Syriana

There is nothing better than seeing this movie if you are looking for a brief (and entertaining) course on:

- The actual function and nature of terrorism in the Middle East
- The reasons for US meddling in the region
- The role of the oil industry, both on its own and as a US government partner
- The interconnections among all of these factors

I saw it last night, and loved it. The cast is star-studded, with George Clooney, Christopher Plummer, and others (if you are a trekkie like me, there is also the familiar face of Alexander "Dr Bashir" Siddig). The story is a fictionalized version of the facts revealed or uncovered by former CIA agent Robert Baer in his books.