Tariq Ali on Rabble, Congats
Congratulation to Derrick and Rabble for interviewing one of the best minds on the Middle East and empire. It concludes:
DO: Obama-mania is a political phenomenon every political operative in the world is trying to tap into. Here in Canada, some have even touted Michael Ignatieff as Canada's Obama, or as the 'new Trudeau.' What were your impressions of Ignatieff during his twenty-plus year stint in the UK?
TA: Trudeau was an independent-minded leader, not a stooge of the neighbouring country. The Count (as we called Ignatieff) supported the war in Iraq, defended torture and aligned himself in a dog-like coital lock with the Bush-Cheney gang. If Canadians elect him as Prime Minister they might as well join the United States after demanding exceptional status on health, education and the CBC. Why not? It will be that in everything but name.
From this you'll have gathered that my impressions of his stint here were not totally positive.
lus year stint in the UK?
TA: Trudeau was an independent-minded leader, not a stooge of the neighbouring country. The Count (as we called Ignatieff) supported the war in Iraq, defended torture and aligned himself in a dog-like coital lock with the Bush-Cheney gang. If Canadians elect him as Prime Minister they might as well join the United States after demanding exceptional status on health, education and the CBC. Why not? It will be that in everything but name.
From this you'll have gathered that my impressions of his stint here were not totally positive.
Tariq Ali is a novelist, historian, political campaigner and one of New Left Review’s editors. After two North American book tours related to his book on Pakistan, he is working on a set of essays on politics and culture, The Protocols of the Elders of Sodom and Other Essays, for Verso's Spring 2009 list.
http://www.rabble.ca/news/interview-tariq
It's in the style of the various Seven Questions interviews that Derrick and the other staff at Seven Oaks used to conduct. As such, I'd say it's an appropriate length: seven questions, and seven answers.
The questions, and the answers, are very good, btw. Tariq Ali always has great things to say, and Derrick is a top notch interviewer.
I like Tariq Ali, but it seems he wasn't aware that before all those cruise missiles could be dropped over Iraq and Afghanistan, Trudeau first had to approve their testing over Canada.
It's a minor quibble, I know, but those missiles weren't carrying warheads
I suppose you have a point. The US military could just huck all those warheads at Iraq and Afghanistan from their warships by hand.
i was being sardonically facetious ie thanks to PET, Canada got to witness the harmless backend of the things.