them sketched out interesting and believable characters. Parts of it did drag a bit, and few of the characters seemed a bit extraneous, but on the whole I enjoyed the unfurling story.
It also got me thinking about the way the world works, one question in particular: what is the goal of all of the power struggles? Say that finally someone from generic country X gets control of all of the oil in the world, gets the biggest economy in the world, is able to do whatever they want. Then what? What’s the point? The movie was full of posturing, manipulation, strategy and counter-strategy, people in power using the world to their own ends, but what are those ends? More power? The ability to do anything they want any time they want? Say your economy is expanding quickly with no limitations or end in sight, what would the politicians do then? Is it just the thrill of the chase they’re after?