Intervention, Reloaded
By Nebojsa Malic
Antiwar.com
February 24, 2012
Empire Studios’ Syrian Sequel
Syria is just like Kosovo, argued one interventionist two weeks ago, on the pages of the War Street Journal. According to Fouad Ajami, both involve a brutal dictator oppressing innocent civilians, and the Empire ought to act the same way, bypassing the U.N., and — to borrow a phrase from the late Richard Holbrooke — bombing for peace.
Sadly, Ajami’s “logic” is shared by much of the interventionist camp. It appears that film and television aren’t the only industries that have run out of ideas, relying instead on remakes and “reboots.” Though at the time it was a near-disaster averted only through last-minute subterfuge, it is easy to see how Bill Clinton’s evil little war might be mistaken for a splendid success following the megaflops that were Iraq and Afghanistan. Furthermore, Obama’s administration being a revival of Clinton’s, it’s no surprise that last year in Libya they green-lit a sequel.
Trouble is, this is 2012, not 1999 — and intervention cinema is being shunned by both the critics and the box office.
Another excellent column.
However, in order to understand Ajami’s “logic,” one needs to take into account his longstanding service to the Israel lobby, as I’ve pointed out in “Ajami wins neocon prize for role in Arab Spring ” and “Israel’s Favourite Arab Proposes ‘A Kosovo Model for Syria.’”
Maidhc Ó Cathail
February 24, 2012 at 11:56 am