[lbo-talk] Orhan Pamuk - Why Butler is stupid

[boddi satva]

The notion that this government makes any net effort in the developing
world to promote democracy is laughable. Turkey is not even terribly
repressive compared to our other "friends". Russia is not just being
allowed, but encouraged to slide into authoritarianism (and Chris,
it's not just the Chechens that Moscow is beating up). The chimerical
construction, accepted among the chattering classes of media and
politics, that Bush is fighting a war for democracy is assinine. The
only valid critique is to point out that this nation ALWAYS puts its
interests first and democracy in other countries is clearly well down
our list of interests. The Bush claim is a lie and you shouldn't
engage it on its own terms as if it were true.

boddi