The Unknown Known

Donald Rumsfeld is considered the architect of the post-9/11 US wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Years after leaving office, he sits down for an interview with Errol Morris. The point of departure is Rumsfeld's famous statement about the limitations of the commanders' knowledge, a statement at the center of which is the "the unknown known" – the things we think we know, but actually aren't so (during the film, Rumsfeld wonders what the correct interpretation of this concept is). The film is somewhat of a sequel to The Fog of War. But Rumsfeld is no McNamara – beyond the smiling assured presence stands a shrewd politician, who cuts through domestic and world politics without considering the dangers of the flying chips. Morris manages to extract a surprising honesty from Rumsfeld that illuminates how history unfolded in the first decade of the current century in a clear and chilling light.