This is a crazy time of year... which means no time to read or comment on the many, many interesting things which are piling up on my desk. But in case you have more time, here are some:
Reuel Gerecht has a little book-let available for free in PDF from AEI: "The Islamic Paradox: Shiite Clerics, Sunni Fundamentalists, and the Coming of Arab Democracy." I often disagree with Gerecht, but value his sharp articulation of his viewpoint and his on the ground real experience of the region, so this should be a good read.
Ian Buruma's piece in the New York Times Magazine, "An Islamic Democracy for Iraq?", promises to raise some interesting points about that question. I'll look forward to reading it.
Robert Kaplan has a piece in the new Policy Review, "The Media and Medievalism", which on first glance appears to label the media the greatest enemy of democracy and freedom in the emerging world order. This strikes me as a really interesting set of
questions to explore, even if Kaplan's formulation appears a bit
sensationalistic and exaggerated, and I look forward to doing so when I
have time. Here's a sample: "As this is an age in which we are bombarded by messages
that tell us what to buy and what to think, when one dissects the real
elements of power — who has it and, more important during a time of
rapid change, who increasingly has it — one is left to conclude bleakly: Ours is not
an age of democracy, or an age of terrorism, but an age of mass media,
without which the current strain of terrorism would be toothless in any
case. Like the priests of ancient Egypt, the rhetoricians of
ancient Greece and Rome, and the theologians of medieval Europe, the media
represent a class of bright and ambitious people whose social and economic
stature gives them the influence to undermine political authority. Like
those prior groups, the media have authentic political power —
terrifically magnified by technology — without the bureaucratic
accountability that often accompanies it, so that they are never culpable
for what they advocate. If, for example, what a particular commentator has
recommended turns out badly, the permanent megaphone he wields over the
crowd allows him to explain away his position — if not in one article
or television appearance, then over several — before changing the
subject amid the roaring onrush of new events. Presidents, even if voters
ignore their blunders, are at least responsible to history; journalists
rarely are. This freedom is key to their irresponsible power."
After reading Marc Singer's review of The Originals, a new graphic novel by Dave Gibbons, I can't wait to read it. Oh, and Alison Lurie's review of a bunch of Babar books almost makes me want to go back and look at that old French elephant. And in case you hadn't heard, apparently the latest version of Mark Millar's The Ultimates is sending the Avengers to Iraq.. which I'm sure he'll handle in a reasonably entertaining way, but ultimately raises the old "why didn't Superman defeat the Nazis in three days" question. End of the semester, take me away!
Well, that's the top of the pile.
My concern with the Gerecht piece (beyond the Chalabio-worship contained therein) is that the timing seems oh-so-convenient ... it's like "Oh, see these Shi'ite clerics that we said weren't going to take over Iraq because there was a secular elite desperate for democracy? Never mind that. Shi'ite clerics rule!!!!11!!!!" (not to mention that the top three parties on Sistani's list are all Khomeneists. Are they going to back off the whole "clerical rule" thing?)
Posted by: praktike | December 07, 2004 at 08:32 PM