Revolutionary Moderation

Remember when?



Mr. Noisybrats, this one's for you:



Before I started blogging, I sought out all sorts of other opportunities to write and think and write some more. One of my favourite ongoing Socratic discussions was in the wake of the film Eyes Wide Shut, when I spent about six weeks deconstructing every detail of the film with a group of people on Yahoo's EWS movie discussion site, working out what it was about. It was that discussion group that convinced me that talk and discussion, in a respectful, open atmosphere, creates truth, and that's a big reason now why I blog.



It was New Yorkers I knew from that discussion group that I worried most about on September 11. I continue to post there occasionally today, because the people there have proven to be thoughtful and smart, though our opinions don't always overlap, either in film or politics.



This post on that discussion group is the inspiration of my post here today:



I recall [...] folks wringing their hands over the "fact" that our war in Afghanistan was really about controlling a Caspian Sea pipeline... don't hear too much about that theory lately.



The world is hours away from the beginning of a new war... how's the last one going? Amnesty says not so well:



International media interest in Afghanistan is waning, and is now focusing on the prospect of a new war. After past conflicts in Afghanistan, the international community neglected to make the long term commitment that was necessary for reconstruction, and as a result the country descended into further fighting.



And a BBC reporter describes the situation much less diplomatically.



But the Americans are there to help the citizens of Afghanistan, just as they promised on the eve of that war, right? No, they're sorry... they forgot. (In fairness, they eventually ponied up some dough after they were sharply critizised for this "oversight".)



This will all do wonders for the confidence of the Iraqi people that "peace and democracy" will be following on the heels of "shock and awe".



Oh, and the pipeline? It's a project close to Afghanistan president Hamad Karzai's heart.