NATO explains itself for a new generation

By chance I visited the NATO website today and came across three edgy, unnerving short videos promoting NATO's mission ("You want a life of freedom and stability. So do we. Peace and security. That's our mission.") on the occasion of its sixtieth anniversary (1949-2009).



The three short films, which give the impression that they might have been directed by M. Night Shyamalan (actually the director is Nico Beyer), show images of fear and threat that resolve into ordinary, everyday scenes where men, women, children and, happily, cats and dogs are safe and happy. In the documentary on the making of these films, Jean-Francois Bureau, NATO Assistant Secretary for Public Diplomacy, explains that NATO wants to reach a young, technologically hip generation born after the Cold War.

See the films here. You'll require Adobe Flash Player 9 or higher.