Lounsbury: Tardiness, but some interesting articles

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January 25, 2004

Tardiness, but some interesting articles

I am afraid work continues to such my free time away from me, and I will be travelling again next week, which rather makes it look as if my poor little commentary is withering away.

Nevertheless, a few moments for those still checking in to note the following:

washingtonpost.com
Guantanamo Spy Cases Evaporate
Chaplain and Arabic Translator Are Now Facing Only Lesser Charges
By John Mintz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, January 25, 2004; Page A03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A44930-2004Jan24?language=printer

I note this article for its double interest, first in regards to the overreaching and overreaction in the context of 'War on Terror' hysteria, second for the apparent Islamophobia involved in the same (and I note that if you run searches on this case when it broke, in the conservopornsphere, media and websites, one finds it coming out rather clearly).

It rather looks as if this is fairly clearly a case of rather extreme overreaction (taking the facts as reported as true, which of course one should do with caution).

Islamophobia, I rather beleive, is running strong in "conservative" American politics, with much of it driven by that lying, rabid smarmy ideologue fuck, Pipes.

Second, a Freidman article which I rather enjoyed, however much I despise the fellow:

OP-ED COLUMNIST
War of Ideas, Part 6
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
Published: January 25, 2004
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/25/opinion/25FRIE.html

Friedman, in support of his otherwise idiotic war of ideas series (yes, I am being unfair, but let me indulge myself), rather gets to a correct issue, if I may quote:
"So often, since 9/11, people have remarked to me: "Wow, Islam, that's a really angry religion." I disagree. I do agree, though, that there are a lot of young Muslims who are angry, because they live in some of the most repressive societies, with the fewest opportunities for women and youth, and with some of the highest unemployment. Bad contexts create an environment where humiliation � and the anger, bad ideas and violence that flow from it � are rife. In short, it is impossible for us to talk about winning the war of ideas in the Arab-Muslim world without talking about the most basic thing that gives people dignity and hope: A job.

"For a long time now, I've felt that what we're really facing is not a clash of civilizations, but a clash of generations," argued David Rothkopf, a former acting U.S. under secretary of commerce. "You have an aging developed world, particularly Europe, that is trying to protect its jobs, and you have a young, job-seeking, job-needing emerging world, particularly the Muslim world, that will go anywhere and do anything to either seize the job opportunities or express their frustration with not having opportunities."

Certainly, from my perspective out here in the region, on the ground, trying to make investments work, attempting to attract captial to the region, and generally working within a sick economic system (or better systems as the Arab world is not really a unified economic system, other than the omnipresence of vampire sttes, ex-Tunisia), this is precisely true.

Now, I will hasten to point out, now, this does not explain every terrorist, or every act of terror. Yes, some come from comfortable backgrounds, and perhaps would have turned to violence in a certain set of political circumstances regardless. Wealthy Germany in the heady days of the 1960s and 1970s produced terrorists as well.

However, if we look to support in its aggregate and do not get caught in mindless anecdote shopping, it strikes me a very clear that the main "driver" of anger, of extremism for the vast majority of the rather too large support for extremist political solutions is precisely the lack of economic opportunities, coupled with closely related lacks of social opportunities and a general malaise in the social systems in the region - the root causes of which are closely related to those at the heart of the economic illness. Sclerotic control by rent seeking, corrupt, and rather incestous (in alomost literal terms) elites.

However, returning to Friedman's column, his thinly veiled swipe at France, and open swipe at Europe in general is badly misplaced. First, of course, he betrays the "politicians'" disease in thinking of investing being driven by political / policy concerns. I tis not, investment naturally foll0ws from a positive economic environemtn, and does not get ahead of that. Saying Europe has done a "poor" job of investing in the MENA region (aside from being economically idiotic) begs the question. In what fucking context? Europe certainly has invested (if we are speaking of the EU majors) far more per captita than the US to date, ex-oil sector where US oil majors of course are the largest in the world. As to the poor job of integration, well, that is of course in part true, but again a rather different situation than that faced by the US in terms of either of its minorityies (immigrant that is).

January 25, 2004

Tardiness, but some interesting articles

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