> I must have missed Rubin's essay on "smart" intervention. Here's what he
> really thinks:
> http://bostonreview.net/BR34.1/rubin.php
Is it? It's nicely written, and it shows his real fondness for the place and the people. This is not unheard-of -- many officials of the Raj developed the same feelings.
But it's belles-lettres -- and tres belles they are, to be sure -- rather than what he does for a living, which is, of course, Policy. Throughout the piece there are glancing references to a career spent figuring out "what to do" about Afghanistan.
"Leave them alone" was never, apparently, an option.
> As for his "splendid insights" two decades ago - what the fuck do you care?
Testy, testy. Perhaps it's just idle curiosity on my part. Or inveterate malice, looking for something else to make fun of. Or it might even be a willingness to be informed and stimulated in my own thinking. Over the years I have learned a thing or two from people I've argued with.
--
Michael Smith mjs at smithbowen.net http://stopmebeforeivoteagain.org