way it is tonight

Some long, grim reads that recently popped up in the twitter feed:

A roundtable on Tibetan self-immolation, which, after a hiatus, has now reached Lhasa from Tibetan parts of China.

Children of jihad, agency and the state of counter terrorism.

In re Syria: How mass atrocities end: an evidence based counter-narrative.

The information in this article has been available for a while in a piecemeal sort of way. Here it is presented as part of Obama’s election package: the wise, careful, judicious man who signs the death-from-the-sky warrants. The thing is, it’s all in the open now: the old idea of plausible deniability at least acknowledged implicitly that there was a moral issue involved. Now it’s a choice between the Democratic Lucky Luciano, who signs off the deaths thoughtfully, and some presumed Republican Al Capone, who just whacks guys on impulse. And who may actually win in November.

Comments

[johnf]

There's a discussion in a Juan Cole thread on Syria:

http://www.juancole.com/2012/05/syria-famine-and-civil-war.html#comments

in which one correspondent, Philosophical Ron, argues that we are past the world of Westphalian nations and general feelings and rushings of morality and emotion to the head will in future make sure that The World suppresses all outbreaks of serious violence. (I can imagine related lines of argument being deployed in the Third Reich as it started its assault on Europe).

And a poster quoting oldstyle Westphalian Alistair Crooke attacking the emotive and hearsay "Advocacy" reporting on Syria and its disinterest in establishing definite facts on the ground:

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/NC09Ak03.html

I will now retire to a safe distance and hide my head beneath the ground.