One of the more telling remarks I heard about Harriet Miers was, as best I can recall, "Harriet Miers is Bush's personal lawyer. You don't nominate your personal accountant to succeed Alan Greenspan." Analogous remarks could be made about quoting your wife in an internationally respected blog.
Juan Cole, in his generally insightful blog, refers occasionally to the opinions that his wife expresses to him. These he believes to be keen and insightful. The record is spotty at best, and today's jewel isn't like to improve it.
"Shahin M. Cole observed today, 'Partition is the consequence of failed colonialism.' "
Leaving aside the logical question, has there been successful colonialism and by whose measure, I wonder what this means. Given her origins, she is probably referring to the India/Pakistan partition. However, that was followed by the Pakistan/Bangladesh partition a few years later. Few people regard the East/West problems in Pakistan as colonialism.
Peaceful partitions have included Norway/Sweden a century ago and Czecho/Slovakia more recently. Are either of these the fruit of colonialization? Yugoslavia has broken up violently, but to describe what went before under Tito as colonialism is to stretch the word beyond recognition.
Ireland has been partitioned, but this is the result of highly successful colonialization of the northern counties by Protestants over a period of several centuries. Colonialism failed in Vietnam and there is no longer partition.
When your wife says something to you over breakfast, the remark may appear profound but before you publish, it's probably wise to get an outside opinion.
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3 comments:
Yes, I think Bush really boo booed on this one. There are rumblings of recending her nomination.
Bush didn't boo-boo. If she is confirmed, he wins. If not the next nomination is almost a shoe-in and he wins. Either way.....
Joe's right about Harriet - this was a master stroke, probably suggested by Rove as the best way to assure an anti Roe V. Wade judge.
Colonialism shmalonialsm:
Assuming that good measures of organizational "success" are increased standards of living, less violence, better education, health care, and improving infrastructure, one is hard pressed to argue that the demise of colonialization was anything but tragic.
It's become commonplace to simply assume that colonialism was more oppressive than the regimes that replaced it, yet there is overwhelming evidence to the contrary and little or NO evidence to support the statement. Heck, even the USA would probably be better off under British rule.
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