> You mean, Doug isn't Juan Cole and hasn't spent
> decades studying Persian,
> Arabic, and the intricacies of Middle Eastern
> nation-state formation?
> Shocked, I am shocked!
Chris Doss once made a statement on this list that it is nearly impossible to really say anything informed about a country if one does not speak the language spoken there.
I am inclined to agree with that somewhat, but it doesn't seem to stop people on this (and every other) list from offering an opinion about things happening in other countries.
As long as people are aware that these are mere opinions, there is nothing wrong with that.
What I find annoying, however, is that the denouncers of "sandbox politics" seem to want to reserve the right to have an opinion about something solely to those who formulate opinions that they agree with.
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