Watch Dead Reckoning: War, Crime and Justice From WW2 to the War on Terror

Dead Reckoning: War, Crime and Justice From WW2 to the War on Terror is a documentary series produced by PBS. The series consists of four one-hour episodes that explore the difficult and complex questions of justice that arise during times of war. Using archival footage, expert interviews, and personal accounts, the series covers eight decades of military conflict and the crimes committed by soldiers during those conflicts.

The first episode of the series, titled "The Crimes of War", examines the Nuremberg Trials and the establishment of the principle of individual accountability for war crimes. The episode also looks at the My Lai massacre in Vietnam and the atrocities committed in the Bosnian War. The second episode, "The Missing and the Dead", focuses on the efforts to recover, identify, and bring closure to families of soldiers who went missing in action during World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.

The third episode, "The Fog of War", examines the complicated legal and ethical questions that arise during counterinsurgency operations, with a focus on the Afghanistan War. The episode looks at the use of drones in targeted killings and the difficulty in distinguishing civilians from combatants. The final episode, "Justice for the Victims", explores the efforts to hold accountable those who commit war crimes and crimes against humanity, with a focus on the International Criminal Court and the prosecutions of leaders responsible for the Rwandan genocide and the ethnic cleansing of Muslims in Bosnia.

Throughout the series, expert interviews provide insight into the legal and ethical dilemmas faced by military commanders and policymakers during times of war. The series features interviews with former Nuremberg prosecutor Benjamin Ferencz, war crimes prosecutor Brenda Hollis, former CIA director General David Petraeus, and former commander of US forces in Afghanistan General David McKiernan, among others.

The series also includes personal accounts from soldiers who were involved in war crimes and from survivors of those crimes. In one particularly moving segment, a survivor of the Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia recalls the horror of watching his family and friends being executed by Serbian soldiers. Another segment features an American soldier who witnessed the rape and murder of a young Iraqi girl by his fellow soldiers.

The series is a thought-provoking and disturbing examination of the difficult and complex questions of justice that arise during times of war. It shows how the principles of justice can clash with the realities of military operations, and how difficult it can be to root out war crimes and hold accountable those who commit them. It asks tough questions about the limits of individual responsibility in the face of systemic atrocities and about the role of justice in addressing the wounds of war.

Overall, Dead Reckoning: War, Crime and Justice From WW2 to the War on Terror is a well-researched and well-produced documentary series that challenges viewers to think deeply about the moral and ethical challenges of war. It is a must-watch for anyone interested in understanding the complexities of modern warfare and the role of justice in addressing its brutal realities.

Dead Reckoning: War, Crime and Justice From WW2 to the War on Terror is a series that is currently running and has 1 seasons (3 episodes). The series first aired on March 28, 2017.