Matt Yglesias

Talking Trash

John Judis is a mensch:

I want to take issue with Martin Peretz’s description of my former colleague Spencer Ackerman’s articles as “trash.” Maybe I am sensitive because Spencer co-authored several with me, including a piece of the Bush administration’s deception about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction (“The First Casualty”), which Marty praised at the time. Spencer also co-authored a terrific profile of Dick Cheney with current editor Frank Foer (“What Dick Cheney Really Believes,” November 20, 2003). But Spencer wrote much on his own, including regular commentary on the Iraq war for The New Republic’s website, during which he changed, like others at the magazine, from a supporter to opponent of the decision to go to war. I particularly remember an outstanding cover story Spencer wrote on American Muslims. I would like to link to it, but the links to our archives are broken. It was, called “Religious Protection: Why American Muslims haven’t turned to Terrorism,” and appeared Dec. 12, 2005.

Any editor worth his salt would consider having helped Spencer launch his career a proud accomplishment.

Peretz: Arabs are Incapable of Civilization

It’s strange the kind of sentiments you see considered acceptable among liberal magazine editors-in-chief like TNR’s Martin Peretz:

Whether the Gaza Palestinians can ever have a truly civil society is another question, the answer to which — given the Arab societies that surround them — is probably ‘no.’

Okay then. In some ways, it’s good to see these sentiments laid out plainly. Disputes between a dominant and subordinate ethnic or religious group are hardly rare in the world. Kurds want independence from Iraq and from Turkey, but Turks and Arabs don’t want to give it to them. But the way these things normally go is that Turkey says Turkish-born Kurds are Turks. They’re citizens of Turkey and carry Turkish passports. This is unsatisfying to Turkey’s Kurdish population, who’s been mistreated in a variety of ways and has various grievances. But you can at least process what the Turkish view of the matter is. With the Palestinians it’s different. They’re not Israeli citizens with Israeli passports, but they’re not citizens of Palestine with Palestinian passports. They’re just a subordinate people. It’s a highly unorthodox situation.

And it’s one I imagine would be a good deal easier to maintain belief in the justice of if you’re able to back it up with some dehumanizing concepts about the inherent limits of Palestinians to go alongside your security rationales.