[lbo-talk] re Hot Air Advisory! (Was: Tariq Ali)

[Dennis Perrin]

> I've taken some heat for interviewing Richard Burkholder, who
> supervised Gallup's poll of Baghdad. A letter-writer said he couldn't
> believe he was listening to a progressive radio station - I should
> leave that stuff to NPR. And someone at the Monthly Review Xmas party
> told me pretty much the same thing. I guess these folks know what
> Baghdadis think, or should think, and any effort to ask them somehow
> promotes imperialism. But the poll confirmed what Christian told me -
> that Iraqis are glad to be of Saddam (the guy at the MR party tried
> to convince me that SH was popular and had done good things), don't
> like being occupied by the U.S. and don't at all trust Washington's
> motives, but are worried about what would happen if the U.S. simply
> pulled out. It's a complicated and contradictory position, which
> doesn't fit nicely with the preconceptions of your average
> metropolitan anti-imperialist.


> Doug

But then, your average metro anti-imperio doesn't really care about the
people who are directly affected one way or the other. They are abstractions
used for ideological fuel. The MR guy sounds like a dick. Think he'd
voluntarily live under Saddam?

The current situation is indeed complicated and contradictions are rife. But
the stone reality is that the US knocked off a vile regime, and many if not
most Iraqis are glad to be rid of it. That must be acknowledged. However,
the Official Reasoning for this, the one for public consumption, is bullshit
as we all know. And I suspect that many middle-of-the-roaders sense this and
can be convinced of it. Doesn't really take much. Two weekends ago I had a
long conversation about Iraq with a couple of conservative relatives, and
they were waiting to be swayed. Just took someone to do it.

DP