American politics
Lawrence Wright interview
Nine questions for Lawrence Wright
Sep 7th 2010, 17:07 by R.M. | WASHINGTON, DC
PROSPERO, our books, arts and culture blog, has an interesting interview with Lawrence Wright, the New Yorker journalist who has turned his reporting on al-Qaeda into a book, a play and a film, which premieres tonight on HBO. Much of the discussion focuses on the interesting transference of Mr Wright's reporting to the stage: "It feels like the way journalism must've started. You know, people sitting around a campfire and someone went over the hill to see what’s on the other side and then came back and made a report." But Mr Wright also talks about the strained relationship between the West and the Muslim world, and America and the Middle East in particular.
Our support for Israel and our dependency on oil has placed us in a part of the world that we understand very poorly. Our engagement there has been until now a little unconscious. The task that we have in front of us is straightening out just exactly what our interests are there.
That's really an amazing statement, coming as it does nine years after 9/11, which instead of focusing minds, perhaps simply narrowed them. Read the whole interview, which is full of other thought-provoking insights.
In this blog, our correspondents share their thoughts and opinions on America's kinetic brand of politics and the policy it produces. The blog is named after the study of American politics and society written by Alexis de Tocqueville, a French political scientist, in the 1830s
Advertisement
- Analects | China
- Americas view | The Americas
- Babbage | Science and technology
- Bagehot's notebook | British politics
- Banyan | Asia
- Baobab | Africa
- Blighty | Britain
- Buttonwood's notebook | Financial markets
- Charlemagne's notebook | European politics
- Clausewitz | Defence, security and diplomacy
- Democracy in America | American politics
- Eastern approaches | Ex-communist Europe
- Elysée | France’s presidential election
- Free exchange | Economics
- Game theory | Sports
- Graphic detail | Charts, maps and infographics
- Gulliver | Business travel
- Johnson | Language
- Leviathan | Public policy
- Lexington's notebook | American politics
- Newsbook | News analysis
- Prospero | Books, arts and culture
- Schumpeter | Business and management
Most commented
- The euro crisis: The Greek run
- Brazil’s economy: A bull diminished
- Gay marriage: North Carolina begs the question too
- Russia and NATO: Rethink the reset
- Foreigners in China: Barbarians at the gate, again
- Nationalism online: Backfired
- Greek politics: Slouching towards the drachma
- Greece and the euro: Exodus, chapter 1
- The euro in crisis: Groping towards Grexit
- Renouncing citizenship: Did Eduardo Saverin do anything wrong?
Over the past five days
Most recommended
- The euro crisis: The Greek run
- Renouncing citizenship: Did Eduardo Saverin do anything wrong?
- Greek politics: Slouching towards the drachma
- Brazil’s economy: A bull diminished
- The euro crisis: Going, going, gone?
- The euro in crisis: Groping towards Grexit
- Rival versions of capitalism: The endangered public company
- Jacob Zuma: Portrait of a president
- Daily chart: The German motor
- Bo Xilai v Chen Guangcheng: Who is the mightier?
Over the past seven days
Advertisement
Readers' comments
The Economist welcomes your views. Please stay on topic and be respectful of other readers. Review our comments policy.
Sort:
Thanks Martin.
I had gotten confused. :)
It's a bit sad to read that common sense has been promoted to "thought-provoking insights". That's probably because public discourse about the ME in the US is propaganda pure and simple, made to prevent people thinking the issues through.
Don't be cynical, Brookse. Our main interest in the Middle East is to oppose authoritarian regimes that foster Islamic extremism and repress freedom.
That's why we've been coming down hard on Saudi Arabia, country of origin of the vast majority of the 9/11 hijackers, as well as Osama bin Laden.
You hear that, Saudi Arabia? We're never going to stop pressuring you to set your people free-oh, what's that you say? You're working on another massive oil field?
That's...that's great but still, that doesn't change the fact that you repress-oh, you're letting women drive now?
Well, that doesn't change the fact that a lot of funding for Al-Qaeda can be traced to Saudi-REALLY, you're interested in buying U.S. military hardware, spending over 5% of your oil-charged GDP on defense?
Well...so long as you promise to let women go out on their own without a male chaperone...eventually...yes, sure. We'll drop off the F-16s when the oil arrives...
I'm sorry, what was I talking about, Brookse? Oh, yes, our unshakable, paramount priority of freedom promotion in the Middle East by any means necessary.
"The task that we have in front of us is straightening out just exactly what our interests are there."
Call me crazy, but I'm thinkin' it's oil.
"instead of focusing minds, perhaps simply narrowed them." That's right.