[lit-ideas] Re: Of demons and men
- From: JimKandJulieB@xxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2006 04:56:47 EST
I went through a serious several-year jag of reading Israel/Palestine issue
books. I read books written by Jews, by Westerners who lived in the midst of
the conflict for a time, by Palestinian sympathizers, by political gurus and
secular journalists, all the Arab/Muslim texts Eric mentioned (well, most of
them). I can't count the number I read. Many out loud w/ my husband. The
one sure thing I came away with was the certainty that in terms of cultural
and political clashes there simply is no objective right and wrong, there
simply are no white hats and black hats. There are agendas I support and
actions
I find damnable. But it's all a mixed bag of motives and rights and beliefs
and and and ......
I stopped reading on the subject for a while. It was too demoralizing.
Julie Krueger
========Original Message======== Subj: [lit-ideas] Of demons and men
Date: 2/20/06 1:30:37 AM Central Standard Time From:
_lawrencehelm@xxxxxxxxxxxxx (mailto:lawrencehelm@xxxxxxxxxxxx) To:
_lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
(mailto:lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx) Sent on:
Iâm currently reading Robin Wrightâs The Last Great Revolution, Turmoil and
Transformation in Iran. I previously read her In The Name of God, The
Khomeini Decade, so I have a very good feel for what Wright thinks of
Khomeini. In
both of her books she describes Khomeini entering the Iranian Revolution with
traditional Shiite beliefs, esp that Religious leaders should not be in
governmental leadership positions. He made several announcements to that
effect.
His intention was to stay out of government unless there was some problem
he needed to referee. But as time went on he was drawn more and more into
government until when the Iranian constitution was eventually written, he
became
the Velayat-e Faqih, the Supreme Leader.
Iâm also reading Kenneth Timmermanâs Countdown to Crisis, the Coming
Nuclear Showdown with Iran. Timmerman addresses the same facts Wright does,
but
draws very different conclusion â think Andreasâ views on Bush. In
Timmermanâ
s view Khomeini wasnât drawn into anything, He was orchestrating a clever
plot. He intended to be the Veleyat-e Faqih from the beginning. He played
reluctant and hard to get to get the people behind him â to get them to
demand
that he become the Supreme Leader.
Iâm uncomfortable with Timmermanâs approach to Khomeini. I donât trust
conspiracy theories. I fully accept the idea that we are each capable of all
sorts of things we donât think we are capable of as long as we arenât
tempted
by them. I accept that if we are subjected to strong temptation we shall,
most of us, succumb. So I can accept that Khomeini may have been tempted to
compromise his Shiite beliefs when he had the opportunity to become (of felt
the necessity to become) Veleyat-e Faqih. But I find it hard to believe in
the
cynical conniving Khomeini that cleverly planned everything in advance. If
he was that cynical, clever, and conniving, then why did he make so many
other mistakes? For example, he got rid of the Shahâs American weapons, and
nuclear development sites. A Shiite trusts in Allah, not in American
technology
and weapons, Khomeini said. But when the war with Iraq started, his people
begged him to change his mind and let them get some decent weapons to fight
Saddam with; which he reluctantly agreed to, and then they had to go to a
source, the USSR, they hadnât used before which necessitated inordinate
delays
and learning curves.
Timmerman has demonized Khomeini while Wright has described a human being
who happened to be the religious leader who became the Supreme Leader of Iran.
I shall be happy to read anything else I can find by Robin Wright. I shall
be very reluctant to read another book by Timmerman.
Lawrence
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