[Nettime-bold] Re: RHIZOME_RAW: what's da matta wit atta

[Philip Galanter <pg1@acf2.nyu.edu>]

And there are many many Iranians, some here, some there, who wish 
Iran had never taken the giant leap back into the middle ages it did 
when the Shah was overthrown.

Look, this discussion is just getting silly.

The US does not control the destiny of the Middle East.  The people 
of the Middle East do...but not in any sense either you or I would 
want for ourselves.  None of the Arab states are democracies, power 
is unfairly distributed, and there are social and political 
structures that are typically *the opposite of* multi-cultural, 
adaptive, progressive...all the things I assume you believe in.

In general things are the way they are in the Middle East because 
that is how those in power in the Middle East have made them.

If the US was the puppetmaster you claim, then events would have been 
steered in our favor.  Things are clearly not in our favor.  Things 
are clearly not under US control.

It is time to hold those in control responsible for their misdeeds. 
To not treat the leaders of the Middle East as responsible moral 
agents is to commit a form of racism.

Philip


At 1:55 AM -0700 10/17/01, Terrence Kosick wrote:
>Terrence writes;
>
>The shaw of Iran was put there by the west. Who do you think gave him and his
>family asylum?
>
>T.
>
>Philip Galanter wrote:
>
>>  So if it weren't for America, suddenly the royal families would give
>>  away their wealth to the poor, and the military juntas would
>>  instantly declare open and free elections, and overnight the Mideast
>>  would become a democratic middle class paradise?
>>
>>  And it is actually the US preserving these structures from the middle ages?
>>
>>  If that were the case bin Laden would love us, not hate us!
>>
>  > Philip
>>

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