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(no subject)
Dec. 17th, 2005 12:32 amsheer cinematic genius: http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0225609/combined
Dec. 17th, 2005
(no subject)
Dec. 17th, 2005 10:26 amhttp://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?i=w051212&s=braude121605
One can only hope that as an ironic twist of fate, Iraq developes into a secular Liberal Democracy, the kind reviled by the current executive and lawmakers in the US.
On the other hand, to reduce an electorate to any essential motivation is always problematic--especially amid a state of affairs as fluid as today's Iraq. At a panel discussion I attended in Washington this week, Iraqi anthropologist Amal Rassam offered a more hopeful view of her country's voters, based on the 18 months she spent in Baghdad and its environs trying to organize grassroots local political councils after the 2003 war. "Don't underestimate these young people," she cautioned. "They're looking to reach beyond the parochial identity politics. They are craving new ideas and unifying leadership." Rassam expressed the belief that in a variety of ways, American policymakers have overindulged Iraq's sectarian and regional politicians--making it harder for liberal democrats to find their space in national politics.
One can only hope that as an ironic twist of fate, Iraq developes into a secular Liberal Democracy, the kind reviled by the current executive and lawmakers in the US.