> So, I am not impressed by Prof. Dabashi's piece. A roughly equal
> number of blows delivered to Bollinger and Ahmadinejad won't cut it
> for me. It's brave in that it risks his job by criticizing his boss.
> It's coward in that he attacks Ahmedinajad at a time when the country
> that man leads is being threatened by the biggest economic and
> military power in human history.
Julio has stated my case far better than I did.
I was reflecting on this exchange earlier today, and it occurred to me even lefties, if they happen to dwell in the current Top Country, are no more immune than other people to the virus of imperial thinking. For us it tends to take the form of sitting in judgement on other people's revolutions. Not quite the thing, lads, we say, from our shining heights of enlightenment. Try again, and keep the turban gang out of it this time.
As regards Dabashi's courage, that turns partly on whether he has tenure or not. Does anybody know?
In any case, all that careful even-handedness -- a whack at Generalissimo Bollinger, balanced by a corresponding whack at Ahmadinejad -- looks a lot like the cardinal principle of infantry tactics: protect your flank. Tastes differ, I guess, but as an ole Kentucky boy my notion of courage is more cavalry-oriented: saddle up, gallop in, lop off a few heads, then get the hell out of Dodge.