According to recent international media reports, NATO, now teetering on the brink of disintegration, is preparing to launch a massive propaganda attack by tapping into the film and television industry. Producers, directors, and screenwriters were reportedly invited to three separate high-level meetings in Los Angeles, Brussels, and Paris. On the agenda was the acceleration of NATO’s “cultural” initiatives and several projects.
The renowned French advertiser and author Jacques Séguéla famously addresses this phenomenon in his 1982 book, Hollywood lave plus blanc (Hollywood Washes Whiter) (published in Turkish by Afa in 1991). The book delves into how Hollywood is deeply intertwined with US foreign policy, imperialism, and the mechanisms of cultural hegemony and propaganda. Séguéla shows that the massive film industry does not merely produce entertainment; rather, it functions as a tool that “washes” the political and moral image of the US. Through war films, espionage thrillers, and superhero narratives, Séguéla analyzes the legitimization of US imperialism. He explained how discourses such as the “free world,” “civilization,” and the “war on terror” are disseminated via popular cinema with collaboration between the Pentagon, the CIA, and major studios, and “enemy images” like Russians, Chinese, Vietnamese, Cubans, Koreans, and Arabs.
NATO’s silver screen tales
NATO’s this recent move appears set to a new “Hollywood-Pentagon-CIA” triad, building this new chapter upon the previous experience. We will likely see the same formula: a traditional propaganda coupled with strategic communication channels between NATO and various cinematic institutions. The objective is to narrate NATO’s security policies not merely through bureaucratic reports, but also through silver screen storytelling.
It is well-documented that the US Department of Defense, with its new name “Department of War”, has long supported Hollywood, providing everything from military consultancy for filmmakers to the very narrative frameworks of their scripts. It is no secret that the Pentagon, alongside the CIA and other state agencies, has fostered “consultancy ties” with Hollywood, striving to portray themselves as more humanitarian and creative. There is a special unit within the CIA that handles relations with Hollywood. Because these operations are not executed through overt state mandates and decisions are made by “independent” studios, these ties are perceived as normal.
The Russian and Chinese threat
Hollywood’s priorities have always been linked to US and NATO policies. During World War II, the industry’s direct involvement in propaganda was overt. In the Cold War, while anti-communist narratives were disseminating, Hollywood was simultaneously plagued by “witch hunts” hunting communists. Informant activity has become widespread in the film industry.
Following 9/11, dozens of films were produced to bolster “war on terror” and “security policies”. Except for a few honorable filmmakers, the state effectively controlled cinema, and Hollywood entered into “voluntary” cooperation with the state. American snipers and CIA operatives were depicted as “saviors”, US technological superiority was aestheticized and thrust into the public eye. Even some of these terrible films have won Oscars.
We will soon see the output of those filmmakers tasked with executing NATO’s “cinematic operations”. It is certain that the “threats from Russia and China” will become increasingly visible in films, series, and documentaries. However, it is possible to foresee that weakening NATO will fail on the “cinema front”.
