http://harpers.org/rss/index.xml Harper's Magazine: Founded June 1850. en-us Copyright Harper's Magazine Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:03:09 -0400 http://www.harpers.org/media/image/Harpers_305x100.gif http://harpers.org http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006047 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006047 Sun, 08 Nov 2009 07:06:36 -0400 O lieb, so lang du lieben kannst! O lieb, so lang du lieben magst! Die Stunde kommt, die Stunde kommt, Wo du an Gräbern stehst und klagst! . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90005853 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90005853 Sat, 07 Nov 2009 08:45:03 -0400 Die Revolution muß aufhören, und die Republik muß anfangen.—In unsern Staatsgrundsätzen muß das Recht an die Stelle der Pflicht, das Wohlbefinden an die der Tugend und die Notwehr an die der Strafe treten. Jeder muß sich geltend machen und seine Natur durchsetzen können. Er mag nun vernünftig oder unvernünftig, gebildet oder ungebildet, gut oder böse sein, das geht den Staat nichts an. Wir alle sind Narren, es hat keiner das Recht, einem andern seine eigentümliche Narrheit aufzudrängen.—Jeder muß in seiner Art genießen können, jedoch so, daß keiner auf Unkosten eines andern genießen oder ihn in seinem eigentümlichen Genuß stören darf. . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006045 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006045 Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:30:36 -0400 . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006037 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006037 Ken Silverstein Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:52:14 -0400 From the Boston Globe: . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006040 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006040 Scott Horton Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:40:06 -0400 I discuss the CIA’s use of drones, the legal and policy issues, and the points of friction between the CIA and the Defense Department in an interview today at GQ. . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006044 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006044 Mr. Fish Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:28:52 -0400 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006039 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006039 Scott Horton Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:38:48 -0400 I discuss an Italian court’s recent conviction of 23 American officials on kidnapping and assault charges stemming from a 2003 extraordinary rendition operation with DemocracyNow’s Amy Goodman and the Italian prosecutor, Armando Spataro, below: . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006036 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006036 Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:10:35 -0400 . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006035 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006035 Ken Silverstein Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:59:32 -0400 From The Smoking Gun: . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006034 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006034 Ken Silverstein Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:52:10 -0400 From Marc Lynch: . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006031 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006031 Scott Horton Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:04:00 -0400 An Italian court hearing criminal charges against 26 American officials and a smaller group of Italians arising out of a CIA extraordinary rendition has ruled today. The case relates to the CIA’s snatching of a Muslim cleric known as Abu Omar off the streets of Milan in 2003. He was whisked off to Egypt, where he was tortured before being released. Italian prosecutors noted that the American action botched a prosecution they had prepared against Abu Omar for participation in a terrorist conspiracy. Here’s a summary of the court’s decision from Reuters: . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006032 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006032 Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:52:49 -0400 . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006030 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006030 Scott Horton Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:29:53 -0400 From the apex of the national security apparatus, he arranged for the torture of alleged terrorists and their sympathizers, and for the “disappearance” of hundreds and perhaps thousands of others. He then assumed office as president and began a rearguard struggle to defend state actors from liability for these acts. His lawyers spun doctrines of immunity, and believed that legal protections like statutes of limitations and wide grants of amnesty would block any efforts at accountability. For good measure, they sorted carefully through state records, destroying documents that might inculpate senior government figures. . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006029 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006029 Scott Horton Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:53:29 -0400 Today, political bloviators of all shapes and sizes will rush to explain the dramatic, nation-rattling and long-term consequences of elections in which a tiny fraction of the voters turned out, mostly driven by local issues. But the elections team at the Daily Show beats them to it, giving the definitive interpretation (before the votes were tallied, of course): . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006027 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006027 Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:46:56 -0400 . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/WeeklyReview2009-11-03 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/WeeklyReview2009-11-03 Claire Gutierrez Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0400 Abdullah Abdullah, presidential challenger to Hamid Karzai, announced that he was quitting the runoff election. In a choked-up voice he cited concerns about increased violence in Afghanistan and outrage at the fraudulent election process. The election was cancelled and Karzai was declared president. More U.S. troops died in Afghanistan in October than in any month since that war began eight years ago. A suicide bombing by Taliban militants killed six U.N. staff, and Major General Mike Flynn, director of intelligence for General Stanley McChrystal's headquarters in Kabul, warned that the number of insurgents in Afghanistan (many of whom were from other countries) was now between 19,000 and 27,000, a ten-fold increase since 2004. “I wouldn't say it's out of control right now,” Flynn explained, “but this is a California wildfire and we're having to bring in firemen from New York.” New York Times Washington Post Associated Press Airforce Times President Barack Obama caved to pressure from Congress and military contractors and passed a $680,000,000,000 defense bill. Obama also hosted a Halloween event at the White House, where he distributed M&Ms and dried fruit but did not wear a costume. First Lady Michelle Obama appeared as Cat Woman, dressed in a leopard-print top, fuzzy ears, and black eye shadow. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice dressed up as Goofy. Washington Post Breitbart . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006024 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006024 Scott Horton Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:57:55 -0400 “When the history of this distinguished court is written, today’s majority decision will be viewed with dismay,” writes Guido Calabresi, the former Yale Law dean and a man widely viewed as the most illustrious living member of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. He is lodging his dissent in a 7-4 decision of the en banc court concluding that a Canadian software engineer named Maher Arar has no right to sue government officials. What has Calabresi so worked up? . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006025 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006025 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:57:27 -0400 . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006019 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006019 Scott Horton Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:09:11 -0400 What sort of privacy do you expect when you send an email? As Americans increasingly rely on the Internet for communication, Justice Department lawyers increasingly argue that Americans have no right to privacy there—notwithstanding repeated congressional efforts to bolster these rights. A recent case out of Oregon shows how the privacy expectation associated with emails and other Internet communications is being frittered away. . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006023 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006023 Ken Silverstein Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:07:17 -0400 From Gideon Levy at Haaretz: . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006017 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006017 Scott Horton Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:50:23 -0400 In the prosecution that led to the conviction of former Vice President Cheney’s chief of staff, Scooter Libby, Patrick Fitzgerald famously spoke of a “cloud over the vice president.” His remarks suggested that, while no charges had been pressed against Cheney, the vice president was considered an unindicted co-conspirator in a scheme to out covert CIA agent Valerie Plame. When, after a long struggle to protect Cheney from “embarrassment,” the Justice Department complied with a court order to disclose the FBI agents’ notes of the interview that Fitzgerald conducted with Cheney in 2004, the reason for these comments became clear. The cloud over Dick Cheney seems to be more of a fog bank engulfing him, however, and the fog is of Cheney’s making. . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006018 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006018 Scott Horton Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:20:10 -0400 In the 2008 presidential campaign, both Barack Obama and Joe Biden criticized the Bush Administration’s historically unprecedented invocation of state security concerns to block lawsuits challenging the legality of its surveillance. They promised new procedures that would “tighten up” the “problem” of overreaching claims of secrecy. In time, the Justice Department instituted a new review policy, setting internal standards, requiring a high-level internal review, and promising to present a packet for in camera review by the judge involved who would make the final call. That sounded good, and the suggestion that the government would abide by a judge’s review was more accommodating than the posture Bush-era attorneys general assumed—insisting that judges shouldn’t be in this business at all, since only officers of the executive branch had a good feel for such matters. . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006016 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006016 Ken Silverstein Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:21:45 -0400 The biography of a celebrity asshole, in three short chapters. Excerpts below all come from news stories published in October of 2009. . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006021 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006021 Ken Silverstein Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:09:55 -0400 From Greg Gordon at McClatchy : . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006020 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006020 Ken Silverstein Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:05:30 -0400 Here’s a bizarre story to read before going back to work today. From the Washington Post: . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90005837 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90005837 Sun, 01 Nov 2009 07:29:05 -0400 Ved, que sobre una cumbre De aquel anfitëatro cavernoso. Del sol de ocaso á la encendida lumbre Descubre alzado un pálido Coloso, Que eran los Pirinéos Basa humilde á sus miembros gigantëos. . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/10/hbc-90006008 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/10/hbc-90006008 Sat, 31 Oct 2009 07:11:58 -0400 ἀλλ’, ἦν δ’ ἐγώ, ποτὲ ἀκούσας τι πιστεύω τούτῳ: ὡς ἄρα Λεόντιος ὁ Ἀγλα ωνος ἀνιὼν ἐκ Πειραιῶς ὑπὸ τὸ βόρειον τεῖχος ἐκτός, αἰσθόμενος νεκροὺς παρὰ τῷ δημίῳ κειμένους, ἅμα μὲν ἰδεῖν ἐπιθυμοῖ, ἅμα δὲ αὖ δυσχεραίνοι καὶ ἀποτρέποι ἑαυτόν, καὶ τέως μὲν μάχοιτό τε καὶ παρακαλύπτοιτο, κρατούμενος δ’ οὖν ὑπὸ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας, διελκύσας τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς, προσδραμὼν πρὸς τοὺς νεκρούς, “ἰδοὺ ὑμῖν,” ἔφη, “ὦ κακοδαίμονες, ἐμπλήσθητε τοῦ καλοῦ θεάματος.” . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/10/hbc-90006014 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/10/hbc-90006014 Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:47:08 -0400 . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/10/hbc-90006007 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/10/hbc-90006007 Mr. Fish Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:35:14 -0400 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/10/hbc-90006011 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/10/hbc-90006011 Scott Horton Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:36:54 -0400 When a critical assessment of the Bush-era “War on Terror” is undertaken, a vital chapter will focus on U.S. relations with Pakistan. President Bush labeled the nation “a major non-NATO ally” in order to qualify it for military programs. He then lavished Pervez Musharraf’s dictatorship with billions in aid designed to beef up its ability to engage the Taliban and Al Qaeda, only to see most of this money diverted into secret military programs designed to address Pakistani security qualms about India. Future historians may well conclude that the Bush team were played for patsies by Pakistan’s military, with Interservice Intelligence (ISI) in the lead. There is increasingly solid evidence that the ISI consciously thwarted the United States–facilitating the escape of key Al Qaeda and Taliban leadership figures from Afghanistan and sheltering them in Pakistan’s rugged Northwest Frontier Province. In their place, Pakistani authorities streamed hundreds of perfectly innocent people into American hands, filling the special detention center that Bush built at Guantánamo with chaff rather than the leadership figures the Americans were seeking. . . .