People read the Afghan War through thick ideological spectacles that magnify what they focus on and that draw the unintegrated elements in the picture to the blurred periphery. They read Afghanistan as they read the political life of the planet. They understand its history and current state of affairs, and make predictions for its future, […]
The Hypocrisy and Bullshit of Glenn Greenwald: I
One of the most salient features of our culture is that there is so much bullshit. Everyone knows this. Each of us contributes his share. But we tend to take the situation for granted. Most people are rather confident of their ability to recognize bullshit and to avoid being taken in by it. So the […]
Losing Our Heads over Losing Citizenship
I t happens every time. There is a threat, a genuine threat, of whatever degree, and some people overreact to it. Some people underreact to it too. Often the underreaction is a reaction to the overreaction. Often it works the other way around. We don’t need to play chicken or egg. It works both ways. […]
Mind Games IV: Cause and Defect
Remember all those soul searching headlines? Why Do They Hate Us? Question: who is “they” and who is “us”? And do we mean I-want-to-cut-your-head-off hate or how-do-I-get-a-green-card hate? The Pew Research Center’s latest polling results, “Mixed Views of Hamas and Hezbollah in Largely Muslim Nations: Little Enthusiasm for Many Muslim Leaders,” supports some compelling perspectives. […]
The Open Mind IV: Riposte
I thought it might be hard this time around. I had gathered ShrinkWrapped and I shared a fair measure of agreement about what Norm Geras at Normblog has designated FKATWOT: the War (Formerly Known As The War On Terror). Fear not. I have found in The Open Mind IV: Synthesis the space between us. Then […]