"Schlaf nicht ein in dem Traum deines Feindes." John Edgar Wideman
AT TIMES it becomes necessary for a nation to defend itself through force of arms. Because war is a grave matter, involving the sacrifice and taking of precious human life, conscience demands that those who would wage the war state clearly the moral reasoning behind their actions, in order to make plain to one another, and to the world community, the principles they are defending. [...]
[deutsch]
An Open Letter to the Signatories of a Statement in Favor of American Aggression
When sixty American intellectuals signed their names to a letter entitled 'what we are fighting for,' published by the Institute for American Values, some readers hoped to hear a voice of reason, some alternative to the American government's newest foreign policies following Bush's invention of an 'axis of evil' in his union address. Instead they found that these intellectuals not only neglected to formulate alternatives to these aggressive strategies, but in fact gave the US administration their total support for the 'war against terrorism.' [...]
A little while ago, educated people had been discussing a paper prepared by the Institute for American Values entitled "What We're Fighting For" which was signed by sixty American intellectuals. It centers on a number of issues, among the most important of which is to explain the morality behind America's war on what they call terrorism and to call the Muslims to stand with them, adopt American values, and fight against what they describe as Islamic radicalism. [...]
Mark Terkessidis
Natürlich müssen wir uns auch selbst beschuldigen: Gerade seit dem 11. September reorganisiert sich das Feld der linken Gesellschaftskritik. Mit einer naiven Antikriegsbewegung jedenfalls kann man die Linke nicht gleichsetzen. Eine Erwiderung auf Michael Walzers Essay "Can there be a decent left?". [...]
Michael Walzer
Leftist opposition to the war in Afghanistan faded in November and December of last year, not only because of the success of the war but also because of the enthusiasm with which so many Afghanis greeted that success. The pictures of women showing their smiling faces to the world, of men shaving their beards, of girls in school, of boys playing soccer in shorts: all this was no doubt a slap in the face to leftist theories of American imperialism, but also politically disarming. [...]
[deutsch/taz]
Ein
Brief von US-Bürgern
An
unsere Freunde in Europa
Vorbemerkung Der größte Trugschluss der Apologeten der US-Kriegspolitik
ist die Gleichsetzung der "amerikanischen Werte", so wie sie in unserem
Land verstanden werden, mit der Ausübung von wirtschaftlicher und vor
allem militärischer Macht der USA im Ausland. [...]
[taz]
by David Bensman
The United States is in an unprecedented position; it is not only the world’s only superpower, but it possesses unprecedented military and economic might. More than any nation in the history of the world, the U.S. can impose its will on the rest of humanity. [...]
by James B. Rule
Michael Walzer's "Can There be a Decent Left?" sends a disturbing message, both about his state of his mind, and the course he seems to chart for Dissent. Despite elements of agreement--for example, on the need for a military response against the perpetrators of 9/11--I find the attitudes, assumptions and directions underlying his statement profoundly disappointing. I can't respond at length here. But let me register a few points in brief. [...]
by Ann Snitow
What follows are responses to “Michael Walzer Replies” and Walzer’s “The Argument about Humanitarian Intervention” (both Dissent, Winter 2002), and Michael Walzer’s web piece “Can there be a Decent Left?” Though this list sounds like a Walzer-only situation, the Dissent Board meeting February 23, 2002 revealed a wide range of opinion about the issues Michael raises in these pieces. Here I am joining this broadened discussion of what Dissent should do (and by extension left institutions should do) post September 11th. [...]
By Jo-Ann Mort
Michael’s article is, as one would expect from Michael, beautifully written and argued in a style well-known to Dissent readers-a polemical poetry that shows a love for language and for argument-and most important, an admiration of clarity within a social democratic model that is more of a construct in our heads and on our pages than in the real world-alas, no real existing social democracy for us in this era. [...]
Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, der Massenmord durch das terroristische Attentat am 11. September in Ihrem Land und der Krieg der USA in Afghanistan als Reaktion auf diesen Terror betrifft auch Europa, die islamische Welt und unser aller Zukunft. Es ist uns besonders wichtig, dass weltweit unter Intellektuellen der Zivilgesellschaften über die Ursachen und Folgen dieser Ereignisse ein offener und kritischer Dialog zu ihrer Bedeutung und Bewertung stattfindet. Verstehen Sie bitte unsere Antwort auf Ihr Manifest "gerechter Krieg gegen den Terror" als einen Beitrag in diesem Sinne. [...]
[english]
Chomsky Replies to Hitchens
