Uploaded July 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
After the fall of Saddam Hussein and the change of power that followed, large deprived areas were created. The inhabitants are willing to betray and kill for the highest bidder. In the process, today's hunter is tomorrow's prey. Sakir experiences how the urge for retaliation stands in the way of the reconstruction of Iraq. He visits militias in southern Mosul and victims of purges in Fallujah to explore why it is that every change of power is accompanied by so much bloody retribution. Is there a way out of this ongoing cycle of revenge killings?
In the five-part series 'The Ruins of Iraq', made in co-production with VICE Studios, Dutch-Palestinian filmmaker Sakir Khader (1990), accompanied by his friend and field producer Mohamed Rasool, travels for six months in the Iraq that we don't get to see in the news. As a camjo director he speaks with Iraqi’s who were left behind in the places where the dust of four generations of war is slowly settling. How will their lives go on now that the ISIS caliphate has fallen and the danger seems to have passed?
Ever since former U.S. President George W. Bush Jr. began a campaign to end the rule of Saddam Hussein in 2003, the state of Iraq has been unstable. Bush promised the people freedom and democracy, but Iraqi’s faced waves of violence. In recent years, Iraq has been in the spotlight again because of the fight against ISIS. Militias, the Iraqi army and the international coalition began an offensive to put an end to the feared terror group. With IS no longer in territorial control, residents who experienced years of misery and bloodshed are left behind.
#iraq
VPRO Documentary publishes a new subtitled documentary weekly, investigating current affairs, finance, sustainability, climate change or politics. Subscribe to our channel, and we will be delighted to share our adventures with you!
This Channel is part of VPRO broadcast. Make sure to visit our additional youtube channels:
VPRO Metropolis: youtube.com/user/VPROmetropolis
VPRO World Stories: youtube.com/VPROworldstories (no longer active)
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VPRO VG (world music): youtube.com/vrijegeluiden
VPRO 3voor12 (alternative music): youtube.com/3voor12
VPRO 3voor12 extra (music stories): youtube.com/channel/UCtgVYRLGraeL9rGMiM3rBHA
More info at VPRObroadcast.com
After the fall of Saddam Hussein and the change of power that followed, large deprived areas were created. The inhabitants are willing to betray and kill for the highest bidder. In the process, today's hunter is tomorrow's prey. Sakir experiences how the urge for retaliation stands in the way of the reconstruction of Iraq. He visits militias in southern Mosul and victims of purges in Fallujah to explore why it is that every change of power is accompanied by so much bloody retribution. Is there a way out of this ongoing cycle of revenge killings?
In the five-part series 'The Ruins of Iraq', made in co-production with VICE Studios, Dutch-Palestinian filmmaker Sakir Khader (1990), accompanied by his friend and field producer Mohamed Rasool, travels for six months in the Iraq that we don't get to see in the news. As a camjo director he speaks with Iraqi’s who were left behind in the places where the dust of four generations of war is slowly settling. How will their lives go on now that the ISIS caliphate has fallen and the danger seems to have passed?
Ever since former U.S. President George W. Bush Jr. began a campaign to end the rule of Saddam Hussein in 2003, the state of Iraq has been unstable. Bush promised the people freedom and democracy, but Iraqi’s faced waves of violence. In recent years, Iraq has been in the spotlight again because of the fight against ISIS. Militias, the Iraqi army and the international coalition began an offensive to put an end to the feared terror group. With IS no longer in territorial control, residents who experienced years of misery and bloodshed are left behind.
#iraq
VPRO Documentary publishes a new subtitled documentary weekly, investigating current affairs, finance, sustainability, climate change or politics. Subscribe to our channel, and we will be delighted to share our adventures with you!
This Channel is part of VPRO broadcast. Make sure to visit our additional youtube channels:
VPRO Metropolis: youtube.com/user/VPROmetropolis
VPRO World Stories: youtube.com/VPROworldstories (no longer active)
VPRO Extra: youtube.com/channel/UCTLrhK07g6LP-JtT0VVE56A
VPRO VG (world music): youtube.com/vrijegeluiden
VPRO 3voor12 (alternative music): youtube.com/3voor12
VPRO 3voor12 extra (music stories): youtube.com/channel/UCtgVYRLGraeL9rGMiM3rBHA
More info at VPRObroadcast.com
