Charlie Rose

tabs  04/08/2012 09:38 PM Report

Mr Kalin said "The March of History" in reference to the limited future for Mr Assad of Syria. Or one could borrow a phrase and say about MR Assads future "that it has all been used up". Anyway the foloowing was ent to Mr Rose via e-mail on or about the date indicated.

Blowing Up The Box

Thu, 03/17/2011 - 13:06 — tabs

Now we will briefly turn to the Arc of History. One should really think in terms that the fall of 2008 was an inflection point, and being the end of an era of American hegemony. Everything that has happened since that date has been a transition to the beginning of a new era. In any transition period there is chaos as new forces try to fill in power vacuums. A true Black Swan event was the earthquake in Japan and the ramifications thereof. It is quite mind boggling that the best and brightest don't see this. This myopia can be laid at the feet that the leadership is so consumed with day to day events that they lose sight of or fail to look at the long view of history.

Perhaps history could be viewed as a mighty river flowing to the sea. Events up stream have determined and or limit current thinking and decision making. What one can not know is what sand bar bar or turn the river is going to take next. But what can be seen is where the momentum and course of events past and present is directing us in. If one can view this as a process one can see that the course the US is on is not a very bright one.

One should look to the last great inflection point or turning point in history which was 1945 and the beginning of the era of American hegemony in the world. From there one should look at how one event was layered upon another event to see how we have arrived at the current state of affairs. Then one can answer the question of which direction the momentum of history is pushing us. In other words if one makes a series of bad decisions not only will your options be limited or narrowed but the conventional wisdom of the day will likely dictate that you continue to make bad decisions.

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Max83  04/07/2012 12:36 AM Report

From Günter Grass's wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%BCnter_Grass

2012 poem regarding Israel and Iran

April 4, 2012, Grass published a poem in the Süddeutsche Zeitung, entitled Was gesagt werden muss ("What must be said"), where he expressed concern about an Israeli military strike against Iran. The poem states: “Why do I only say now, aged and with my last ink: the atomic power Israel is endangering the already fragile world peace?” His answer to this rhetorical question is that the "incomparable" crimes of Nazis against Jews, and the duty of Germans to avoid anti-Semitism, have kept him silent. But he is no longer willing to stay quiet: “I admit: I will be silent no longer, because I am sick of the hypocrisy of the West.”[21]

The poem generated controversy in Germany and Israel.[22]

REMant  04/06/2012 02:48 PM Report

What Syrian "people?" He means Syrian Sunnis, who have not only been fighting Shiites controlling the govt, but also attacking and dispossessing Christians, using arms supplied by the Saudis, no doubt with our connivance, if not at our urging. And what "legitimacy?" Is democracy any more "legitimate" than any other govt? Legitimate means conforming to law or rules, not popularity or protection or welfare.

I think Filkins is barking up the wrong tree here, and I don't understand how liberals can be opposed to Afghanistan and Iraq and want to stir up trouble everywhere else. Maybe they think the one particularly Republican and the other Democratic. Frankly, I think the admin would like to have the military back in both Egypt and Turkey. Egypt receives more US aid than any non-NATO nation except Israel. But if there is any connection between Mr Kalin's attitude toward the Syrian situation and his defense of Mr Erdogan, it must be Sunni radicalism.