On the AmerÂiÂcan home front, the Iraq war has entered its apaÂthetÂic phase. The war conÂtinÂues to grind on, but the misÂsion gets far less news ink than before, and the debate over the war’s merÂits and tacÂtics rarely gets hashed back through. That’s perÂhaps because many have decidÂed to menÂtalÂly park the issue until a new adminÂisÂtraÂtion takes over next year. Or because declinÂing home prices and risÂing food and gas costs have elbowed the Iraq issue aside. UndeÂterred, Phil DonÂahue and Ellen Spiro have co-directÂed a new docÂuÂmenÂtary called Body of War. Being released in US theÂaters this month, the docÂuÂmenÂtary (feaÂturÂing music arranged by Eddie VedÂder) tracks the daiÂly life of Tomas Young, a solÂdier shot and parÂaÂlyzed durÂing his first week of fightÂing in Iraq, and it gives you a rare glimpse into the difÂfiÂcult road that Young and othÂers have had to travÂel. All of this makes tanÂgiÂble someÂthing that the corÂpoÂraÂtized media hasÂn’t covÂered much — the real human costs of this war. To date, 4,361 AmerÂiÂcan solÂdiers have died in Iraq; over 30,000 have been injured in hosÂtile action; and suiÂcides of returnÂing vets have reportÂedÂly risen to alarmÂing rates. Below, we have postÂed the trailÂer for the film. In addiÂtion, I’d point you to this recent podÂcast by Bill MoyÂers (iTunes — Feed — Web Site), which introÂduces you to Tomas Young, Phil DonoÂhue, Ellen Spiro and the film they made.
Thomas Friedman (While Not Dodging Eco-Pies) Argues “Green is the New Red, White & Blue”
SpeakÂing at Brown UniÂverÂsiÂty earÂliÂer this week, Thomas FriedÂman had to deal with some unforÂtuÂnate extra-curÂricÂuÂlar activÂiÂties. As he took the stage, two stuÂdents callÂing themÂselves the “GreenÂwash GuerilÂlas” launched pies (video here) at FriedÂman and largeÂly missed. But they did leave behind some pamÂphlets spelling out their motives. AccordÂing to The Brown DaiÂly HerÂald, the Pulitzer Prize-winÂning jourÂnalÂist for The New York Times deserved this disÂrupÂtion because of “his sickÂenÂingÂly cheery applaud for free marÂket capÂiÂtalÂisÂm’s conÂquest of the planÂet” and “for helpÂing turn enviÂronÂmenÂtalÂism into a fake plasÂtic conÂsumer prodÂuct for the privÂiÂleged.” SomeÂwhere the giants of revÂoÂluÂtionÂary rhetoric are griÂmacÂing and wonÂderÂing what hapÂpened to their once well pracÂticed art.
Now that I’ve got your attenÂtion, I want to point you to a talk that FriedÂman gave last year at StanÂford — Green is the New Red, White and Blue (iTunes). The talk takes you into the heart of FriedÂman’s comÂplex thinkÂing about the enviÂronÂment (and all that the Green GuerilÂlas oddÂly take issue with). And it’s preÂsentÂed with the same intelÂliÂgence that you’ll find on disÂplay in the secÂond most downÂloaded podÂcast on iTunes U: The World is Flat. (This secÂond talk was preÂsentÂed at MIT, and it’s only exceedÂed in popÂuÂlarÂiÂty by Randy Pausch’s soulÂful lecÂture, “RealÂly AchievÂing Your ChildÂhood Dreams,” which we feaÂtured on MonÂday.) FriedÂman’s thinkÂing in the StanÂford podÂcast (give it a lisÂten, you’ll be betÂter for it) lays the founÂdaÂtion for his new book due out in August — Hot, Flat, and CrowdÂed: Why We Need a Green Revolution–and How It Can Renew AmerÂiÂca.
Bush’s War
To mark the fifth anniverÂsary of the Iraq invaÂsion, PBS’s FrontÂline is airÂing “Bush’s War,” which offers “the definÂiÂtive docÂuÂmenÂtary analyÂsis of one of the most chalÂlengÂing periÂods in the nation’s hisÂtoÂry.” DrawÂing on an extenÂsive archive, the proÂgram lays out the “entire narÂraÂtive,” showÂing how “the war began and how it has been fought, both on the ground and deep inside the govÂernÂment.” If you can’t catch it on TV, you can watch it online. Click here and then click “Watch Online.”
The Real Cost of the Iraq War
DurÂing the run up to the Iraq war, the Bush adminÂisÂtraÂtion estiÂmatÂed that the milÂiÂtary misÂsion would run around $50 bilÂlion, even though experts doubtÂed those numÂbers at the time. (In 2002, Yale’s William NordÂhaus guessed that the costs could reach $500 bilÂlion withÂin five years.) Now, here we are in 2008, and new talÂlies sugÂgest that the real costs could rise to someÂwhere between $1 trilÂlion and $3 trilÂlion. This award-winÂning piece — MP3 — iTunes — Feed — delinÂeates the mountÂing costs and introÂduces you to some of thinkÂing in Joseph Stiglitz and LinÂda Bilmes’ new book: The Three TrilÂlion DolÂlar War.
Attack Ad Hall of Fame
Are politÂiÂcal attack ads such a bad thing? John G. Geer, author of In Defense of NegÂaÂtivÂiÂty: Attack Ads in PresÂiÂdenÂtial CamÂpaigns, doesn’t necÂesÂsarÂiÂly think so. He mainÂtains that they often enrich, rather than corÂrode, the politÂiÂcal process. And now his pubÂlishÂer has assemÂbled The Attack Ad Hall of Fame. IncludÂed on the list is the most famous/controversial one — the “Daisy ad” from the 1964 JohnÂson-GoldÂwaÂter camÂpaign. JohnÂson’s ad, which was only aired once, nevÂer menÂtioned GoldÂwaÂter by name, but it raised fears about whether GoldÂwaÂter might bring us to the nuclear brink. For more ads, see the MuseÂum of the MovÂing Image, and watch Geer himÂself get swift-boatÂed on YouTube.
The Future of Tibet: Does It Have One?
In response to ChiÂna’s vigÂorÂous crackÂdown on Tibet (see this phoÂtoÂjourÂnalÂism account), a group of experts were conÂvened to disÂcuss Tibet and its future. The panÂelists includÂed Robert ThurÂman (famed BudÂdhism scholÂar at ColumÂbia UniÂverÂsiÂty), John KenÂneth Knaus (HarÂvard UniÂverÂsiÂty), John Tkacik (Senior Research FelÂlow at The HerÂitage FounÂdaÂtion), and Amit A. Pandya (HenÂry L. StimÂson CenÂter). You can lisÂten in on the disÂcusÂsion here — MP3 — iTunes — Web Site.
On a relatÂed note, ChiÂna shut down YouTube durÂing its Tibetan crackÂdown, offerÂing proof of a simÂple point made in MIT’s TechÂnolÂoÂgy Review: “Web 2.0 tools can seem at times like vehiÂcles for the self-absorbed, but the fear that they inspire in oppresÂsive govÂernÂments is a powÂerÂful demonÂstraÂtion of how useÂful and vital they can be.”
Demystifying the Credit Crisis & the Fed (Serious and Not So Serious)
This bit of audio (MP3 — Feed — Web Site) lucidÂly explains what hapÂpened at Bear Stearns, and why the Fed actÂed as it did. It’s worth a good lisÂten if you’ve been tryÂing to piece togethÂer the logÂic. The audio comes from the News Hour with Jim Lehrer.
[Update: I’d also recÂomÂmend this piece from the New York Times. It does a good job of explainÂing the bigÂger picÂture.]
On a less seriÂous note, we also have a video that explains the credÂit criÂsis with the help of a counÂtry music jinÂgle. More astute viewÂers will note the name of the singer, MerÂle HazÂard, is an alluÂsion to the conÂcept of “moral hazÂard” that’s menÂtioned in the audio above.
Samantha Power & the Obama Controversy
It’s rare that proÂfesÂsors find themÂselves at the cenÂter of a politÂiÂcal firestorm. But that’s where SamanÂtha PowÂer, ProÂfesÂsor of PracÂtice of GlobÂal LeadÂerÂship and PubÂlic PolÂiÂcy at HarÂvard, found herÂself last week when, durÂing an off-the-record conÂverÂsaÂtion with a reporter, she referred to Hillary ClinÂton as a “monÂster” and then had to resign as senior forÂeign polÂiÂcy to advisÂer to Barack ObaÂma.
Until then, PowÂer had been ridÂing a big wave of sucÂcess. Only 37 years old, she won the Pulitzer Prize for her first book, A ProbÂlem from Hell: AmerÂiÂca and the Age of GenoÂcide. She’s also now proÂmotÂing her secÂond book, ChasÂing the Flame: SerÂgio Vieira de MelÂlo and the Fight to Save the World. (Watch a clip from the book tour here). And until this high proÂfile slip-up, she was clearÂly helpÂing shape ObaÂma’s forÂeign polÂiÂcy. You can hear PowÂer’s influÂence in how ObaÂma answered the highÂly pubÂliÂcized quesÂtion last sumÂmer — would you, as presÂiÂdent, negoÂtiÂate directÂly with Iran’s AhmadineÂjad? (He said yes.) PowÂer’s thinkÂing on interÂnaÂtionÂal diploÂmaÂcy gets articÂuÂlatÂed fairÂly well in this lengthy interÂview. Below, we’ve also postÂed a clip (from FORA.tv) of PowÂer speakÂing about ObaÂma and the quesÂtion of negoÂtiÂatÂing with eneÂmies. (Get the full talk here.)
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