Michael Falero, 1A, WAMU; ‘War Game,’ political violence, and the risk of extremism in the armed forces
"One of the hallmarks of American democracy is upholding the principle of the peaceful transfer of power. Key to that principle is the word “peaceful.”
On Jan. 6, 2021 that principle was tested. Insurrectionists, some organized, tried and failed to disrupt the certification of the 2020 election.
What if that violence happened in a future American election? What if extremist groups who felt democracy was at risk included a small number of active members of the military or National Guard?
A new documentary, “War Game,” follows an effort to play out that scenario, to see how bipartisan participants, including former politicians and retired military officers, would react to election violence from a fake White House situation room.
What are the risks in responding to violence around an election outcome? How would that situation become more complicated if a handful of members of the military were involved in trying to overturn an election? And how common is it for extremism to enter the ranks of branches of the military?
We discuss those questions and the film, spoiler free.
Janessa Goldbeck
Jesse Moss
[Interviewer Jen White] So we hear there from your own experience, Janessa, that part of this exercise is about your experience with your father, and you connect it to the weakening of democratic institutions. If this is an exercise looking at the strength of our institutions, like our branches of government, what did you take away from the scenario about their resilience in the face of political violence and the resilience of the leaders within those institutions?
[Janessa Goldbeck, CEO, Vet Voice Foundation]
You know, one thing that folks always come up to me after screenings, about is is this part of the film in particular. So many Americans around the country are facing a deep divide within their own homes. Someone in their family who is, very invested in a conspiracy theory or an ideology that feels completely alien. You know, and I obviously have experienced that with my own father. I think a lot of people have some a family member, someone they love that, is ascribed to a belief system that feels just impossible to wrap your your hands around. And I think that's something that isn't necessarily going to be solved by government alone. It's something that we need to invest in, programs and ways that we can actually just kinda build bridges in this country. I think, you know, that surgeon general of the United States for the first time has declared loneliness an epidemic in this country. And I think that some of that loneliness is is building is providing or or fueling this need for people to connect, and they find that connection, in spaces where conspiracy theories and extremist ideology flourish. So I don't know that it's necessarily a problem for government to solve on its own. It's certainly a challenge. I don't have all the answers, but I think more conversation is required, and war game is a provocation for that conversation."
