I’m taking this thread with my pc on my own trip to UFL. This idiot, John Cole, should blend right in with Ultimate Futility.

I’ve been tempted to wander over to Lex’s thread on Islam, but I would basically just council caution and patience when it comes to how we deal with religions and cultures different than our own with their own mix of faults and virtues, and I’ve said that before. I get Lex’s sympathy for VDH’s impatience with a conservatism so dysfunctional that denouncing honor killing looks brave and unusual. I’m impatient myself, and the underlying fanaticism that such dysfunction reveals is likely as not adding fuel to the flames to our problems in Iraq.

Yet, if what we are doing abroad has an “imperial” element to it (and I don’t think that is so bad – providing adult supervision for the Germans and Japanese after WWII was imperial to the extent that it was done without the consent of the locals and necessary), I think we would be much better served by the British model of as light and patient a touch as possible, rather than a kind of French “mission civilitrice” that seeks to turn Iraqis into good Americans, and makes sure that every Afghan girl, from Kabul to the meanest village near the Kyber pass has an opportunity for an education. But, as I said, I am not going to comment on that conversation at length…

Since the wishes of our senior officer and host are to be construed as an affirmative command, I’d say Yes–please continue. We all benefit.

I’m presuming that Lex is still open to me playing the intellectual equivilent of a court jester in his domain, showing you how eventually, albeit more slowly and painfully even an academic can puzzle out the right conclusion with only 5X the words.

I could sell tickets. ”

Boss has found the bandit freq, so youse learned guys debate away. This lesser mortal has taken the gentle hint and will resume radio silence