Robert Fisk on the Middle East, a quick update...

*awaits Mark S's response patiently*

Tony Judt v.unfavourably compared israel and sharon in re palestine to france and de gaulle in re algeria in the nyrb a few days ago — i don't know if before or after sharon's statement. (De Gaulle = a pragmatist thinking about actual consequences rather than specious moral restitution and "principles"... )

i suspect fisk's everlasting gloom acts more as a depressant than he can intend — the Cassandra Effect being something like, "if you're right then what can we possibly do to avert the worst, so let's choose to believe you're wrong, in which case we can ignore you for the longest possible time" — but i think he's a terrific reporter. The main problem with Brits criticising the running of American Empire is that the BritEmp fucked things up so utterly and totally a hundred years ago that 9/10ths of today's troublespots are serious unfinished BritEmp business.

There's three strong pieces on Empire — from very sharply distinct perspectives — in the most recent LRB, also. Unfortunately none of them are currently on-line.

It sounds like he's on Prozac.