tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82077274155055898722024-03-05T02:09:16.088-05:00Double-crossing the Rubicon"An object at rest cannot be stopped."The Familiar Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07375291985752875063noreply@blogger.comBlogger108125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207727415505589872.post-60187475425640851322018-09-28T20:43:00.000-04:002018-09-28T20:43:19.098-04:00Where I'm at Right Now<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi19lrzLYmTdgjXLpWUI0tgpL90xlI4KZuaggUwBIx_rTzQt3EMFVECLUZZYM-XV2X5tyZXIHneiK759_u7AfTjYWfeX8ldIgmBhXbaX8FppiDkl-6bEKTpqwzzsuR0aDAKgukQGKttLas/s1600/2izbp9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="750" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi19lrzLYmTdgjXLpWUI0tgpL90xlI4KZuaggUwBIx_rTzQt3EMFVECLUZZYM-XV2X5tyZXIHneiK759_u7AfTjYWfeX8ldIgmBhXbaX8FppiDkl-6bEKTpqwzzsuR0aDAKgukQGKttLas/s320/2izbp9.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />The Familiar Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07375291985752875063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207727415505589872.post-2077603475817426992018-09-27T21:14:00.000-04:002018-09-27T21:20:01.866-04:00Lindsey Graham, Lou Gosset Jr., and Saddam HusseinAnyone remember the movie <a href="https://amzn.to/2xU20AL" target="_blank">Diggstown</a>?<br />
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Early 90s movie about boxing, gambling, and con jobs. Ring a bell?</div>
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Probably not, unfortunately. It’s a movie that’s certainly faded into obscurity. That said, Amazon prime has it for free, so maybe you should go watch it after you’re done reading this. Lou Gossett Junior, James Woods, and Heather Graham could probably all use the residuals.</div>
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Anyway, I was reminded of if this afternoon when I was watching<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/09/lindsey-graham-kavanaugh-ford/571558/" target="_blank"> Lindsey Graham’s performance during the Ford/Kavanaugh hearing</a> that went down today. Lindsay came out swinging, for sure. Full of outrage and vigor, he weighed in on the whole spectacle writ large. </div>
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It’s part of a larger pattern that he’s been establishing lately – kowtowing to the very same Donald Trump that he once referred to as a disaster for the Republican Party. <a href="http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/09/what-happened-to-lindsey-graham.html" target="_blank">When, exactly, did Lindsey change his tune? People who watch the sort of thing have pointed to March 27, 2017</a>. After a years of animosity towards the current administration he suddenly flipped his narrative, and became one of its most stalwart supporters. <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2018/08/28/lindsey-graham-trump-mccain-white-house-senate-799073" target="_blank">This extended all the way to a postmortem sellout of John McCain, securing Trump family access to a decidedly no-trump funeral, and eulogizing McCain into an imaginary world where he would find Trump to be anything other than the distasteful human being that he is.</a></div>
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But today at the Kavanaugh hearing was something else. Something convinced Sen. Graham to go out there really sell it. Sell the drama, the outrage, the indignation. Sell the passion and the fury.</div>
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And it reminded me of the movie Diggstown.</div>
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Not the whole movie, just one part.</div>
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See, James Woods plays a con man who lays down a massive bet with a crooked local businessman that his guy Palmer (Lou Gosset Jr.) can beat any ten men from that town in just one day. I’m not going to spoil the movie for you, but during the fifth fight of the night Palmer goes up against Hambone Busby (played magnificently by Duane Davis). Palmer’s the better fighter by far, but what he doesn’t know is that just before stepping into the ring, Hambone was told by the villain that his brother’s life is riding on the outcome of the match. Palmer isn’t expecting the passion and the fury that Hambone brings into the ring. Hambone steps in and gives it everything he’s got, fighting like a man possessed. Fighting like there’s so much more on the line for him personally than anyone else can really understand.</div>
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Like Lindsey in the hearings today.</div>
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Like there’s going to be some personal consequence that, no matter the stakes of the larger drama, are so deeply tied to his very core – the very essence of who he is – that he needs to not just fight it but to be SEEN fighting it.</div>
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Like something intimately bad would happen if he didn’t show that he was fighting with every fiber of his being.</div>
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And then I thought of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2003/feb/02/athletics.duncanmackay1" target="_blank">Saddam Hussain, who tried to motivate the Iraqi Olympic team with threats of torture and harm to them and their families and loved ones.</a></div>
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It doesn’t work. Fear didn’t help the Iraqi athletes win. It didn’t secure Hambone’s victory and his brother’s survival. And it’s not going to help Lindsey either.</div>
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Sure, there’s a good chance that Kavanaugh might get the SCOTUS seat next week. And that’ll keep Lindsey’s situation – whatever it is – safe just a little longer. But they’re going to need him to step into the ring for them again. They’re going to need his faux passion and outrage again soon. And if it doesn’t work, they’re going to blame him for not trying hard enough.</div>
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And then we’re going to have to see what he sold his soul to protect.</div>
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The Familiar Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07375291985752875063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207727415505589872.post-39539013320485252902018-09-25T21:27:00.003-04:002018-09-25T21:29:26.560-04:00The Conference Call as Dinner PartyGot several posts in the works at the moment, but nothing quite ready. Still working on two of <a href="https://amzn.to/2OakAim" target="_blank">the 1001 Books</a>, but still got a ways to go.<br />
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I'm getting through 1-2 chapters of <a href="https://amzn.to/2xSQLZm" target="_blank">The Red and the Black</a> each night, but I've still got a solid third of it left. I'm definitely enjoying it - it's almost 200 years old, and yet there's something timeless about the human dynamics and the deviousness of the main characters.<br />
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<a href="https://amzn.to/2O9R8ZS" target="_blank">Ovid's Metamorphosis </a>is taking WAY longer. It doesn't really lend itself to the e-book format, and I may drop it until I can find a cheap hard-copy. I think part of the problem here is that it's epic poetry. It's not intended to be silently read to your solitary self. It's supposed to be absorbed on a full belly in a warm room with copious wine and soft cushions. And you shouldn't have to read it yourself - you need an orator who can hold forth for a good hour or two while you focus on the wine and maybe a bit of canoodling. That way you really only need to pay attention during the really GOOD bits. And the orator, if he's good at his job, is going to make sure that you know when the good bits are coming just in the way he uses his voice.<br />
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So. If anyone is able to provide a full recitation of the Metamorphosis (ideally in classical Latin) I'll put together two nights of serious feasting, and we'll make an event of it (I figure it'll take 8+ hours of recitation).<br />
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Speaking of dinner parties, once upon a time I was part of a tight-knit little family-type unit of freaks and weirdos who spent too much time collectively indulging our vices. One of which was Chinese food...very large amounts of Chinese food. Four of us have had an ongoing shared text-message chain going for a few years, but last week I suddenly realized that we could recreate the classic experience despite our geographic separation.<br />
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And thus Monday night Skype conference-call Chinese food dinner was born.<br />
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Stay tuned for anecdotes of amusing hi-jinks from future sessions.<br />
<br />The Familiar Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07375291985752875063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207727415505589872.post-39176028366571488542018-09-16T20:34:00.001-04:002018-09-16T20:41:42.919-04:00Musical Equipment for Sale - This is Precious Roy and I just ate a handful of honey bees!Somewhere on the spectrum between dilettante and Jack-of-all-trades is a little arrow pointing at me and blinking "you are here". I've spent some time pushing that arrow towards the latter, but I've got a lot of interests, and I've done a lot of things, and ultimately where my recreational activities are concerned, I'm still more of a generalist than any sort of specialist.<br />
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Of my various undertakings, music has been the most persistent, although there have been some long lapses. One of the things that I've learned over the past 30+ years of my life as an on-again-off-again musician is that it's better to have as single reliable instrument that you do use than a bunch of fancy ones that you don't use. Towards that end, I'm working on <i>UNHOARDING</i> a couple of decades of packed-away random musical equipment so that I can focus on just a few that I can keep in a more accessible fashion.<br />
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I'm selling my stuff.<br />
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<a href="https://reverb.com/shop/ixak"><img border="0" data-original-height="65" data-original-width="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_WZK9DVfAudv6jn5r66z3JsUwhjz89tcz8FwJUieLNJSNGZVbQbAA6t5wAoAXmKihfhq17aTTwSJ3CES_UISUXaKbE0refOLyP46ypaq8w34i-Q7RIb7xTNubv2vZ5m5DYDolrFnQoCk/s1600/215x65-black-en-6c66cc55246e489a6b9bb570b25e9919.png" /></a></div>
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What kind of stuff? All kinds. So far, a drum machine, a vintage guitar pedal, some rack-mount recording equipment, some odds & ends.<br />
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Prices aren't final. If you're in the Baltimore/Washington area, I'll knock a few bucks off of anything that I can hand-deliver.<br />
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Help me make room for less stuff.</div>
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The Familiar Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07375291985752875063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207727415505589872.post-55882542445164058762018-09-13T10:11:00.001-04:002018-09-13T10:28:06.451-04:00"What I Talk About When I Talk About Running"Let me clarify. Not me, Haruki Murakami.<br />
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Yea, I know, it's not one of the books in the <a href="https://amzn.to/2xfLegf" target="_blank">"1001 Books..." list </a>that I'm working through, but I've been carrying a half-read copy in my backpack for the last several months, and so I finally pushed through the second half, mostly on the metro. It was well suited for the metro - a light easy read with short chapters. I haven't read a lot of Murakami, but he's a wonderfully skilled writer; tight descriptive prose with an honestly reflective emotional core. Some of his other books are on the list, and I'm definitely looking forward to them.<br />
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But this one is an odd choice for me, frankly.<br />
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Mostly because I hate running.<br />
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I've got several friends who run for health/fitness reasons, and a few who run for...pleasure?<br />
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I guess that's why I ended up reading this book. I've never understood what it is about running that draws people to it. I don't mind the solitariness of it, but there's an interior state that some people seem to relish.<br />
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Murakami deftly articulates the appeal that running holds for him through a series of personal reminisces and reflections, and draws parallels between the commitment that running demands, and the day-to-day dedication that is required of professional authors. In reading this, it's clear that his mix of gentle self-effacement and acute self-awareness are, in part, derived from his experience as a lifelong runner. The knowledge of his physical limits, and the mature judgement to know how and when those limits can be pushed.<br />
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This provides a common theme that runs through the entire book - pushing yourself past your limits can pay off, but it can also be an act of self-sabotage.<br />
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It's a lovely little book, with some beautifully descriptive vignettes on running in Boston and Central Park, and Greece, and throughout Japan. Not my typical read, but enjoyable nonetheless.The Familiar Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07375291985752875063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207727415505589872.post-57638405498795588662018-09-11T21:03:00.002-04:002018-09-11T21:04:57.655-04:009/11What did you do because of 9/11/01?<br />
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Not "how did it affect your life?" or "what was its impact on your daily routine?"<br />
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What did you change - consciously or unconsciously - about yourself or your engagement with the world because of what you saw/thought/felt on 9/11?<br />
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What did you DO because of 9/11? What changes to your life did you make in response to that event?The Familiar Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07375291985752875063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207727415505589872.post-14509231963530070062018-09-03T10:06:00.001-04:002018-09-03T10:21:06.140-04:00Book 1 of 1001: Aesop's Fables<br />
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The very first book listed in the <a href="https://amzn.to/2Q0W6Gj" target="_blank">“1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die” </a>book is Aesop’s fables. Because it’s been around in
various forms for centuries, I was able to download a copy of the e-book from
Amazon for about a dollar. I could probably find it elsewhere for free, but I’m
not 100% sold on doing any heavy reading on e-books as it is, so I went with
convenience at a small cost. <o:p></o:p></div>
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A little background: It’s listed as just over 300 pages,
though almost none of those are full pages. The Fables themselves are generally
just a paragraph or two, sometimes with the moral of the story restated at the
end. The introduction provides a useful history of the fables, explaining how
they were initially compiled 2600 years ago, translated, added to, re-translated, recompiled, added
to again, and translated and compiled a few more times.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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The animal characters are generally obvious archetypes –
Lions represent the most powerful members of society, while mice are the weakest.
The characteristics of the various foxes, wolves, cranes, sheep, deer, oxen,
crows, rabbits, and so on are all relatively consistent through the various stories. <o:p></o:p><br />
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And boy, there sure are a lot of stories. More than 350, in
total.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It’s not an easy read, just because of the sheer quantity of
fables. It’s like trying to make a meal out of a giant bag of assorted cough
drops. If you try to read straight through it you start to burn out pretty
quickly, and the stories start to blur together (not helped by the fact that it’s
the same rotating cast of predictable animals and redundant moralizing).<o:p></o:p></div>
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All told, I’d be inclined to scrap about 70% of the stories
here just for the sake of readability. Of course, I’m not actually sure who
this volume is for. I mean really…what’s the goal here? Why put them all in one
place like this? Who’s going to read this? I’d understand if it was being used
as a Greek or Latin primer for young learners, but what purpose or edification
can be derived from page after page of this stuff if you’re not a folklorist
tracing the history of particular anecdotes across the Eurasian continent? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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The introduction sort of warns the reader of this:<o:p></o:p><br />
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Has [the fable] a future as a mode
of literary expression? Scarcely; its method is at once too simple and too
roundabout. Too roundabout; for the truths we have to tell we prefer to speak
out directly and not by way of allegory. And the truths the Fable has to teach
are too simple to correspond to the facts of our complex civilisation; its rude
graffiti of human nature cannot reproduce the subtle gradations of modern life.
But as we all pass through in our lives the various stages of ancestral
culture, there comes a time when these rough sketches of life have their appeal
to us as they had for our forefathers: The allegory gives us a pleasing and not
too strenuous stimulation of the intellectual powers; the lesson is not too
complicated for childlike minds. Indeed, in their grotesque grace, in their
quaint humour, in their trust in the simpler virtues, in their insight into the
cruder vices, in their innocence of the fact of sex, AEsop's Fables are as
little children. They are as little children, and for that reason they will forever
find a home in the heaven of little children's souls.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’m not so sure that phylogeny recapitulates monotony, but among
the chaff there are certainly a few kernels of wheat that bear relevance to our
daily condition. One fable in particular, immediately upon reading, brought to
mind the ongoing discussion about “the marketplace of ideas” and whether
everyone deserves a spot at the podium or an equal voice in the debate (i.e. do
Nazis and white nationalists deserve the opportunity to publicly debate the
merits of their ideology of ethnic cleansing?).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>The Wolf and the Lamb<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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by Aesop<o:p></o:p></div>
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A WOLF, meeting with a lamb astray from the fold, resolved
not to lay violent hands on him, but to find some plea, which should justify to
the lamb himself, his right to eat him. He then addressed him: "Sirrah, last year you grossly
insulted me."</div>
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Indeed, bleated the lamb in a mournful tone of voice: "I was not then
born."<o:p></o:p></div>
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Then said the wolf: "You feed in my pasture."<br />
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No, good sir, replied the lamb: "I have not yet tasted grass."<o:p></o:p></div>
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Again said the wolf: "You drink of my well."<br />
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"No," exclaimed the lamb: "I never yet drank water, for as yet my
mother's milk is both food and drink to me."<o:p></o:p></div>
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Upon which the wolf seized him and ate him up,
saying: "Well! I won't remain supper-less, even though you refute every one
of my imputations."<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Moral:</b> The tyrant will always find a pretext for his tyranny, and it is useless for
the innocent to try by reasoning to get justice, when the oppressor intends to
be unjust.<br />
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Well. One down, a thousand to go. Is this truly a book that you MUST read before you die? I'd say no. You're probably better served watching a few classic episodes of Aesop & Son from the old Rocky and Bullwinkle show.<br />
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The Familiar Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07375291985752875063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207727415505589872.post-77732157391863400132018-08-29T12:22:00.001-04:002018-08-29T19:53:23.886-04:00A New StartLast post was mid-2015. Did I miss anything interesting?<br />
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Regardless, I'm back.</div>
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So what's in store for the website? I'll be weighing in on travel, literature, food, and music. Possibly a podcast and some music of my own as well. Politics? Some. I do a lot of ranting and arguing on Facebook, so maybe this can be something different - a place where I don't do that.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJNVXN5n3CI11y9JOxtY4rOPDlGewhlfKAps6D8t7gTxhSPyYXmUKCBjjuycAFAy1ncYbeNw9LbkACgqIt4dNwceSQ_vEJlZQ6x_3nMgzGxWYseWsY13eIuHXOFvM2zD-C8hhieXhkUOg/s1600/blarg1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJNVXN5n3CI11y9JOxtY4rOPDlGewhlfKAps6D8t7gTxhSPyYXmUKCBjjuycAFAy1ncYbeNw9LbkACgqIt4dNwceSQ_vEJlZQ6x_3nMgzGxWYseWsY13eIuHXOFvM2zD-C8hhieXhkUOg/s320/blarg1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The real goal is just to keep me writing on a regular basis (writing non-work material, that is). Towards that end, I'm about to start working my way through the <a href="https://amzn.to/2woMe0M" target="_blank">list featured in this book</a>, with updates as I finish each book.</div>
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<br /></div>
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1001 Books? That's a lot of books!</div>
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Yea, by my estimation, I've already read 10-15% of the books listed here (and started several others), and I'm not planning on rereading them all, so that saves a bit of time, right?</div>
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<div>
But I also travel a lot, and when I'm not travelling I have a pretty long commute, so I'll be taking advantage of that as well.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So how is this going to work?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Well, here's the deal: I prefer to read in hard-copy when I can, but I'm not about to go out and buy all of these books if I don't have to. I'm also pretty low on space - I've got a pretty big library, and it includes several books on this list that I was already planning to read (or finish).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
What's interesting about the "1001 Books..." is that the books are listed oldest to newest by publication date. This means that basically the whole first half of the list is all in the public domain (i.e. free or super cheap as e-books). So what I'll probably do is run two simultaneous tracks, one for e-books, and one for hard copy. I'll start the e-books at the beginning, and I'll pull the hard copies off my own shelf pending availability. That'll work for at least a few months, and if I come up with a better system, I'll update you all here.<br />
<br />
[Sidenote: I"m using the 2008 edition (as opposed to the 2006 or 2010 editions, which vary somewhat). <a href="https://1001bookreviews.com/the-1001-book-list/" target="_blank">All three lists can be found here</a>.] </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
First two books:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://amzn.to/2BYWKRJ" target="_blank">"Aesop's Fables"</a> (e-book) and <a href="https://amzn.to/2POkxGL" target="_blank">Stendhal's "The Red and the Black"</a> (which was on the shelf nearest my bed, so...why not?). </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Onward!</div>
The Familiar Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07375291985752875063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207727415505589872.post-34907448763928268052015-03-04T22:44:00.001-05:002015-03-04T22:48:06.742-05:00Packing for Travel Part 2 - The Checked Bag <div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My suitcase is my home and office while I’m on the go, and
there’s a decent amount of redundancy, since my current work is team-based, and
part of my job is to keep them functioning smoothly in the field. This is why
25% of my luggage weight is cliff bars and office supplies.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuusRIt8kxSBce97XcimzlzaKYMRs3MzCBll5ctzBdLzwSs-w9ElfKrq-NIYyFcLjMGCqpfGRJr_AveG5haqAG0ElOnzDkjnJhWVQpazt7m2KfymnngFaw2dGdbyXSALVpW9TvkYYHwyQ/s1600/Suitcase.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuusRIt8kxSBce97XcimzlzaKYMRs3MzCBll5ctzBdLzwSs-w9ElfKrq-NIYyFcLjMGCqpfGRJr_AveG5haqAG0ElOnzDkjnJhWVQpazt7m2KfymnngFaw2dGdbyXSALVpW9TvkYYHwyQ/s1600/Suitcase.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Items pictured, vertically right to left: Dress shoes,
additional gallon zip-lock bags, folders and manila envelopes with additional
documents, duct tape (black), masking tape, books, running shoes, oblique
strategies deck, card game, business cards, cheap folding knife, head-lamp,
bandanna, packing cube (socks, undershorts, and undershirts), zip-lock bag with
secondary toiletries (comb, deodorant, assorted vitamins, hand sanitizer,
Emergen-C,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>lozenges, q-tips, soap,
full-size toothbrush),<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>small travel cube
(t-shirts, and misc. loose items), crushable hat, binoculars, large travel cube
(dress shirts and dress slacks), spare notepads, gallon zip-lock bag with
tertiary toiletries (electric razor, lotion, sunscreen, bug repellent,
lint-roller), gallon zip-lock with office supplies (sharpies, highlighters,
markers, pens, post-it notes, binder clips, scissors, voice recorder), gallon
zip-lock (assorted cliff bars). Not pictured – suit jacket and hiking boots. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The most interesting and exciting discovery I’ve made in the
course of getting better at travel is “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KKXCJQU?ie=UTF8&camp=213733&creative=393185&creativeASIN=B00KKXCJQU&linkCode=shr&tag=doublecrossit-20&linkId=NFZY36GAYFK47G2T&psc=1" target="_blank">travel-cubes</a>.” Somehow these modular
stuff sacks make packing insanely easy. That's a week's worth of clothes in the image below, except for my suit jacket, and footwear. A must-have from now on.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1dcEitmsOo59f0cWkSwFMKjJEuT65jkyFf6l-tst0WItM7siQkAjTgek28LzpIGBFzobGmz-PqMXOFgR0zhJ8ckFNNhnSxVZzTZMme0UX7HZmvnFgGDzuo-7EzxWUnbykmSUlP1STyqw/s1600/20150215_100912.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1dcEitmsOo59f0cWkSwFMKjJEuT65jkyFf6l-tst0WItM7siQkAjTgek28LzpIGBFzobGmz-PqMXOFgR0zhJ8ckFNNhnSxVZzTZMme0UX7HZmvnFgGDzuo-7EzxWUnbykmSUlP1STyqw/s1600/20150215_100912.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some various comments on products above: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Books include “The Nature of Scientific
Revolutions,” and a general history of Central America. Decks of cards include the game "<a href="http://www.looneylabs.com/games/fluxx" target="_blank">Flux</a>" and Brian Eno's creative problem-solving deck, "<a href="http://www.oblicard.com/" target="_blank">Oblique Strategies</a>"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Some reflection on what was and wasn't useful will come next week.</span>The Familiar Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07375291985752875063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207727415505589872.post-63139958181381560062015-02-16T08:10:00.001-05:002018-08-31T21:17:43.243-04:00Packing for Travel Part 1 – The Carry-on<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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As I write this I’m travelling to Central America for a two
week work trip. Although I’ve been doing a lot of traveling lately, I wouldn’t
describe myself as an expert traveler yet. I’m writing this in no small part to
myself, so I can think about what my packing choices were and what I can learn
from this retrospectively.</div>
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The travel I do is for work rather than tourism, and tends
to be rather specific in its nature. I mostly stay in midrange hotels, and 80-90%
of my time is spent in the capitals, or other larger cities, so although my
packing choices will have limited relevance for backpackers, campers, and other
types of adventurous tourists, there may be some useful ideas here.</div>
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<br /></div>
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When I pack I prefer to do a two-tiered approach: a light
easy-to-carry backpack and a large suitcase. I sometimes also carry a separate
laptop bag, but I’ve found that to be an annoyance, and I’m now working to
integrate that into my backpack (which may need to be replaced with a slightly
larger one to accommodate this easily). My operative philosophy is to be
prepared for the chance that my checked bag may not get to the right place.
It’s not a problem that I’ve run into, but I’d rather not take the chance.</div>
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<br /></div>
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My current backpack setup is pictured here:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Backpack, books, flip-flops, cheap poncho, zip-lock bag of
essential toiletries (toothpaste, travel toothbrush, deodorant, broad-spectrum
antibiotics, advil, Emergen-C, etc.), flashlight, misc. pens, two folded
garbage bags, hand sanitizer, bandanna, glasses/case, cliff bars, zip-lock bag
of batteries (AA & AAA), digital camera, fitbit charger, phone
quick-charger, notepads and essential documents, sunglasses, phone charger,
cheap phone (for use with local SIM card upon arrival), zip-lock bag of nitrile
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Books include a pocket Spanish/English dictionary, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307886328?ie=UTF8&camp=213733&creative=393185&creativeASIN=0307886328&linkCode=shr&tag=doublecrossit-20&linkId=UCBSYRKKMGINNE3X&creativeASIN=0307886328&linkId=UCQAWQGTXA4AK7I3&qid=1424022616&sr=8-1&keywords=everything+that+follows" target="_blank">a travel safety book</a>, “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0394716728?ie=UTF8&camp=213733&creative=393185&creativeASIN=0394716728&linkCode=shr&tag=doublecrossit-20&linkId=PT2ZKIOR4YBNIUCQ&qid=1424022545&sr=8-1&keywords=the+fourth+way" target="_blank">The Fourth Way</a>,” “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1482248395?ie=UTF8&camp=213733&creative=393185&creativeASIN=1482248395&linkCode=shr&tag=doublecrossit-20&linkId=CGEBFV42Z2PGGET4&qid=1424022582&sr=8-1&keywords=digital+humanitarians" target="_blank">Digital Humanitarians</a>,” and “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1570272204?ie=UTF8&camp=213733&creative=393177&creativeASIN=1570272204&linkCode=shr&tag=doublecrossit-20&linkId=VTXLTBLY4OINGTUB&qid=1424022526&sr=8-1&keywords=tactical+reality+dictionary" target="_blank">Tactical Reality Dictionary</a>.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Most of these things are self-evident in their utility, but
a few deserve extra mention:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Zip-lock bag (various contents)</b>: I use zip-lock bags for all
sorts of things. They help with organization, but they also help prevent water
damage and insect infiltration. I also keep a couple of garbage bags handy as
well. They are essential for packing wet/dirty clothes in amongst the dry/clean
ones when you’re on the move, or for wrapping shoes when you have to tuck them
in a bag.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
Antibiotics: In much of the developing world it is possible
to buy antibiotics without a prescription. It’s always a good idea to pick some
up when you arrive, just in case. That said, the quality and strength of those
antibiotics cannot always be known, so it’s good to keep a backup stash of
something potent and fast, especially if you don’t have a lot of extra time to spend regretting your dietary habits<b>.</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000JD09P4?ie=UTF8&camp=213733&creative=393177&creativeASIN=B000JD09P4&linkCode=shr&tag=doublecrossit-20&linkId=RW5RA7DFOIN55TDN&qid=1424091722&sr=8-1&keywords=phone+quick+charger+AA#customerReviews" target="_blank">Phone quick-charger</a>:</b> It’s a horrible waste of batteries, but
sometimes your phone is your lifeline, and a dead phone is a crappy lifeline. It's possible to buy much better ones (e.g. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NWW8EBK?ie=UTF8&camp=213733&creative=393185&creativeASIN=B00NWW8EBK&linkCode=shr&tag=doublecrossit-20&linkId=VCX2EBXP3EQVFAB5&sc=1" target="_blank">something like this</a>), but AA batteries can be found almost anywhere.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Cheap phone:</b> mobile phones are dirt cheap in most places
around the world, and once you have one, switching out SIM cards is easy. I’m
putting together a pill container with SIM cards from different countries that
I can travel to regularly.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I4R6P4G?ie=UTF8&camp=213733&creative=393177&creativeASIN=B00I4R6P4G&linkCode=shr&tag=doublecrossit-20&linkId=XGPPUZK2FMJBIBYQ&qid=1424092077&sr=8-15&keywords=nitrile+gloves" target="_blank">Nitrile gloves</a>:</b> sometimes you have no choice but to touch
something disgusting. The gloves help.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007IJ7HXE?ie=UTF8&camp=213733&creative=393185&creativeASIN=B007IJ7HXE&linkCode=shr&tag=doublecrossit-20&linkId=R3A4YYWFXEYWQMRT&qid=1424091466&sr=8-3&keywords=shemagh" target="_blank">Shemagh</a>:</b> Also known as a kefyya this is an incredibly useful
thing to have. Aside from doubling as a head covering and scarf, it can also
be used to wrap fragile items, serve as a makeshift carrying sack, swaddle a
newborn baby that you just delivered in the back of a taxi, flag down a passing
freighter from a deserted isle, you can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta, and...well, you get the idea.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Spare Clothes:</b> Though I’ve never needed to use them, it’s
reassuring to know that they’re there.<br />
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Once packed, this bag weighs about 15 lbs.
Adding a laptop and charger can very easily push that up to 20, and a water
bottle adds another 2-3 as well. That’s really a bit more than I’d prefer, and some
of this weight could be saved by switching from books to a kindle or other
e-reader, but I’m not quite ready to make that jump yet.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Part two - suitcase contents - coming next.</span></div>
The Familiar Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07375291985752875063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207727415505589872.post-35135794319679755192015-01-26T19:50:00.000-05:002015-01-26T20:04:12.841-05:00Retooling and refocusingBack in October of 2013 I stopped putting up new posts on this page. Between a new job and a major death in the family I had other things in my life that were taking precedence. Mouth shut, eyes and ears open, that was the rule for the year that followed...<br />
<br />
...and the year that followed has been a pretty amazing one.<br />
<br />
In particular, I've had the opportunity to travel to places I've always wanted to go, and places it never even occurred to me to want to go. Ironically enough, given my prior focus on the greater Middle East, almost none of the work or travel that I've done has been in any way connected to that region.<br />
<br />
Instead, I have spent the past year working on projects that apply GIS and geospatial data to thorny but mundane problems of day-to-day life. I alternate between an intimately close village-level perspective of far-flung places around the world, and (almost literally) the broader view from space. <br />
<br />
Although my interests still lie within the greater Middle East, my work no longer does, so although I intend to restart my posting activities, my attention will be broadening to a wider range of topics.<br />
<br />
What topics? Well, pretty much whatever appeals to me at the moment, but with upcoming trips to Central America, the Levant, South Asia, and East Africa, I'll definitely be able to throw some pictures up for your edification, along with whatever meanderings and monologues I see fit to transcribe for your entertainment and interest. Maybe some travel tips, music reviews, cooking experiments, literary musings, artistic exploits, and straight up rants as well.<br />
<br />
Let's do this! <br />
<br />
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</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Wv0RYUJqKhD9zfqNHAP0AUSjsgQwQMqSFKFBKCJlzGGiEd4kIzQtZw6cyEbmM05a1e0FmbJ_GxlTok11reYVIsj-dnZBcpklXTOfnsKGWH0OnVcYvxMO1CpunQAP3dTJaiaDPmGuAlA/s1600/hunterthompsonquote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Wv0RYUJqKhD9zfqNHAP0AUSjsgQwQMqSFKFBKCJlzGGiEd4kIzQtZw6cyEbmM05a1e0FmbJ_GxlTok11reYVIsj-dnZBcpklXTOfnsKGWH0OnVcYvxMO1CpunQAP3dTJaiaDPmGuAlA/s1600/hunterthompsonquote.jpg" height="254" width="320" /> </a> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
“Walk tall, kick ass, learn to speak Arabic, love music and never
forget you come from a long line of truth seekers, lovers and warriors.” </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;">
-Hunter S. Thompson </div>
The Familiar Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07375291985752875063noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207727415505589872.post-27681541428452377532013-09-11T15:09:00.000-04:002013-09-11T20:00:16.723-04:00Save yourself the trouble of reading about Syria...Many years ago, while working as a waiter, I was taught the secret to carrying a tray full of overfull drinks across a crowded room without spilling. It's simple: don't look at the tray.<br />
<br />
The problem is this: if you're looking at the drinks while you're walking, you'll try to compensate for the movement of the liquid in the glass based on what you see. And it won't work. Because all you're seeing is the liquid moving in response to things that have already happened. To avoid this, you simply look away – focus on where you're headed, and your hand will automatically compensate for whatever's happening on the tray. <br />
<br />
I've been repeatedly reminded of this over the last few days as the pundit class (professional and amateur) have continuously tried to reanalyze the constantly changing calculus surrounding Syrian use of chemical weapons and the world's response. Every event, large or small, prompts a new wave of analysis that, interestingly enough, always seems to confirm whatever they said previously. <br />
<br />
But I'm sure that's just a coincidence. <br />
<br />
Confirmation bias aside, thanks to cable news, the internet, twitter, text messaging, Skype, and everything else, most of these pundits think they're looking at what's happening, but all they're looking at is what has already happened. I'm reminded of Walter Benjamin's description of the Angel of History (famously quoted in Benedict Anderson's "Imagined Communities”)<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="http://www.sfu.ca/~andrewf/CONCEPT2.html" target="_blank">A Klee painting named ‘Angelus Novus’ shows an angel looking as though he is about to move away from something he is fixedly contemplating. His eyes are staring, his mouth is open, his wings are spread. This is how one pictures the angel of history. His face is turned toward the past. Where we perceive a chain of events, he sees one single catastrophe which keeps piling wreckage and hurls it in front of his feet. The angel would like to stay, awaken the dead, and make whole what has been smashed. But a storm is blowing in from Paradise; it has got caught in his wings with such a violence that the angel can no longer close them. The storm irresistibly propels him into the future to which his back is turned, while the pile of debris before him grows skyward. This storm is what we call progress.</a></blockquote>
As the pundits seek to analyze the continuous flow of chaos and information, their inevitable fallback is the certainty of their own deeply held positions.<br />
<br />
So, towards that end let me save you the trouble of reading any analysis of the US and its actions in relationship to Syria today (and possibly tomorrow). Here are most of your possible op-eds and analysis pieces:<br />
<br />
1. <b>Obama is terrible and everything he does is terrible!</b> (a.k.a. "this is bad for Obama”). It's a nice, easy, and convenient approach that always has a guaranteed audience. The articles practically write themselves. All you need to do is look at whatever happened yesterday and explain: Whatever Obama did was the absolute worst possible thing he could've done and/or Whatever happened is the final step in Obama’s inevitable failure as a president <br />
<br />
2. <b>Obama is great and everything he does is great!</b> This has two basic variations:<br />
(2a.) Everyone else is playing checkers and Obama is playing 10 dimensional chess - he is always ahead of the curve and always has his next dozen moves plotted out in advance.<br />
(2b.) In a chaotic situation where no one has control and none of the choices are good, Obama is such a genius that he always picks the best possible option<br />
<br />
3. <b>War is never the answer!</b> This has two subcategories:<br />
(3a.) Obama hates war and is trying to avoid it<br />
<a href="http://wondermark.com/964/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"></a>(3b.) Obama is just like Bush and desperately wants us to go to war <br />
<br />
4. <b>Violence is the only language these guys understand!</b> We must intervene because of (choose any or all of the following)<br />
(4a.) Iran<br />
(4b.) Israel<br />
(4c.) Chemical Weapons<br />
<br />
<br />
Additional elements that can be included as needed:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>The rebels are really Al-Qaeda/cannibals</li>
<li>The rebels were the ones who did the gassing</li>
<li>Oil pipeline across Syria</li>
</ul>
<a href="http://wondermark.com/964/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"></a><br />
So there you have it. Pick one and stick with it no matter what anyone else tells you.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://wondermark.com/964/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://wondermark.com/964/" target="_blank"><img alt="http://wondermark.com/c/2013-09-10-964sinking.gif" class="decoded" src="http://wondermark.com/c/2013-09-10-964sinking.gif" /></a><br />
(Keep in mind; it’s much more important to know what a schmuck at CNN, Fox News, the Washington Post, or Politico thinks about this than…say…a Syrian.)<br />
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The Familiar Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07375291985752875063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207727415505589872.post-61409129734163145352013-09-03T10:32:00.000-04:002013-09-04T16:45:08.907-04:00Some Follow-ups to Yesterday's "What to do on Syria?" Blog <br />
<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">
</div>
<br />
As a follow-up to <a href="http://rubiconman.blogspot.com/2013/09/what-to-do-on-syria.html" target="_blank">yesterday's blog post</a>, I wanted to add some additional thoughts, as well as mentioning a few additional news items that crossed my radar.<br />
<br />
Several <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2013/0830/Eyes-on-nuclear-talks-Iran-tempers-support-for-Assad" target="_blank">other news sources</a> have cited <a href="http://eaworldview.com/2013/09/iran-today-regime-re-builds-propaganda-line-on-syria/#rafs" target="_blank">hints of Iran's internal discontent</a> over Assad's use of chemical weapons. In particular, Iranwire posted some <a href="http://iranwire.com/en/projects/2393" target="_blank">very interesting interviews with the various Iranians on the topic of Syrian chemical weapons and US intervention.</a><br />
<br />
In spite of all this, let me be perfectly clear: I'm not suggesting that what I proposed yesterday would be easy. In spite of Iran's deep opposition to the use of chemical weapons, the loss of the Assad regime would be a major strategic blow to their standing in the Middle East. Iran has a long history of close relations with Syria, particularly post-1979 revolution, when Syria was one of the only countries in the Middle East to wholeheartedly support the removal of the Shah. Furthermore, Syria’s support during the Iran/Iraq war was vital to Iran's survival against Saddam Hussein’s assault. If Iran participated in the removal of Bashar Assad they would essentially be stabbing a longtime ally in the back.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41neksMFZhL._SL160_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" id="static_img_preview" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41neksMFZhL._SL160_.jpg" /></a><br />
For more information on the deep and complex relationship between Syria and Iran I highly recommend "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1845119975/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1845119975&linkCode=as2&tag=doublecrossit-20" target="_blank">Syria and Iran</a>" by Jubin Goodarzi. It's extremely detailed and very dense, but quite rewarding.<br />
<br />
Additionally, there would certainly be resistance to this idea within Saudi Arabia, the US, and among many of the Syrian rebel groups. If Iran is involved in the process of removing Assad, establishing a cease-fire, and restructuring an interim governmental authority there is the very real possibility that they could retain much of their deep organizational influence in a post-Assad Syria (indeed, they are unlikely to participate if this is not the case). Saudi Arabia, in particular, has been spending huge amounts of money to support many of the different rebel factions, and will not take kindly to anything less than a maximum return on that investment. Also, anti-Iranian sentiment is strong among many of the Syrian rebel groups, no small part due to the active presence and ruthless brutality of the IRGC Quds Force soldiers who have been training, coordinating, and leading Syrian forces in their fight against the rebels.<br />
<br />
Persuading Iran to participate in the negotiated removal of Assad and his inner circle will also take more than simply presenting convincing evidence of the regimes culpability in the use of chemical weapons, it will also be crucial that the US establish its own credibility on this issue. If the White House wants to be taken seriously on the unacceptability of chemical weapons it should make a formal apology for US involvement in the Iraqi use of chemical weapons against Iran. Interestingly enough, last week released CIA files finally acknowledged what everyone has known for decades: <a href="http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/08/25/secret_cia_files_prove_america_helped_saddam_as_he_gassed_iran" target="_blank">the United States was complicit in facilitating Saddam Hussein's use of chemical weapons.</a><br />
<br />
Given that this has been publicly acknowledged, it seems like a relatively small step for the US to issue a formal apology, which would do nothing but help our case against Assad and his chemical weapons usage. Furthermore, an apology of this nature would also strengthen the credibility of the US position against potential Iranian development of nuclear weapons capacity.<br />
<br />
In related news, it looks like even <a href="http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/09/03/Dozens-of-Syrian-army-soldiers-defect-in-Damascus-suburbs.html" target="_blank">the suggestion of US strikes has inspired a recent wave of regime defections</a>, including some <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10283739/Syrian-chemical-weapons-official-has-defected-from-Assad-regime-rebels-claim.html" target="_blank">very high-profile individuals</a>.<br />
<br />
Also worth noting is <a href="http://en.ria.ru/world/20130831/183075695/Russia-Delays-Arms-Supplies-to-Syria-over-Money--Paper.html?utm_source=buffer&utm_campaign=Buffer&utm_content=buffer4d9fb&utm_medium=twitter" target="_blank">Russia's shift to a “payment-up-front” system for major Syrian arms purchases</a>, which suggests that they are not particularly confident in the Assad’s staying-power or ability to pay its bills on a long-term basis.The Familiar Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07375291985752875063noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207727415505589872.post-15942994211968943062013-09-02T14:11:00.001-04:002013-09-03T10:35:17.798-04:00What to do on Syria.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<br />
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The intractable conflict within Syria has finally
reached a point where it is no longer possible for it to be ignored on the
world stage. Certainly, it should've been addressed a long time ago in some
fashion, but many of the parties outside of the country (on both sides of the
conflict) have gained substantial benefits from the protracted conflict. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Russia has been significantly enriched by arms sales at the expense of the
Syrian government, while at the same time enjoying a prominent position on the
global stage where they can flex the power of their position on the United
Nations Security Council. Russia loves to publicly say "no" to the US
- it makes them feel like they matter.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The US and Israel have also seen some significant benefits
from this drawn-out stalemate - Hezbollah has suffered more casualties over the
last two years then over the previous ten, and has been severely
restricted in their ability to carry out anti-Israel activity. Additionally,
although they have been receiving dramatically increased amounts of arms and
funding from Iran, their resources are largely tied up in Syria at the moment.
Furthermore, they have alienated many of their constituents in Lebanon with their
insistence on direct engagement in a conflict that has nothing to do with
Israel.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Iran's gains from the conflict are less clear, but they are
deeply invested in the situation, partially due to the potential loss of one of
their few stalwart allies in the Arab world, and partially due to the very real
possibility that this conflict in Syria is simply a precursor to a larger
region-wide Shia/Sunni conflict. (note: Although the Allawite sect of Islam has
only been formally affiliated with Shia Islam for less than a century, thanks
to the careful relationship-building of Hafez Assad, particularly following the
Iranian Revolution in 1979, most of the Muslim world sees little or no difference
between Allawites and the rest of the Shia community.)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Saudi Arabia and Qatar are also deeply invested in the
conflict, though the benefits to them have more to do with long-term regional
power. A weakened or collapsed Syrian state would, by extension, diminish
Iranian influence in the Arabian Peninsula, thereby providing opportunities for
the continued growth of Saudi and Qatari power.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How, then, can this horrible situation be resolved?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Although no options are ideal options, there is a clear and
(I feel) attainable path forward.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Right now, Pres. Obama is engaged in a two-pronged
persuasion campaign - he's attempting to convince the United States Congress
that the Syrian government was directly and unequivocally responsible for the
massive use of chemical weapons in the Damascus suburbs on August 21. He is
also, to a lesser extent, attempting to convince the American people that this
is the case, and that it merits a clear response.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Although this course of action is, of course, necessary for
the strategic path that he has chosen, Obama is working to convince the wrong
people. A best-case scenario resolution for this entire situation is attainable,
and the key to all of this is Iran.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/iran-blog/2013/sep/02/iran-chemical-weapons-wmd-sanctions" target="_blank">Iran's distaste for the military use of chemical weapons,particularly against civilians, cannot be understated. Many of the now-senior members of Iran's various military, religious, and political factions witnessed the effects of chemical weapons firsthand during the Iran/Iraq war. These memories are fresh and distinct, and the Iranian regime has never hesitated to remind themselves and their neighbors of the horrific acts that Saddam Hussein committed on a horrifying scale</a>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The number one goal of the White House right now should be
to present clear and convincing evidence of the Assad regime’s deliberate
large-scale usage of chemical weapons against civilian populations. <img height="235" id="irc_mi" src="http://gfx.dagbladet.no/labrador/289/289953/28995399/jpg/active/978x.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="400" /><br />
Regardless of the tactical necessity for Iranian support of the Assad
regime, it will be difficult, if not impossible, for high-level political,
military, and religious officials in Iran to disregard the magnitude of Assad’s
actions, particularly given their own experiences, and the deep physical,
emotional, and psychological scars that much of the population still bears from
their own encounters with chemical weapons.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
A convincing case can then be made that Bashar Assad’s use
of chemical weapons is clear grounds for his negotiated removal, and
responsibility for his removal falls squarely in Iran’s lap. Assad, and most of
the members of his senior leadership (i.e. family) would need to leave the
country and go into exile, presumably in Iran or Russia (there's probably nowhere
else on the planet where they'd be safe). Negotiations surrounding this issue
will provide all active military groups (on all sides) a reasonable justification
for a temporary cease-fire on the ground.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is a win-win for many of the involved parties,
particularly because it removes the specter of a zero-sum game from the
conflict. If mid-level military Syrian leadership was actively engaged in the
process of removing the high-level military leadership it would provide them
with some measure of credibility in the eyes of the Syrian rebel groups.
Similarly, if a temporary cease-fire holds, it could provide some measure of
reassurance to the minority Allawite communities that this conflict was, at its
core, a rejection of Assad’ legitimacy as a leader, rather than a sectarian
war.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Certainly, any state that Syria will find itself in post-Assad
is going to be a horrible one. There are substantial numbers of hard-line
Islamists, many of whom are foreign fighters, and many of whom will see a
resolution of this type as an unacceptable compromise. Additionally, there are
civilian victims on both sides who will never be able to forgive the things
they've suffered at the hands of the rebels and the Syrian government. The
intensity and ruthlessness of the conflict is staggering, with casualty numbers
that can only be estimated and the refugees returning from neighboring countries
will face an overwhelming task of reconstruction.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In spite of that, there is still the possibility that this
conflict can be slowed or stopped. The alternative is a continuously growing Shia/Sunni
sectarian war that could ultimately stretch from Lebanon to Pakistan.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The question, then: is this possible?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There is some cause for optimism. Last week Iranian
president Rouhani stated that the use of chemical weapons in this conflict was
unacceptable and that the world should take immediate action to ensure that it
did not happen again. A few days later, former Iranian president Rafsanjani
publicly stated that he believed the Syrian regime was responsible for the
chemical weapon usage (though the statement was taken off of the Internet
within hours of being made). Additionally, Sultan Qaboos of Oman recently
visited Iran to discuss a variety of issues. The country of Oman is one of the
few regional entities enjoying excellent relations with both the American and
Iranian governments, and the Sultan has served as an intermediary in
conversations between the two countries in the past. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If Iran can take the lead in negotiating an abdication of leadership
by Assad and a formal cease-fire on the part of the Iranian military and
Hezbollah, then Turkey and Jordan will certainly be willing to come to the
negotiating table to ensure compliance with the cease-fire on the part of the various
Free Syrian Army groups that they are connected with. Some participation on the part of
Saudi Arabia would be necessary to obtain cease-fire compliance by many of the
hard-line Islamist groups, and some of those groups (particularly the al-Nusra Front
and other groups with affiliations to Al Qaeda in Iraq) might refuse any
cease-fire negotiations altogether, but even this limited transformation is
dramatically better than what we see on the ground right now, and may well be a
best case scenario for the entire conflict.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Even marginal stabilization would provide an opportunity for
engagement by UN peacekeeping forces, and though it cannot be denied that some
entities would use the cease-fire as an opportunity to rebuild their capacity
for a future conflict, it's important to remember that every day that passes
without shots being fired increases the odds that the next day will also pass
without shots being fired.</div>
The Familiar Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07375291985752875063noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207727415505589872.post-11634603650521875202013-08-27T11:29:00.001-04:002013-08-27T11:30:17.512-04:00Movement on Syria<br />
<div class="ctext" id="ct86145912">
I'm not a big fan of the idea of intervention, but at this point it looks like it's pretty much inevitable.<br />
<br />
So, here's the situation as of today:<br />
<br />
Rouwahani
(the president of Iran) just said that "Iran gives notice to
international community to use all its might to prevent use of chemical
weapons anywhere in the world, especially in Syria". This means one of
two things: either Iran has some pretty clear evidence that the rebels
used chemical weapons, or their long-standing abhorrence of chemical
weapons (thanks to Saddam Hussein) is leading them to hang Assad out to
dry.<br />
(Note - Rouwahani also recently traveled to Saudi Arabia and had a
surprisingly positive meeting with their leadership - <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/commentary/rouhani-sunni-shiite-divide-middle-east" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/commentary/rouh a ni-sunni-shiate-divide-middle-east</a> - which does not bode well for Syria.)<br />
<br />
The Arab League just announced that Syria has carried out chemical weapons attacks on Ghouta.<br />
<br />
The Russian navy is starting to withdraw ships from the area.<br />
<br />
US
officials said that strikes on Syria could come as early as Thursday. I
it may seem silly to announce that beforehand, but it's like
deliberately telegraphing a punch at the beginning of the fight to see
how your opponent reacts. There's a bunch of guys over at the NRO and
NSA that are going to be looking very very closely for any signs of
movement by Syria's artillery and surface-to-surface missile batteries.
They're also going to see if Assad does anything stupid that gives away
his own position in response to the impending strikes. Strikes will
probably target artillery, surface-to-surface missile sites, and
antiaircraft capacity.<br />
<br />
It's a done deal, and I suspect that the
intended outcome is a negotiated exit for Bashar Assad and certain
members of his inner circle (i.e. his family), along with some
agreed-upon temporary cease-fire between Syrian government forces and
the various rebel and militia groups so that steps towards de-escalation
can be taken.</div>
The Familiar Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07375291985752875063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207727415505589872.post-52571831204340834462012-10-11T09:32:00.001-04:002012-10-11T09:38:10.656-04:00Some thoughts on yesterday’s 9/11 Benghazi hearing<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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As I watched the <a href="http://oversight.house.gov/hearing/the-security-failures-of-benghazi/" target="_blank">hearing committee</a> go back and forth over
the circumstances surrounding the 9/11 Benghazi attack it became painfully
evident that there were two issues being discussed, almost entirely independently from each other.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The <b>first</b> of these was the security failure. Key personnel
asked for more security and Deputy Assistant Secretary Lamb rejected the
request. In retrospect this was a supremely bad move on her part. Ms. Lamb
obviously has a lot on her plate, and the security demands of Benghazi were
evidently just one among dozens of locations demanding attention and resources.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is the sort of unpleasant, boring, and banal allocation
work that is the hallmark of mid-level management - the drudgery of budgetary
concerns combined with the sort of administrative decision-making that inspires
resentment in your subordinates and contempt in your superiors. The type of
work that exists in the middle strata of corporations, schools, government
agencies, militaries, and any other top-down mass human endeavor where someone
is needed to nitpick over financial minutia. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
DAS Lam was most likely doing her job the way she's always
done it – attending to the letter of the law, with less of an eye towards its
spirit. A different string of decisions on her part probably wouldn’t have
enabled the security staff to repel the attacks, but some of those who died that
night might still be alive today.<br />
<br />
This is certainly an awful state of affairs, and Ms. Lamb
should've had the decency to tender her resignation sometime over the past
month, but it’s hardly a cause for a Congressional hearing. Deadly attacks on
embassies and consulates are far less common now than they were during the Regan
years, but they still happen on a regular basis. Note the following:</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>June 14, 2002, U.S. consulate in Karachi,
Pakistan - Suicide bomber kills 12 and injures 51. </div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>February 20, 2003, international diplomatic
compound in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Truck bomb kills 17.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>February 28, 2003, U.S. consulate in Karachi,
Pakistan - Gunmen on motorcycles killed two consulate guards. </div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>July 30, 2004, U.S. embassy in Tashkent,
Uzbekistan - Suicide bomber kills two. </div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>December 6, 2004,U.S. consulate in Jeddah, Saudi
Arabia - Militants stormed and occupied perimeter wall. Five killed, 10
wounded. </div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>March 2, 2006, U.S. consulate in Karachi,
Pakistan - Suicide car bomber killed four, including a U.S. diplomat
directly targeted by the assailants. </div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>September 12, 2006, U.S. embassy in Damascus,
Syria - Gunmen attacked embassy with grenades, automatic weapons, and a
car bomb (though second truck bomb failed to detonate). One killed and 13
wounded.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>July 9, 2008, U.S. consulate in Istanbul,
Turkey - Armed men attacked consulate with pistols and shotguns. Three
policemen killed. </div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>September 17, 2008, U.S. embassy in Sana'a,
Yemen - Militants dressed as policemen attacked the embassy with RPGs,
rifles, grenades and car bombs. Six Yemeni soldiers and seven civilians were
killed. Sixteen more were injured. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The <b>second</b> issue at play in the hearing was a very different
one: the shifting statements regarding the attack that were issued by the State
Department and the White House. This is where pundits grow shrill, and certain committee
members start to yell. This is also where ignorance and idiocy vigorously rears its head.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Why did the State Department, and in particular ambassador
Rice, make such an obviously incorrect statement regarding the nature of the
attacks on the Embassy? And why did they maintained that line for almost a week
when everyone knew that any connection between the notorious anti-Islamist
video and this specific attack was minimal at best?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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The answer to this is simple, and for those who were watching
the testimony of Ambassador Kennedy it should have been painfully obvious. <b>The
official statements by Susan Rice and the others during the first week after
the attacks were strictly limited to what they were given permission to say by
the CIA</b>.</div>
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<br /></div>
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It wasn’t based on the “intelligence we had at the time”. It
was very strictly controlled messaging under orders from the CIA. In spite of
the clear inconsistencies between Rice’s statement and the obvious facts on the
ground, the script that the White House and the State Department had to stick
to was the one they had been given by the CIA. Until the D/CIA gave them a new
script, it's all they could say.</div>
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<br /></div>
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(<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/dana-milbank-letting-us-in-on-a-secret/2012/10/10/ba3136ca-132b-11e2-ba83-a7a396e6b2a7_story.html" target="_blank">Frankly, in their rush to politicize this incident, the Oversight Committee has done a major disservice to the CIA, and created additional danger for their on-the-ground ops in Libya</a>) </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The building that was attacked in Benghazi was a base of operations
for the CIA, and a consulate in name only. This attack was a major intelligence
failure on the part of the CIA, and they are in the middle of a very serious
investigation into the particulars (which is why yesterday’s committee didn’t
get access to the security videos, among other things). As such, any
information about their intelligence capacity before, during or after the event
is going to be heavily scripted, controlled, and often times deliberately
misleading.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You can be assured that the White House and the State
Department know far more about the incident than they can publicly admit, and
they’re not going to formally acknowledge any of it until the CIA says they
can.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
The Familiar Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07375291985752875063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207727415505589872.post-14877352877144534522012-09-13T10:13:00.000-04:002012-09-13T10:24:15.088-04:00Protests and Provocations<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
If it wasn’t obvious before, in light of last night’s
assault on the US embassy in Yemen, it should be painfully evident that the
9/11&12 Middle East protests against the anti-Islam movie “The Innocence of
Muslims” aren’t really protests, and they don’t really have a whole lot to do
with the movie either (<a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Backchannels/2012/0912/There-may-be-no-anti-Islamic-movie-at-all#.UFHaOVvbm0c.twitter" target="_blank">which may not even exist</a>).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When the 9/11 protest in Cairo began, multiple witnesses
reported that much of the crowd didn’t even know why they were there, and the
first part of the protest largely involved people milling about as the reasons
for the gathering was explained to them. They were told to show up, and they
did – who told them to show up? (<a href="http://egyptianchronicles.blogspot.com/2012/09/usembassy-important-questions-we-have.html?m=1" target="_blank">Some other important questions about the Cairo incident here</a>)<br />
<br /></div>
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I’ll get to that shortly.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The protesters were there was for one reason and one reason
alone: to provoke a violent reaction by the guards protecting the embassy in
order to generate backlash. If the protests at the embassy had turned into a
sort of Kent State in Cairo, as I suspect they were supposed to, the attack on
the Consulate in Benghazi would have seemed far more believable as a genuine
protest gone wrong, and we would be facing the possibility of real grassroots protests
across the Middle East.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The heroes of the day in Cairo were the on-site US Embassy
guards, and their superiors who refused to fall victim to the provocation, and
chose not to use force in an ambiguous and possibly threatening situation.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In Libya, however, the situation was substantially
different. The incident at the Consulate in Libya was a <a href="http://www.quilliamfoundation.org/press-releases/the-attack-on-the-us-consulate-was-a-planned-terrorist-assault-against-us-and-libyan-interests/" target="_blank">preplanned assault on a predetermined target</a>. Four pickup trucks full of armed men used grenades and RPGs
to attack the Consulate compound in the middle of a rather small and
unremarkable protest. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The debate, at this point, is whether there was coordination
between the organizers of the protests in Cairo, and the attack in Benghazi.
With the assault on the Yemeni embassy, the plot thickens.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Frankly, I’d be shocked if more than a few of the people at
the embassy in Yemeni had any idea about the film. Like the protesters in
Egypt, the film was really irrelevant – they were there at someone’s behest to
provoke a reaction.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I suspect that what we’re seeing is a new approach to
operations by Al Qaeda franchisees and affiliates.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the absence of a central command, and with the loss of
most of their senior planning staff, Al Qaeda can’t really pull off the
large-scale operations that they used to be known for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead, they are now engaged in the work of trying
to rebuild some measure of unity and support in the Muslim world. Their goal
here is to provoke some sort of high-profile disproportionate response by the
US.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
These events, coming on the heels of the release of the
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/12/warren-weinstein-kidnapped-pakistan_n_1878922.html?" target="_blank">Weinstein video</a> and the <a href="http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/International/2012/Sep-13/187695-al-qaeda-video-claims-us-will-target-american-muslims.ashx#axzz26MBn6RqJ" target="_blank">Zawahiri video</a>, point to a much looser approach to AQ operations
that are vaguely synchronized, but not really coordinated. (See also <a href="http://www.quilliamfoundation.org/press-releases/the-attack-on-the-us-consulate-was-a-planned-terrorist-assault-against-us-and-libyan-interests/" target="_blank">the attack in Somalia</a>) This approach may be marginally successful in the short run,
but it needs to produce major results ASAP, because it involves lots of groups committing
to public action in a way that makes them <a href="http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/09/libya-drone-war/" target="_blank">easy targets</a> for some very <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/anti-terror-marine-team-heading-to-libya-to-reinforce-security-at-diplomatic-facilities/2012/09/12/7d3ffe9c-fd3a-11e1-98c6-ec0a0a93f8eb_story.html" target="_blank">skilled and dangerous people</a>.</div>
The Familiar Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07375291985752875063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207727415505589872.post-35288776249285911712012-08-30T23:43:00.002-04:002012-08-31T11:00:14.881-04:00Some surprises in Iran today.<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Interesting events today, largely drowned out in the US
press thanks to the hue and cry over the Republican national convention.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Egyptian President Morsi was in Tehran for a meeting of the
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-Aligned_Movement" target="_blank">Non-aligned Movement</a>. This is the
first time that an Egyptian president has visited Iran since the expulsion of
the Shah in 1979. This, in and of itself, is certainly worth more than a
passing mention, but what really makes it interesting are Morsi’s comments
towards the NAM, and not so subtly towards Iran. <a href="http://www.rttnews.com/1957061/egyptian-president-s-anti-regime-remarks-prompts-syrian-walkout-from-nam-summit.aspx?type=msgn&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=sitemap" target="_blank">He made a plea to the non-aligned nations of the world to support the Syrian revolution</a>.</div>
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<br /></div>
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This is no small thing.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The fact that the Egyptian government would make such an unambiguous
statement, and do so from within Iran makes it clear that the times they are
changing. Egypt, let us remember, is the most populous nation in the Middle
East, and just a few decades ago they were the country that the rest of the
Arab world looked to for leadership and inspiration. (<a href="http://mideasti.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-first-nam-summit-bandung-1955.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MeiEditorsBlog+%28MEI+Editor%27s+Blog%29" target="_blank">great piece on Nasser and the NAM over here</a>) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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Power dynamics in the Middle East have continuously shifted
since the high water mark of Nasserism - first towards Iraq and Iran, followed
by more subtle recent shifts towards Turkey and Saudi Arabia.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Today Egypt flexed.</div>
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<br /></div>
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That itself would have been notable enough, but it came on
the heels of another underreported item that also took place at the NAM
meetings in Iran today: Ban Ki Moon, Secretary-General of the the UN, told supreme
leader that <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2012/08/news-irans-leaders-challenged-on-human-rights-syria-at-nam-summit.html" target="_blank">Iran needs to seriously revise how it talks about Israel and how it handles human rights.</a></div>
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<br /></div>
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Iran’s hosting of the NAM was supposed to be a bit of a
feather in their cap, but it looks to have badly backfired. (Amusing bit of mustaschadenfreude - <a href="http://www.timesunion.com/opinion/article/Friedman-Shame-on-Egypt-s-president-3822754.php" target="_blank">note how badly Tom Friedman misread this whole situation</a>)</div>
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<br /></div>
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Ayatollah Kameni has been letting Mahmoud Ahmadinejad play
the “bad cop” role for several years now, serving as a useful foil against the
bombast and bellicosity of America's previous president, but that old game
hasn't been earning Iran a whole lot of points in the Muslim world anymore, and
the only reason they haven't shifted sooner is (I believe) that the Ayatollah
himself is not an overly creative leader. He develops a plan and he sticks with
it, but he doesn't innovate.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Ultimately, the Ayatollah always plays it safe. If cutting
Bashar Assad loose seems like the best long-term solution, you can be sure that
it will happen. Maybe today's events will move that outcome little closer.</div>
The Familiar Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07375291985752875063noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207727415505589872.post-60102951773578091672012-03-10T23:41:00.001-05:002012-12-12T11:16:38.148-05:00Reflections on Kony 2012<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Lots
of buzz these past few days over the Kony 2012 video.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Given
the amount of attention I’ve given to the use of social media and online
communication in the Arab spring (and the fact that a good part of my day job is spent trying
to measure advocacy impact) I was struck by the speed with which the video exploded on the Internet.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Obviously,
the campaign has been in the works for some time, and a lot of work has gone
into its preparation and delivery, but a good social media/PR team doesn’t
guarantee success.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The
video can be found <a href="http://youtu.be/Y4MnpzG5Sqc" target="_blank">here</a> and the situation it describes is no longer a fully
accurate picture of the situation. Kony is no longer in Uganda, the Lord's
resistance Army is not the same sort of threat that it was five years ago, the
“<a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2006/01/hitchens200601" target="_blank">Night Commuters</a>” are no longer trapped in their horrible circular migration.
Nonetheless, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/on-small-business/kony-2012-offers-businesses-lessons-on-viral-marketing/2012/03/09/gIQAGBsh1R_story.html?tid=pm_business_pop" target="_blank">the video has been a huge success.</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Predictably,
there has been a major pushback in response, and a whole host of criticisms have
been leveled against the Kony 2012 video and Invisible Children, the
organization that created it and the surrounding social media campaign.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The
video has been attacked on a variety of fronts (<a href="http://thenewinquiry.com/blogs/zunguzungu/on-the-genre-of-raising-awareness-about-someone-elses-suffering/" target="_blank">here's a good place to start</a> or <a href="http://securingrights.wordpress.com/2012/03/09/constructive-criticism-productive-advocacy-and-kony2012/" target="_blank">here</a>), but most of the criticism
addresses some key points:</span></div>
<ol>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The video oversimplifies a complex
situation</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The video does not reflect the current
state of affairs</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The video advocates the use of force to
resolve a situation that would be better resolved without violence</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The video perpetuate the stereotypes of
Africa as nothing more than a place of violence and death</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The video embodies the worst examples
of white European paternalistic urge to "save Africans"</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The organization does not make good use
of the money they raise</span></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">These
are, of course, all good criticisms. The organization has done a reasonable job
of responding to some of them (<a href="http://www.invisiblechildren.com/critiques.html" target="_blank">see here</a>) but I think they're all missing the
point.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Teju
Cole @tejucole, a gifted Nigerian American writer, posted some particularly
biting responses on his twitter feed two
days ago: </span></div>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_448005405"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">From Sachs to Kristof to Invisible
Children to TED, the fastest growth industry in the US is the White Savior
Industrial Complex.</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_448005405"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The white savior supports brutal
policies in the morning, founds charities in the afternoon, and receives awards
in the evening.</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_448005405"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The banality of evil transmutes into
the banality of sentimentality. The world is nothing but a problem to be solved
by enthusiasm.</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_448005405"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">This world exists simply to satisfy
the needs—including, importantly, the sentimental needs—of white people and
Oprah.</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_448005405"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The White Savior Industrial Complex is
not about justice. It is about having a big emotional experience that validates
privilege.</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_448005405"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Feverish worry over that awful African
warlord. But close to 1.5 million Iraqis died from an American war of choice.
Worry about that.</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://storify.com/alexismadrigal/teju-cole-on-kony-and-the-white-savior-industrial?awesm=sfy.co_faf&utm_campaign&utm_medium=sfy.co-twitter&utm_source=t.co&utm_content=storify-pingback" target="_blank">I deeply respect American sentimentality, the way one respects a wounded hippo. You must keep an eye on it, for you know it is deadly.</a></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Here’s
the thing. I think Cole is way off base here. Now, don't get me wrong, as someone
who occupies a world that is both American and African, I think Cole has
worthwhile insights, but I also know several people who've given many years of
their life in service to communities across the African continent. To paint
these people and their work with the brush of the "white savior industrial
complex" does them a gross disservice. Commitment to a life in the relief
and development sector is commitment to a career full of small victories in the
face of enormous setbacks. It's a field where you start out naive and
idealistic and then you grow beyond that or you leave the field. I certainly
think the Kony2012 campaign is a deeply flawed one, but it's also a pretty
remarkable one that shows great potential for other endeavors.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The
world is full of young people who want to help each other, and to dismiss that
as desiring a "big emotional experience that validates privilege" is
like telling a child that his crayon drawing is poorly executed and
unrealistic. The people whose eyes are being opened by this are not adults.
They are children and teenagers who were still in diapers when the “American
war of choice” began in Iraq.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">To
speak with so much contempt and condescension is to plant seeds of cynicism in
the hearts of the young.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">(As
I write this, I'm reminded of the Rumi story about <a href="http://elizaphanian.blogspot.com/2006/03/moses-and-shepherd-rumi.html" target="_blank">Moses and the shepherd</a>)</span><br />
<br />
But here's the thing...<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Mark Toner, deputy spokesman for the US state dept. was made aware of the video by his 13 year old daughter (<a href="http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/03/09/state_department_no_reason_to_think_we_are_calling_off_the_kony_hunt" target="_blank">link</a>).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Imagine
that conversation.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">And
then imagine if Christine Shelley, State Department spokeswoman during the
Rwandan genocide, had been asked by her daughter each evening, “What are we
doing to help the children of Rwanda?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Two
days ago a friend of mine made a passing comment on Facebook in defense of the
Coney 2012 video and an older family member responded by saying, "Atrocities happen all the time, I've never heard of this
guy until you mentioned him just now, what makes the situation any different
than any of the others?" </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">So.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">There
you have it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">For
a quarter of a century people have successfully ignored this horrific unfolding
atrocity that is STILL GOING ON.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">But…</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We
are reaching the point now where, thanks to YouTube and Facebook and Twitter
and Flickr and Skype, the wider world can only be ignored through an act of
willful self-imposed blindness. And it is becoming harder to maintain that blindness.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Ultimately, the most
</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">incisive and relevant</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">critiques of Invisible Children as an organization
are the same critiques that have been directed at just about every other major organization in International Aid and International Development, and they largely boil down to
this: </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The
programs that generate the most donor funding are rarely the programs that do
the most good for their target populations. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">If
you want to motivate people to dip into their wallets, the best thing in the
world is a photograph of a starving little African baby with a swollen belly
and flies crawling on his face. It just works.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">But
they want you to spend that money on food for the starving baby, not on
projects that address the structural causes of food insecurity in the
undeveloped world. Alex
De Waal’s <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0253211581/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=doublecrossit-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0253211581">Famine Crimes: Politics & the Disaster Relief Industry in Africa</a><img alt="" border="0" class=" tnsefegdjuttenjdqepx tnsefegdjuttenjdqepx tnsefegdjuttenjdqepx tnsefegdjuttenjdqepx tnsefegdjuttenjdqepx tnsefegdjuttenjdqepx tnsefegdjuttenjdqepx tnsefegdjuttenjdqepx tnsefegdjuttenjdqepx" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=doublecrossit-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0253211581" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
addresses this issue far better and far more extensively than I could really
hope to.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">For
me, however, I don't see this campaign as part of a long string of bloated
miserable <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Band_Aid_%28band%29" target="_blank">Band-Aids</a> that some guilty first world culture has perpetuated to
assuage some innate guilt of being privileged. Instead, I see it as reflecting
a new scale of human interaction. If you really wanted to, you could find and
become Facebook friends with a former "night commuter" from Uganda
within 5 minutes (you could probably find a twitter feed from one in even less
time).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The
Indonesian tsunami of 2004 (which, by the way, was the first time where
individual giving to a major disaster outstripped government aid) and the
Iranian post-election fallout in 2009 were harbingers of this. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">It
is so important to remember that the real uptake on this video is taking place
among people who have not even finished high school yet, and ultimately, the
true impact of this video will not be seen in the money that it generates for
Invisible Children and their work.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The
important thing about the video is not the video itself, but rather its success
– we're only discussing it because the video is an internet sensation. So is
this a fluke, a random moment of emotion that (as Cole puts it) "validates
privilege" or is this in fact something new?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I
think this is something new. Don’t try to kill it before it can grow.</span></div>
The Familiar Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07375291985752875063noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207727415505589872.post-44159114251580213712011-11-16T23:05:00.001-05:002013-01-29T08:41:01.688-05:00Book Review: "Egypt Unshackled"<a 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" 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<![endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">It has been nine
months since Hosni Mubarak’s departure from Egypt’s Presidential palace, and in
that time a steady trickle of “Arab Spring” literature has seeped into the
market. Now that the analysts, historians, pundits, journalists, regional
experts, and other invested parties have had time to sort through their notes,
gather their data, and conduct their interviews, the next wave in “Arab Spring”
literature is now hitting the bookstores. Denis Campbell’s excellent book</span>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0956803121/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=doublecrossit-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=0956803121">Egypt Unshackled - Using social media to @#: ) the System</a><img alt="" border="0" class=" epokinkelbidkgkceawy epokinkelbidkgkceawy epokinkelbidkgkceawy epokinkelbidkgkceawy" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=doublecrossit-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0956803121&camp=217145&creative=399373" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">At its core, the book is a
day-to-day history of the 2011 Egyptian revolution as told through the twitter
feeds of several dozen Egyptians. Mr. Campbell begins the book with a chapter
that provides a basic introduction on how twitter is used, a rundown of the
primary Egyptian twitter voices, and a description of some of the
particularities of twitter usage in Egypt and the broader Arab world. He
follows this with a chapter outlining the sociopolitical conditions in Egypt at
the beginning of 2011, the planning behind the first protests, and the events
that ultimately triggered those protests. The subsequent 18 chapters cover the
18 day period beginning with the first large Egyptian protest in Cairo on Jan
25 and ending with Mubarak’s resignation on Feb 11.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">The author describes the
events of each day by building a narrative around specific clusters of
reprinted tweets. He fills in some of the details with blow-by-blow accounts,
punctuated with occasional maps and pictures, but his incident descriptions are
relatively sparse; the real meat of the book is the twitter feeds themselves. This
unique feature is also my favorite aspect of the book - it immediately takes me
back to the manic wonder of the first few months of the Arab spring. Twitter is
an ephemeral medium, and each post reflects the spirit of the moment when it
was written. A great many of the twitter feeds reprinted in the book are ones
that I was reading at the time, and several times while rereading tweets from
the beginning of the year I remembered not just the original comment, but where
I was when I read it, how it made me feel, and the conversations swirling
around those events as they were happening.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">In some respects this is a
new method of writing history, and Mr. Campbell has done an admirable job of
tying together the chaotic flow of multi-author social media text with more
conventional historical accounts. In spite of that, the book does have some
weaknesses. None of them are critical but a few of them deserve mention.</span></div>
<br />
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The book itself seems to have been rushed to press, as seen in the presence of several minor textual errors, an a few more serious (though easily corrected) factual errors. This will hopefully be updated in subsequent editions (I certainly hope it does well enough to be reprinted), and it didn’t interfere with my enjoyment of the book. <br />
<br />
More serious, for me, was the tendency of the author to inject strong personal biases into his accounts. Although I don’t begrudge him his opinions (or even necessarily disagree with some of them), I feel that the highly individual nature of twitter as a spur-of-the moment medium demands a greater degree of deliberate objectivity on the part of the journalist/historian who is using it, otherwise he runs a risk of further distorting an already subjective account.<br />
<br />
The third point is only a minor one, and may well have been beyond the scope of the author’s knowledge, but I felt that the introduction could have benefited from some mention of the precedent set by the Iranian election protests of 2009. Many of the methods used by and challenges faced by the Egyptian protesters were previously encountered by the youth in the streets of Tehran and the other Iranian cities.<br />
<br />
Regardless, I think this book does an outstanding job of incorporating twitter records into the process of historiography, and I highly recommend it for scholars of new media, as well as anyone interested in better understanding how the Arab Spring unfolded in Egypt.The Familiar Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07375291985752875063noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207727415505589872.post-82278981946590292982011-08-22T19:37:00.004-04:002011-08-22T19:42:47.313-04:00Reasons to be optimistic about Libya's future.Libya is free.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">With the exception of a few pockets of resistance in Tripoli and some rogue military units elsewhere the Qaddafi regime has collapsed completely. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Fursa sayiida, and Mabrouk to the people of Libya. It still hasn’t sunk in yet for me. The progress was frustratingly slow for the past two months but never a stalemate, despite what the skeptics said. Suddenly, over the past week the forces in the mountains started advancing by leaps and bounds, and more high profile defectors started slipping away. The actual conquest of Tripoli itself took less than 48 hours, and although Bab-AlAziza (Gaddafi’s super-villain compound) is not yet liberated, several of Gaddafi’s sons are in custody and G’s personal security forces laid down their arms yesterday (though there has been no specific mention the fate of his amazon bodyguard team). Misinformation and rumor surrounds the actual whereabouts of Brother Leader himself – some say dead, some say in custody, some say fled to Algeria or Chad. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">None of that matters right now. The only important thing is that the Libyan people are now free. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So what comes next for Libya?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Prognostication is a dangerous business when one’s predictions are preserved and easily findable (my earlier overly optimistic comments about Gaddafi’s imminent departure are all still up on this blog). That being said, some outcomes are more likely than others.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">As I’ve said before, Libya has certain advantages over many of the other Arab countries. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">First of all, it has oil wealth. Not on the scale of countries like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, but certainly enough to ensure funds for infrastructure rebuilding without borrowing money and signing away its future to the IMF and the world bank. Not only that, but the Gaddafi bank accounts that were frozen at the beginning of the NATO intervention will be opened to the National Transition Council, providing them with instant capital for reconstruction.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Secondly, unlike Tunisia and Egypt, the collapse of the regime has been complete. Some of the more powerful tribal leaders may win big in an election scenario, but it’ll be pretty difficult for anyone with deep connections to the Libyan regime to retain much power unless they were among the first to leave . Libya will be taking their steps towards freedom without the entrenched power structures that Egypt and Tunisia are still struggling with. Guys like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmoud_Jibril">Mahmoud_Jibril</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdul_Hafiz_Ghoga">Abdul_Hafiz_Ghoga</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustafa_Abdul_Jalil">Mustafa_Abdul_Jalil</a> were already on the outs with the regime when the uprising started, and if there’s one thing that the Libyan people are going to be wary of in the future it’s a strong central government. Don’t be surprised if the Libyan constitution places severe limits on the powers and authorities of their chief executive.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Third, Libya is reasonably situated for self-governance. Despite the general failure of the political system invented by Gaddafi and promulgated in his <a href="http://www.libyafeb17.com/2011/03/demonstrators-in-benghazi-burn-copies-of-the-green-book/">“Green Book”</a>, an important aspect of the “Jamhariyya” is its heavy reliance on direct democracy for local governance. Although the system was severely hampered by the corruption and interference from nepotistic elites, the Libyan people are quite familiar with the democratic process, and 100% committed to self-governance.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Fourth, there is a strong sense of Libyan identity. This is not to say that Libya is homogeneous, and it is possible that some of the more traditional tribal elements will simply fade out of the state system (though the advantages of sharing in the state oil-wealth may serve as a counterbalance to this), but the shared tribulations of 41 years of Gaddafi, along with the sacrifice and unifying experience of the 2011 Libyan revolution has certainly created a powerful sense of Libyan unity.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I have high hopes for Libya.<br />
<br />
(Note - <a href="http://www.arabist.net/blog/2011/8/22/libya-can-the-rebels-rule.html">here's a slightly less optimistic assessment over at The Arabist</a>) </div>The Familiar Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07375291985752875063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207727415505589872.post-770017347351534882011-08-09T15:44:00.000-04:002011-08-09T15:44:25.150-04:00Egypt, evolving.<div class="MsoNormal">Due to other projects I haven’t been able to devote as much time to this blog as I’d like to. I’m still staying relatively active on twitter, but my available time has been cut back rather substantially – I’m still following everything, but can’t always write it up. (I recommend that you follow my twitter feed - <a href="https://twitter.com//ixakRubicon">@ixakRubicon</a> )</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">That being said, last week we hit a major milestone: Ramadan</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">For the past 6+ months, Fridays have been major action days for the Arab Spring. This is in large part because Friday prayers are the most important prayers of the week, and as a result many more people are in attendance at the evening services at the mosques. In the Muslim community the mosques themselves are community centers as well as religious centers, and as such have served as central locations for planning, organizing, gathering, and rallying the protests we’ve been watching for the past several months. Not only that, it is extremely dangerous for political leaders to forbid or restrict the Friday evening services because of their religious importance.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Because Ramadan is a time for contemplation and prayer, and most Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset (children, sick people, and the elderly can be exempted) the general energy level during the day is much lower. However, during Ramadan, every evening service is like Friday services so larger groups assemble more often, and word of mouth travels more quickly. Furthermore, the shared experience of Ramadan’s sunrise to sunset fasting creates a strong sense of community across the Muslim world. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Ramadan has brought with it a marked change to the political scene in Egypt - particularly in Tahrir Square.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Protesters returned to Tahrir square in early July to protest the slow progress of reforms, and the continued acts of corruption and brutality by elements within the government. As Ramadan approached, there was a great deal of debate over whether the tent community of protesters should continue to protest during the holy month. The majority of the protesters planned on going home for Ramadan, but many of the more enthusiastic protesters wanted to continue to camp out in their tents. This proved to be unwise. The general sentiment towards the protesters among Egyptians has been a steadily waning tolerance – many feel that enough of their demands have been met, and now it’s time to get back to work. As a result, the protesters have been steadily losing the support of the wider community. This reached its culmination on August 2, when armed police swept through the small tent villiage in Tahrir square, destroying tents and dispersing the protesters, arresting many in the process. <a href="http://egyptianchronicles.blogspot.com/2011/08/end-of-july-sit-in-at-tahrir-square.html#.TkGIn2HdSSo">Zeinobia, over at "Egyptian Chronicles" did some rewarding closer analysis of this.</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The attitude of mainstream Islam is fairly mixed in its stance towards rebellion against authority (<a href="http://www.thenational.ae/thenationalconversation/comment/egypts-islamists-do-not-conform-to-any-single-brotherhood?pageCount=0">Great piece on the diversity among Egypts Islamists here</a>) but protesting during Ramadan was pretty clearly beyond the pale for most Egyptians.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">This steady swing of public sentiment away from the protesters was further strengthened by the Mubarak trial. The spectacle of Egypt’s dictator of forty years being brought in front of a judge to testify from the inside of a cage was a rather captivating one for Egyptians, as seen by the huge number of people glued to the TV for part one of the televised trial.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgarMUTyZVqRqlZZCT_8r254VZDo4mkeB-H8zN1yuhDQukK1fkFO3dMnj14AAolLyuSviNSQ87pvEiWLFMYJMdJyWCdykB1YWihLb8g_X_BrVE4zTDdincONxj0A2-mq80fveoKcLt2Dtg/s1600/cage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgarMUTyZVqRqlZZCT_8r254VZDo4mkeB-H8zN1yuhDQukK1fkFO3dMnj14AAolLyuSviNSQ87pvEiWLFMYJMdJyWCdykB1YWihLb8g_X_BrVE4zTDdincONxj0A2-mq80fveoKcLt2Dtg/s320/cage.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In the eyes of the general public, Mubarak’s trial seems to serve as a coda for the street protests. The protesters themselves probably don’t all feel this way, but based on the shifting attitudes of people whose twitter feeds I’ve been following for half a year, many of the die-hard activists and protesters are accepting the reality of the situation – the impetus for change must now take place within the coalescing Egyptian political system. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The hard work of democratic reform – <a href="http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/node/484381">organizing, educating, public debate, fundraising, battling corruption, mobilizing voters</a> – this is the next step for the activists. Perhaps less fun than hanging out in Tahrir, but unavoidable nonetheless.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">(<a href="http://blogs.ssrc.org/tif/2011/08/03/the-suspicious-revolution-interview-with-talal-asad/">As a footnote, here's a great interview with Anthropologist Talal Assad who has been in Cairo since February</a>) </div>The Familiar Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07375291985752875063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207727415505589872.post-1708064491517837282011-07-31T21:47:00.002-04:002011-08-02T07:28:53.129-04:00Ramadan Kareem!May all of you who are fasting have a rewarding Ramadan.The Familiar Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07375291985752875063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207727415505589872.post-2592684695990585772011-07-20T09:19:00.001-04:002011-07-20T14:14:33.882-04:00Things Don't Look Good For the Kurds in Iraq<div>Although that begs the question: Do things look good for anyone in Iraq? But between tensions with fellow Iraq's, apparent problems with Iran, and the PKK (amongst others) misbehaving in Turkey and/or near the border between Iraq and Turkey, the Kurds may be in for a rude awakening when the U.S. leaves. Rude of course because of how much the Kurdish government acted (and to some extent no doubt still tries to) like a separate and autonomous entity from the central gov in Baghdad following the overthrow of Saddam Husein. Anyway, below are URLs for some interesting pieces on this issue:</div><div><br />
</div><div>Iraq's Kurds Fear Border Disputes:</div><div><a href="http://english.aljazeera.net/video/middleeast/2011/06/20116288375126349.html" target="_blank">http://english.aljazeera.net/<wbr></wbr>video/middleeast/2011/06/<wbr></wbr>20116288375126349.html</a></div><div><br />
</div><div>Iran takes control of 3 Kurdish rebel camps in Iraq</div><div><a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Iran-takes-control-of-3-Kurdish-rebel-camps-in-Iraq-Guards/articleshow/9269445.cms" target="_blank">http://timesofindia.<wbr></wbr>indiatimes.com/world/middle-<wbr></wbr>east/Iran-takes-control-of-3-<wbr></wbr>Kurdish-rebel-camps-in-Iraq-<wbr></wbr>Guards/articleshow/9269445.cms</a></div><div><br />
</div><div>Kurd rebels ambush Turkish soldiers, 20 killed in clash </div><div><a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/9229191.cms" target="_blank">http://timesofindia.<wbr></wbr>indiatimes.com/articleshow/<wbr></wbr>9229191.cms</a><br />
<br />
<i>(Today's post comes from an email my friend Nate sent me)</i></div>The Familiar Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07375291985752875063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8207727415505589872.post-6656703677011068602011-07-19T11:23:00.002-04:002011-07-19T11:23:06.767-04:00Sorry for the delay in posts.More coming soon.The Familiar Strangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07375291985752875063noreply@blogger.com0