"my country, my country"

I watched the elegant documentary, "My Country, My Country," by Laura Poitras, about life surrounding the 2005 elections in Iraq. Poitras, present for a Q&A after the screening, has the serious demeanor of someone who has just left behind a world of trauma and violence. In "My Country," she observes the preparations for the election through both the lens of a Sunni doctor and his family as he campaigns for a seat in the new National Assembly and the side of the military and logistical preparations for the elections by the occupying forces.

As audience members launched into question-cum-diatribes on the danger of the rise of Iraq's Shi'i majority as a satelite of Iranian strategic influence, their language, on its non-human scale, couldn't have clashed more with that of Poitras' film - which was simply that of one human telling the tragic stories of her fellow humans.

Poitras did not travel with an interpreter and is not, to my knowledge, conversant in Arabic. Yet somehow, as if to confirm her film's message, she was able to capture the sincerest and rawest of interactions around her and compose these fragments in a way that conveys more than the sum of its parts, something which the international media has failed to do when covering this war.

This documentary does not drown in familiar repetitions of the appalling scope of the war's damage. Instead, it takes us to Baghdad and calls for help in such a reasonable and sustained way that it is impossible to ignore. As the film's subjects go about their lives with violence incessantly rumbling on their doorstep, we can't help to try to take some of their burden with us. As Doctor Riyadh and his family campaign, treat patients, go to school, eat family meals, vote, swat at flies, shave, get married, and live through war, we let their lives and the backdrop of violence seep into us, as the director herself must have done over the course of her year in Iraq.

sacrifice and loss

Saddam Hussein was executed as Eid al-Adha began - a Muslim holiday to commemorate the sacrifice of Ismael, son of Abraham and one of the prophets of Islam. The feast of the sacrifice.

Based in that belief of something higher, sacrifice has survived well beyond the times of Ismael as the most desparate and honorable route for achieving good in our world. It is always permitted and often encouraged. When an act of the will is framed as "sacrifice," it is somehow above criticism.

When Saddam was being taunted at the gallows, he must have envisioned himself above the jeering observers both literally, on an elevated platform, and figuratively in the rankings of honor, manliness, and sacrifice. Unsound reasoning for the disturbed leader who oversaw a murderous regime, but reasoning which both individuals and societies fall back on nonetheless, in self-defense, to justify loss.

Sacrifice is potentially dubious when it entails expectation of something in return, but it is this type of calculation that characterizes almost all human decision-making: give something in order to receive something else that is more useful or more gratifying. Those who are willing to give something valuable or dear are all the more revered for their sacrifice. When we claim to be making a sacrifice, we can only hope that there is some tending the scales of justice and due reward.

Then, there are those situations of loss without reason, compensation, or meaning which we, try as we might, cannot seem to fit into the framework of sacrifice and justice. Iraq is, just as Lebanon was and may be again, violence with no victor or vanquished. It is loss on top of more loss - loss for all sides. Losses of credibility and legitimacy, lost lives, lost money, lost opportunities and lost time. There is nothing to be won here anymore.

Maybe it is for these reasons that, finally, 58 percent of our country wish this president would just, well, LEAVE.

I resent this administration enormously. I think that stubborn warmongering without any acknowledgement of its possible consequences is immoral. But, when I went to the antiwar protests on the mall this weekend, I felt like I was watching myself four years ago: hopelessly and powerlessly chanting: "What do we want? PEACE. When do we want it? NOW!" This time, though, I don't know of any frat boys who are sitting in front of the news cheering "Yeah! Fuck Iraq!" as they watched the flashes of light explode in night footage from Baghdad. This time, I don't know anyone who doesn't want peace, including the much maligned neocons. We all want peace - as I believe all people do in the midst of war - but it is this unstoppable and self-perpetuating violence that is the greatest tragedy of our time.

the coup

So what is a coup, anyway?
The Palestinian government, led by Hamas, has accused Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas of trying to orchestrate "a coup against Palestinian legitimacy and the will of the Palestinian people" by calling for elections to solve the escalating crisis between Hamas and Fatah loyalists. Really? Perhaps strategically unwise, yes, but a coup attempt? I don't think so. By contrast, an opposition leader in Zimbabwe recently voiced his rejection of President Mugabe's ruling party's attempt to extend their rule as a "civilian coup," claiming that "no person should run the country without being mandated by an election. The decision to unilaterally amend the constitution without national consensus amounts to a civilian coup."

Meanwhile, this month in Beirut's Martyr's Square has been designated by some part of a greater attempt by Hizbollah and other opposition groups in Lebanon to oust the Siniora-led government in a popular - and, up until now, largely peaceful - coup. The 'Aqoul blog has an interesting discussion on the strategic use of the language of nationalism and legitimacy in this context, comparing the current demonstrations to the March 14 movement.

Does the definition of a coup depend on the objectives of the actors, the choice and legitimacy of the means, and/or the political arrangement that results?

the precarious republic

"Hizbullah: 'There Will Be Demonstrations'" (Daily Star, 11/14)
I am incredulous of Lebanese politics, once again.

eternal return

Robert Kagan's monthly Washington Post column appeared today and it is sobering yet worthwhile reading.

Here is the email I wrote him in response:*



"Mr. Kagan,

I was intrigued to read your column in the Washington Post today. Having graduated from Georgetown and spent most of my summer in Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan, I can confirm that many in the region agree with you: Democrat, Republican, it's all the same. But it is not necessarily the recurring doctrine of military engagement (the characteristically American 'belief in the utility and even justice of military action,' as you put it) that accounts for their defeated indifference. Rather, many are repelled by American policy in the region since, quite simply, the birth of Israel: the birth then of one of the most sturdy alliances in the post-World War II era.

The unquestioning American support for the state of Israel since its formation is, in the opinion of many Arabs I met, further substantiation to your claim that '[h]istorically, and especially in the six decades since the end of World War II, there has been much more continuity than discontinuity' in our American foreign policy. In the opinion of more than a few people in the region, this is America's great downfall.

Simply my observations.

So, it seems that at least there is some type of consensus. What you have predicted is a devastating possibility, indeed -- that when this new Congress is elected, then when this rogue administration is finally laid to rest, and, perhaps much later, whenever this disastrous military campaign finally ceases ('when the smoke [quite literally] clears,') you, the rest of the world, and I will still see 'much the same America.' "

Here I do not intend to take a position on the justifications for the relationship between the US and Israel, one way or the other. I am just pointing out that we are each disenchanted with American policy for different reasons. What we have in common is understanding the Democrats and Republicans in a relativist and almost apathetic fashion.
The politicians and policymakers seem to do the same things over and over.
The eternal return.
However, while the basic ideology may remain the same, this administration has created some very new and alarming problems in its implementation.



*My logic: if he doesn't read it -- and I was already shafted by a semi-celebrated intellectual this week -- at least you, my loyal fan base, will.

why bush doesn't read the paper

"It had been almost a year since I was in the Iraqi capital, where I worked as a reporter in the days of Saddam Hussein, the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, and the occupation, guerrilla war and religious resurgence that followed. On my return, it was difficult to grasp how atomized and violent the 1,250-year-old city has become. Even on the worst days, I had always found Baghdad's most redeeming quality to be its resilience, a tenacious refusal among people I met over three years to surrender to the chaos unleashed when the Americans arrived. That resilience is gone, overwhelmed by civil war, anarchy or whatever term could possibly fit. Baghdad now is convulsed by hatred, paralyzed by suspicion; fear has forced many to leave. Carnage its rhythm and despair its mantra, the capital, it seems, no longer embraces life."

(Anthony Shadid, The Washington Post, 10/29/06)

fear/shock and awe

I was just shocked by something I saw on CNN.

I never dreamt I would see our country become the type of place where I would see such a blatant and deceptive piece of fear propaganda. I saw this air during a commercial break in the normal newscast.

WHO is buying this message?
LEAD me to these people so that... I can stare at them, dumbstruck.

the muddy throne

I was reading Nietzsche while waiting outside Chief Ike's Mambo Room on Columbia Road for the 42 bus. It was a gray day.

"State I call it where all drink poison, the good and the wicked; state, where all lose themselves, the good and the wicked; state, where the slow suicide of all is called 'life.'"

Thus spoke Zarathustra.

"Behold the superfluous! They gather riches and become poorer with them. They want power and first the lever of power, much money - the impotent paupers!

Watch them clamber, these swift monkeys! They clamber over one another and thus drag one another into the mud and the depth. They all want to get to the throne: that is their madness - as if happiness sat on the throne...

My brothers, do you want to suffocate in the fumes of their snouts and appetites? Rather break the windows and leap to freedom.

Escape from the bad smell! Escape from the idolatry of the superfluous!"

Thus spoke Zarathustra while two middle-aged Hispanic men sitting next to me were working through a stack of $5 scratch tickets with, alas, no riches to be won.

the fine art of hypocrisy

Apparently the "birth pangs" of the new Lebanon include wading through a sea of thousands of unexploded cluster bombs, most of which were manufactured in the United States, in the agricultural fields and war-torn rubble in the South. The Washington Post reports:

"Early on, officials estimated that cluster munitions littered 400 sites, anywhere from a house to an entire village. The number now stands at 590, and U.N. officials said they are dumbfounded by the intensity of the firing in the war's last days, when it was clear a cease-fire was approaching.

'It's impossible for me to work out what the logic was," said David Shearer, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Lebanon. "To me, it just seems outrageous that it would happen as it did.'"

Well, one person certainly doesn't seem outraged. What did President Bush have to say in recent days? (See: "Bush encourages U.S. investment in Lebanon, Washington Post, 9/25/06):

"Our goal, and our mission, is to help Lebanese citizens and Lebanese businesses not only recover, but to flourish, because we believe strongly in the concept of a democracy in Lebanon."

That prioritization was not clear when it was exactly one month after Fouad Siniora pleaded with Bush to accelerate the implementation of a cease-fire (at which point Bush pledged he was doing everything he could to press Israel to "contain the damage" and limit civilian casualties) that the cessation of hostilities finally took effect. That is why in the last 72 hours of the conflict, as we all watched the New Year's Eve-style countdown until the cease-fire on CNN, Israel pounded the South with cluster munitions with methodical, insane repitition - in a manner "tantamount to shooting a dead body 20 times," according to Chris Clark, the program manager for the U.N. Mine Action Coordination Center, as quoted in the Post.

So...the State Deparment is still "investigating" Israel's use of these weapons and whether they violated previous agreements - don't expect any harsh condemnations soon. These probes apparently don't make it very far:

"During President Bush's first term, the State Department investigated whether Israel misused U.S.-made Apache helicopters in its assassinations of Palestinian leaders. State Department officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose internal debates, said that lower-level officials had determined that Israel had violated its agreements with the United States, but, the officials said, the finding was quashed at a more senior level,"
("State Dept. Probes Use of Bombs," Washington Post, 8/26/06).

In the meantime, keep investing! Let's be honest: with 8 percent of Lebanese believing that the U.S. supported their country when polled in the end of July, the situation can really only stand to improve. At least we are on the right track - yesterday, President Bush thanked the delegation he sent to Lebanon to address the country's reconstruction:

"I appreciate you all taking time to go over to Lebanon and show the face of America," he said, "we're a compassionate people, we care when people suffer."

things to read

i wrote a piece upon returning from syria that you can read here.

other good blogs/sites on syria:
syriacomment (joshua landis)
amarji - a heretic's blog (ammar abdulhamid)
creative syria

for a good news roundup of the middle east and elsewhere:
war in context
international crisis group
openDemocracy

ken burns

Ken Burns gave the keynote address at my commencement at Georgetown, which is worth reading in its entirety here. Here is a particularly inspirational excerpt:

"Serve your country. Insist that we fight the right wars. Convince your government that the real threat comes from within this favored land as Lincoln knew. Governments always forget that. Do not let your government outsource honesty, transparency, or candor. Do not let your government outsource democracy. Steel yourselves. Your generation will have to repair this damage. And it will not be easy.

Insist that we support science and the arts, especially the arts. They have nothing to do with the actual defense of our country -- they just make our country worth defending."

(the photo is from a masbah I visited on a farm outside Damascus)

five years ago...

...I was beginning my senior year in high school in Cambridge, Massachusetts, sitting in Ms. Hamilton's Shakespeare class, when I found out that a plane had flown into the World Trade Center. Shortly after the second plane hit, we were ushered into the auditorium for an all-school assembly. When I learned that the planes had taken off from Logan airport, I immediately thought of my dad, who had flown into the airport that morning. His flight had arrived just moments before the airport was shut down. My classmates and I tried repeatedly to use our cell phones to contact relatives who were in New York, or on planes that day, or just to contact our parents at home. TVs were set up around the school so we could watch the news between classes, or during them. My calculus teacher taught class that afternoon as if nothing had happened, with air force jets occassionally rumbling over our campus and our city as we struggled to concentrate on derivatives.

Only five years ago, and yet I can only vaguely remember how I felt in the weeks following 9/11, wasting away in front of the evening news after school every day. Learning, for the first time, really, about terrorism and national tragedies. Supporting my president. Learning about what starts wars, but not yet about what prolongs them.

Four years ago, on September 11th, we were at war, and President Bush stood on Ellis Island and said: "There is a line in our time, and in every time, between those who believe all men are created equal, and those who believe that some men and women and children are expendable in the pursuit of power."

Three years ago, on September 11th, we had overthrown a dictator in Iraq and, four months prior to the memorial, Bush had proclaimed an end to major combat operations in the country.

Two years ago, on September 11th, the 9/11 Commission report had been released, new waves of explosive terror attacks had shaken trains in Madrid and an embassy in Indonesia, pictures from Abu Ghraib had shocked our sensibilities, two years ago, on September 11th, 2004, we were about to re-elect our president. I saw magazine headlines on newsstands in Morocco that year - where I was living at the time of the election - asking with disbelief: "Encore 4 ans?"

And one year ago, on September 11th, 2005, I guess nothing in particular happened except that the President and the American people observed yet another moment of silence.

Now I have graduated college, and the war drones on. I guess all that I have gathered from this is that, while so much can change in five years, it seems that most things stay the same.

barefoot at the ummayad mosque

this place is so beautiful...

that you can even point the camera at your feet and take a good picture.

intellectuals

“The word intellectual strikes me as odd. Personally I’ve never met any intellectuals…On the other hand, I’ve met a lot of people who talk about ‘the intellectual.’ And, listening to them, I’ve got some idea of what such an animal could be. It’s not difficult – he’s quite personified. He’s guilty about pretty well everything: about speaking out and about keeping silent, about doing nothing and about getting involved in everything…In short, the intellectual is raw material for a verdict, a sentence, a condemnation, an exclusion…”
- Michel Foucault

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