—New Documentary Examines Deterrence and Appeasement as a Means of Avoiding War—
How do we prevent war? How great a price are we willing to pay for peace? Can we use the lessons learned throughout history to extend peace into tomorrow?
“The Price Of Peace: A Personal Exploration By Johan Norberg” investigates the use of deterrence and appeasement in an era of rogue nations and nuclear proliferation.
How do we prevent war? How do we maintain peace? These questions have been posed by nations and people throughout history. Concessions often bring about peace in the short term, defusing tensions for a while, but the aggressor's initial demands are not forgotten and, in fact, often bolstered with time. The lessons of appeasement verses deterrence are hard-learned time and time again. "The Price of Peace: A Personal Exploration by Johan Norberg" examines the use of deterrence of enemy aggression in the past, and the efforts to sustain it in the current era of rogue nations and nuclear proliferation.
The one-hour documentary examines turning-point historical events to reveal hard-learned lessons – not only for the U.S. but for other cultures and countries as well, including:
- An examination of the present day situation in Korea not only through the lens of North Korea’s current nuclear capabilities and cross-border saber rattling, but also with a cautionary tale of 1976 Korea Tree Incident from Brian Bishop, Major General, U.S. Air Force (RET) and former Deputy Chief of Staff, U.S. Command and U.S. Forces Korea and others who were there.
- Delving into the human side of the equation, including a vivid interview with the son of Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Petrov, the Russian commander widely credited with averting World War III in 1983.
- Interviews with Falkland citizens and Sir Max Hastings, author and journalist about Argentina’s ill-conceived invasion of the Falkland Islands.
- Linking together such diverse topics as pre-World War II Europe, where British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain proudly declares to a cheering crowd in 1938 that the Munich Agreement meant “peace for our time” – to the Masai tribe of East Africa and their use of deterrence to protect cattle, and thus their society.
When Neville Chamberlain signed the Munich Agreement with Hitler, allowing him to take land from Czechoslovakia, British people celebrated, thinking that they would not have war. But Winston Churchill dared to say the hard truth – that the appeasement of Hitler would be a disaster. When to appease? When to deter? It’s a complicated dance.
Victor Davis Hanson, author of “Seductions of Appeasement,” serves as a historical analyst through several incidents, such as the Falklands War, detailing conditions necessary to maintain peace and precisely identifying instabilities that can quickly escalate a peaceful situation to armed combat.
Highly respected military, history and foreign policy experts offer insights, as well.
Free To Choose® Media Executive Editor Johan Norberg asks the difficult question of what is the price society is willing to pay for peace?
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British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, 1938. A signed treaty between Great Britain and Germany was once widely celebrated as the solution to avoiding war. However, it soon became meaningless as Hitler’s true intentions were exposed. These lessons are applied to our current world in “The Price of Peace: A Personal Exploration by Johan Norberg.”
Courtesy of British Pathe
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British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain (center) first tried to appease Hitler (left) in the 1930s only to find the aggressor saw his kindness as weakness. These lessons are applied to today in "The Price of Peace: A Personal Exploration by Johan Norberg."
Courtesy of British Pathe
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Winston Churchill (center) knew that appeasing Hitler in the 1930s would not work and that deterrence was the only true option. Does his view of how to handle aggressors still apply today? Find out in "The Price of Peace: A Personal Exploration by Johan Norberg."
Courtesy of British Pathe
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Submarine. Argentina tried to occupy the Falkland Islands in the '80s after British Forces left the island, leading to a military conflict. What implications did this have for the rest of the world? Find out in "The Price of Peace: A Personal Exploration by Johan Norberg."
Courtesy of Elan Bentov
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A sign reads "No dialogue is possible until Argentina gives up its claims to our islands. Respect our human rights." Argentina still claims the Falkland Islands as their own despite British loyalty and a continued military presence. Find out why deterrence over appeasement is still the chosen course of action in "The Price of Peace: A Personal Exploration by Johan Norberg."
Courtesy of Kip Perry
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Military planes. "The Price of Peace: A Personal Exploration by Johan Norberg" examines the use of deterrence to prevent enemy aggression in the past, and the efforts to sustain it in the current era of rogue nations and nuclear proliferation.
Courtesy of Free To Choose Media
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Tanks. Do shows of military might deter aggression? Or, are we better off negotiating with aggressors? Find out in "The Price of Peace: A Personal Exploration by Johan Norberg."
Courtesy of Free To Choose Media
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North and South Korean troops stare each other down in a constant standoff within the Demilitarized Zone. Discover how unstable this situation really is in "The Price of Peace: A Personal Exploration by Johan Norberg."
Courtesy of Kip Perry
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Johan Norberg visits a once active nuclear missile silo similar to those that littered the American Midwest during the Cold War. With many of them now deactivated, find out how easy a launch would have truly been in "The Price of Peace: A Personal Exploration by Johan Norberg."
Courtesy of Kip Perry
EXPLORE TIMELINES:
The Path to War
Major Appeasements Leading to WW2
A History of Provocation from North Korea
CREDITS:
A production of Free To Choose Media. Kip Perry is producer and co-director. Elan Bentov is writer/co-director/camera. Thomas Skinner and Bob Chitester are executive producers. Presented by WTTW Chicago. Distributed by NETA. Major funding is provided by Robert and Marion Oster and L.E. Phillips Family Foundation. Additional funding was provided by Sarah Scaife Foundation and The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, Inc.
