How They See Us

How They See Us

Writers from Around the Globe Reflect on America

Edited by James Atlas

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Table of Contents

James Atlas *ntroduction

Chris Abani !i%eria The American Em$ire< A :ibretto in Ei%ht Ao1ements

Ricardo AlarcBn de Cuesada DTranslated by 0ristina CorderoE

Cuba The Aessa%e

8ernando ;FeG DTranslated by 0ristina CorderoE HeneGuela The United States and :atin America< *ne1itable !ostal%ia

Aourid ;ar%houti +alestine Gi1in% the Harness ;ells a Sha#e

Abdel#ader ;enali AoroccoIThe !etherlands

7ear America

Carmen ;oullosa Ae/ico Aarilyn AonroeJs +anties

7a Chen China A 7ouble :ife

*mraan Coo1adia South Africa A Good Aon#ey

GyKr%y 7ra%omFn Hun%ary The Truth about America

Terry Ea%leton United 0in%dom 8iddlers and 8ailures

Hictor Erofeye1

Russia Wild-;looded En1oys of the 8uture

Alberto 8u%uet Chile A Stran%er amon% Amon% Them

Larah Ghahramani *ran 7reams of a Re1olution ;aby

UGma Aslam 0han

+a#istan 8la%%in% Aulticulturalism< How American *nsularity Aorally Justifies *tself

AndrMi Aa#ine DTranslated by Geoffrey StrachanE 8rance A :esson for America

:eilah !adir Canada How * See America as an *ra3i-Canadian

Gianni Riotta *taly Returnin% from E/ile

Tom Se%e1 *srael The :and of the :on% Submarine Sandwich

Sunny Sin%h *ndia *n +raise of the 7elin3uent Hero2 or How Hollywood Creates Terrorists

Werner Sonne Germany *t Can Nnly Get ;etter

:uOs 8ernando HerOssimo:uis Herissimo DTranslated by Janet Ain :eeE ;raGil The Rift

About the Contributors

!i%eria The American Em$ire< A :ibretto in Ei%ht Ao1ements Chris Abani 4 The consensus amon%st non-Americans seems to be that we all #now how to be better Americans than the Americans There is of course a dis%uised en1y to this assertion *t im$lies that we are more com$assionate2 moral2 inclusi1e2 and refle/i1ereflecti1e The en1y * refer to is sim$ly that of wantin% the %ains of America2 but none of the cul$ability for wieldin% the $ri1ile%e these %ains brin% There is a uni1ersal $ossessi1eness to the term PAmericanQ and the im$licit lifestyle it carries This $ossessi1eness imbues the conce$ts of America and American with a certain 1iscosity Why viscosity2 and not fluidityR 8luidity im$lies ease2 whereas 1iscosity allows for friction and attrition as well as accumulation2 which allow for the contradictions in the terms to e/ist in the first $lace The terms America and American ha1e come to su%%est both a $lace and an identity This means that the thin#in% that mar#s one as American or a $lace as America2 throu%h %lobal ca$italism and the s$read of America-dri1en consumerism2 has become a1ailable and wides$read from rural Ar#ansas to 0enya and Romania and Russia The ability to thin# of oneself as a conce$tual American is an interestin% $henomenon2 and it leads outsiders to feel $articularly in1ested in the in1esti%ation of the term2 $artly because of their connection to it2 and $artly because their own ability to conce$tualiGe themsel1es is now connected to the identity of America and Americans This creates a stran%e sense of $ersonal betrayal on the $art of these non-nati1e Americans when America undermines their idoliGation of it2 because it directly s$ea#s

directly to their own identity How can one belie1e uncritically in a reli%ion that betrays its adherentsR ;y their em$ire of mytholo%y2 a mytholo%y $ro$a%ated worldwide throu%h $o$ular culture2 Americans ha1e made this $ossible We non-certified Americans can now le%itimately 3uestion not only what it means to be an American2 but also what and where is PAmerica Q N1er coffee in a Starbuc#s-clone cafM in SaraSe1o2 A raises a new 3uestion< where is !NT AmericaR

' +erha$s because we s$ea# En%lish Din !i%eria and AmericaE2 our con1ersations about $lace and desire for $lace2 between each other and amon%st oursel1es2 are always mediated throu%h Euro$e * say this because the use of En%lish in1o#es the s$ecter of the En%lish Em$ire2 a s$ecter whose shadow falls not only o1er Euro$e but also its former colonies2 of America and !i%eria *t is easier2 * thin#2 for America to lar%ely i%nore this s$ecter2 but in !i%eria2 the balance of $ower is a%ainst us *n !i%eria2 we try to ne%otiate this difficulty by searchin% for an identity of defiance2 of reSection of Euro$e and its coloniGin% erasure of us *t remains confusin% to me why in reSectin% Euro$e in %eneral and En%land in $articular2 we in !i%eria too# so readily to the American dream and its offer of a land of newness and o$$ortunity for all *n America2 on the other hand2 the flirtation is with the reSection of Euro$e as intellectual and $erha$s e1en moral ancestor while simultaneously courtin% its acce$tance Sadly2 as in all Nedi$al moments2 there is no acce$tance from the $arent Euro$e resoundin%ly snubs America There are many com$licated reasons for this2 * am sure2 but * thin# that at the core it is the fact that the Euro$eans who didnJt %et to %o to the !ew World

will always resent those who did Aainly because in much of Euro$e D%eneraliGations are inade3uate but functional hereE2 sufferin% has been ele1ated to the status of a reli%ion2 a fer1ent worshi$ of incon1enience2 a total reSection of any #ind of ease2 while across the Atlantic2 the re1erse a$$lies< Americans ha1e become de1otees of e/cess * #now this because my En%lish mother raised me with an e/treme sense of fru%ality and the $erce$tion that Americans are o1erindul%ed teena%ers2 while we Euro$eans2 if you can call a bi-racial !i%erian PEuro$ean2Q2 e/ercised control *n more recent times2 this sense of an out-of-control adolescent has been behind the 1arious criti3ues of America as an im$erialist nation ram$ant with $ower While * do belie1e that American im$erialism is destructi1e and its sense of entitlement unbridled2 * ha1e %rown tired of this Euro$ean s$ort of "an#ee bashin% because * thin# it is easy and that the Euro$eans ha1e no moral authority to do so !ot so lon% a%o2 they owned much of the rest of the world and treated e1eryone as their con3uest the way Americans now do2 with the e/ce$tion that they ne1er brou%ht us Starbuc#s and Ac7onalds . Tand as someone said to me on a recent tri$ to 7oha in Catar2 Pthe %reat Satan may be forced out of the Aiddle East2 but we are #ee$in% the fast food Q

? The a1era%e !i%erian has an ambi1alent relationshi$ to the United States The terrible truth is that we ha1e come to realiGe that America is essential2 indis$ensibleindis$ensable2 and necessary in the careful balance of $ower in the world AmericaJs $ower and necessity areis not the $roblem What is often at the root of its e/cess and abuses is that America realiGes Sust how essential and $owerful it is2 and li#e a teena%e tyrannical $rom 3ueen2 has become ram$ant%one out of control in the e/ercise of said $ower

A +ew Center $oll showed that fifty $ercent of $eo$le around the world resent American $ower< that is a lot of $eo$le 8ifty $ercent of !i%eria alone is somewhere between >5 to 4(( million $eo$le * canJt distance myself from this resentment2 but the term PAmerican Powerpower2Q has been e/tended to mean PAmerica and Americans2Q such that the $oll has been inter$reted as sayin% that fifty $ercent of the world resents America and Americans This calumny re1eals Dand2 ironically2 demonstratesE more about the $roblem of bein% AmericanU Tthe lac# of nuance in a$$roachin% issuesTthan it does about actual $ublic o$inion While the American %o1ernmentJs use of $ower mi%ht be resented2 the rest of the world doesnJt necessarily resent American $eo$le2 or e1en the American way of life2 re%ardless of other %o1ernmentsJ $ro$a%anda Dand it is $ro$a%andaE * #now for a fact that this is not true of !i%eria or !i%eriansT and by e/tension it would be safe to %uess that include the rest ofmany others the world Tis are more com$le/ in its their understandin% of America than Americans are At the heart of this ambi1alence are the %ood thin%s about America that a$$eal to $eo$le across the %lobe .Tchoice2 leisure2 affluence2 and freedom . Tall of which areis couched within an attracti1e informality We see This this informality we see e/$ressed in lan%ua%e The ability of the American lan%ua%e to absorb words and e/$ressions from immi%rant cultures and ma#e it them its own is an e/am$le This ada$tability is made more im$ortant when you realiGe that there has been a stron% Tur#ish $resence in Germany for nearly forty years now2 and yet no Tur#ish words ha1e made it into German The informality with re%ard to dress and ritual is also often admired "ou will ne1er find a !i%erian CEN who comes to meetin%s in Seans2 or a !i%erian $resident who thin#s bein% ribbed on PSaturday Night LiveQ is funny This informality is a thin 1eneer thou%h2 and not a true mar#er of an e%alitarian society The informality of the lan%ua%e disa$$ears 1ery 3uic#ly when there is a need to defend or 1ilify

or rationaliGe *t eerily becomes switches to bureaucratic Sar%on . Tcollateral damage2 terrorist2 etc While the rest of the world holds com$le/2 often contradictory2 multi-faceted2 and ambi%uous ideas about America2 Americans seem unable to turn this com$le/ refle/i1ity onto themsel1esinca$able of the ty$e of nuanced self-reflectionTthey tend to o1ersim$lify There is a definiti1e distinction between the American state in these 1iews and Americans and their $o$ular culture Dwhich has become the $o$ular culture of the worldE The United States has become li#e *srael2 where any #ind of criti3ue of the a$$aratus of state becomes couched in racist or fundamentalist terms Dhate from outsiders2 treason from insidersE ;ut no one feels that way about when criti3uin%2 say2 China or e1en Africa !obody would ar%ue2 least of all Africans themsel1es2 that criticiGin% Au%abe ma#es a white $erson racist The terms of en%a%ement are different This su%%ests a $rimacy in thin#in% that ma#es American li1es or thin#in% su$erior to the rest of the world Nne only has to loo# at the recent ads aimed at the Arab world2 which shows ima%es of ha$$y Auslims in America2 %eared no doubt to con1ince the PterroristsQ that America is hardly the %reat Satan if their #in thri1e there This shows a fundamental assum$tion that the rest of the world is stu$id That the tinsel of Hollywood would fool us when the American forei%n $olicy remains unchan%ed

@ Aany Americans will ar%ue that they donJt ha1e an em$ire *t is true that because the American em$ire is mostly an em$ire of mytholo%y2 unli#e the old em$ires of Rome and ;ritain2 i *t can be hard to $in down2 or hold onto2 but it e/ists America e/$orts this mytholo%y of a bene1olent ca$italism tin%ed with freedom 1ia consumerism and only e1er

e/ercises its occu$ationist tendencies when it encounters a society that reSects the mytholo%y of freedom This new form of em$ire is $ernicious and hard to $in down2 and also $ro1ides the $erfect smo#escreen from $re1entin% self-refle/i1ity on the $art of Americans *s there an American who does not at least occasionally belie1e in a mythical2 bene1olent 1ision of the countryR This America2 while currently lost2 is belie1ed to ha1e e/isted in some recent $ast This #ind of nostal%ia is cute but means nothin% to a !i%erian who #nows the C*A has had a hand in e1ery military cou$ in the country from 4=6( on2 not to mention that Americans e/terminated !ati1e Americans2 ensla1ed Africans2 and $ut the Ja$anese in cam$s !ewt Gin%rich says America is a different #ind of em$ire He maintains that they ha1e no interest in con3uerin% territories2 but only in %ettin% $eo$le to belie1e in their own freedom What this of course ne%lects to ac#nowled%e is that Americans do occu$y territories that wonJt allow AmericaJs definition of freedom That the freedom Americans want $eo$le to acce$t is the freedom of em$ire !oam Choms#y has ar%ued that America was founded as an em$ire of liberty whose brief was and has been to s$read this liberty o1er the western hemis$here and beyond There may be somethin% to that assertion Sometimes we ha1e to %o bac# to %o forward Aost Americans thin# of the nation as a sanctuary for those who fled o$$ression elsewhere2 and while that is true for many new %rou$s2 it didnJt a$$ly to the +uritans The +uritans were forced out of Euro$e for tryin% to force e1eryone else to conform to their ideas of $iety and conduct

Americans s$ea# of freedom2 yet s3uander it each day *n a country where $eo$le are actually allowed to thin# and s$ea# for themsel1es without direct conse3uence2 they choose to cash it in for easy consumerism *n my e/$erience2 the more educated the non-American2 the more nuanced their his analysis2 the more com$licated and contradictory their his a$$roach is to the 3uestion of America *f education is in fact a factor in this2 then one has to wonder why the country with the most educated $eo$le seems com$letely unable to afford itself the same $ri1ile%e The rResentment of AmericaJs wealth is often comes frommore $recisely a resentment of the fact that a nation so wealthy will not share with nations whose misfortune is in some way a result of AmericaJs ac3uisition of e/cess The reality of the world we li1e in is that thin%s are unfairly imbalanced in fa1or of America and Americans2 and yet this $ri1ile%e %oes unac#nowled%ed in any way other than $latitudes 7onJt tell me there isnJt enou%h food to feed e1erybody 7onJt tell me that America doesnJt $ay its farmers to dum$ food so that they can control $rices 7onJt tell me you donJt #now why the world doesnJt li#e this $art of you

6 The mo1ies America ma#es and e/$orts allow Americans to always be the hero2 in their mind and in their self-$romotion The American Way is always one of bluster and bloody2 e/$losion-riddled rescues The decency that all its heroes are allowed is not accorded the forei%ners in these films As Rambo and Chuc# !orris tear throu%h the world while sa1in% it2 the rest of the world is cast as 1illain or 1ictim *t is of course your film industry2 and you can ma#e whate1er films you want and e/$ort them2 but be aware that we are not stu$id

When we consume these films2 we see the way they reflect2 or seem to ha1e influenced2 your forei%n $olicy * was as#ed to s$ea# to a %rou$ of youn% school #ids in a $oor :os An%eles nei%hborhood about my e/$eriences as an acti1ist in !i%eria2 and to show these #ids the true $ri1ile%e they mi%ht ha1e should they choose to e/ercise it A %rou$ of youn% boys wanted to #now why America hadnJt sent a battalion of helico$ter %unshi$s and marines to #ic# the shit out of the motherfuc#ers who were holdin% me a%ainst my will 7amn2 one of them added2 * would ne1er let anybody hold my boy li#e that !ot wantin% to $oint out the error of his lo%ic in that a lot of his PboysQ were bein% held ri%ht now in $enitentiaries across California2 * instead e/$lained instead that the American %o1ernment didnJt #now * was im$risoned and if it did would more than li#ely not ha1e cared too much * also as#ed him about the innocent $eo$le who would die in such an e/traction should it indeed be allowed to ta#e $lace The %eneral consensus in the class2 one that e1en the teacher shared2 was that it would ha1e been worth it *n that moment2 * realiGed that re%ardless of class2 race2 $olitics2 %ender2 or any other ob1ious difference2 it seemed that most Americans shared the idea that their li1es were more 1aluable than othersJ As the war in *ra3 stretches towards its si/th year2 we can no lon%er deny this fact *t mi%ht mean somethin% that in this same class2 the students belie1e that ;arac# Nbama is half-Auslim Growin% u$2 * lo1ed those Chuc# !orris films too We all did2 and still do ;ut a com$le/ alchemy ha$$ens when we watch those mo1ies When we cheer for Chuc# !orris to #ic# the bad %uyJs ass2 we become Chuc# and the bad %uy becomes America2 or sometimes another ethnicity or %rou$ The truth is that when the credits roll2 no matter how we felt durin% the film2 we are all left holdin% or dealin% the cards of American forei%n

$olicy We outsiders would li#e you to sto$ ad1ertisin% your freedom to us2 and instead draft real and moral forei%n $olicy As * tell all my writin% students< show2 donJt tell +art of the $roblem is that the e/cess of American culture ma#es it $ossible to erase in a relati1ely short $eriods the memory of such thin%s as the Great 7e$ression Americans ha1e for%otten what it means to li1e with war2 with occu$ation E1en =I44 doesnJt chan%e that e3uationa$$ly ..and * am not belittlin% this the e1ent at all. by sayin% that.but most Americans D!ew "or#ers asideE e/$erienced that trauma from a distance *t is not the same as a %eneration of ;osnians who remember sni$ers ta#in% out their friends and siblin%s as they wal#ed to school +erha$s if the war came to American homes and streets2 you would be less ca1alier about not im$eachin% a man whose decisions has ha1e #illed $roduced the deaths of hundreds of thousands of $eo$le and cost the his own country so muchimmeasurably2 and yet rush to im$each a man for a se/ual misdemeanor +riorities

> While attendin% the world economic forum in 7a1os earlier this year2 * was amaGed how many Americans e/$ressed concern o1er ChinaJs in1ol1ement in Africa and were scandaliGed by their $ossible abuse of the continent and its $eo$le This des$ite the fact that the C*A has been behind e1ery cou$ and counter cou$ in the continentJs historyU that the same C*A tau%ht my countryJs torturers This2 des$ite the fact that Americans watched ;iafrans star1e to death because2 accordin% to :yndon ; Johnson2 America couldnJt afford the e/$ense of sa1in% Africa2 as it did Ja$an and Euro$e after World War ** Americans watched while Rwandans were murdered2 and stood by and watched the Sudanese %enocide And American oil com$anies continue to $illa%e the continent2 creatin% de$endent economies2 and ha1e done e1erythin% in their $ower to stall the formation of the

African Union "et2 Americans are worried about ChinaJs in1ol1ement in Africa 8or me2 ChinaJs interest in Africa2 clearly built on a model of mutual e/$loitation2 has sha#en America awa#e As a result2 the American $resident tours the continent $romisin% a $ittance towards the A*7S e$idemic while tryin% to stron%-arm countries to allow American military bases Will it ultimately lead to a more collaborati1e America and a less dictatorial oneR This can only bode well for the smaller nations

) *f America truly wants to chan%e its ima%e2 then it needs to confront and e/cise the s$ecter of racism and se/ism De1en +a#istan has twice had a female +rime $rime AinisterministerE *t needs to write and im$lement forei%n $olicy dri1en by ethics2 ..not e/$ediency America has to acce$t the humanity of the rest of the world

Cuba The Aessa%e Ricardo AlarcBn de Cuesada Translated by 0ristina Cordero

* can still remember when we went out with some friends who were about to disco1er Viridiana for the first time *n a small mo1ie theater in !ew "or#Js West Hilla%e2 there were a few other cou$les2 $eo$le who loo#ed Sust li#e us2 u$$er- middle- class $rofessionals2 who were also seein% the mo1ie for the first time And * can still remember how astonished my wife and * were by the sur$rised reaction of our friends when we told them that we2 li#e millions of other Cubans2 had seen not only Viridiana but all of ;uVuelJs films2 and that they had been $roSected in lar%e mo1ie houses all o1er Cuba *n !ew "or#2 we culti1ated lastin% friendshi$s and came to #now $eo$le we will always remember for their ine/haustible ca$acity for lo1eTit was with those friends that we 1isited museums2 %alleries2 and theaters2 wal#ed down streets and throu%h $ar#s2 and tra1ersed the city2 a $lace so stri#in% in its beauty and contrasts We became familiar with its li%ht and its shadows2 and throu%h them we disco1ered the cityJs most 1aluable Sewels< the $eo$le of !ew "or# 8or some $eo$le2 !ew "or# is a symbol of arro%ant o$ulence 8or others2 it is a $lace to be 1isited as a tourist2 or else to indul%e oneJs consumerist deli%hts in stores with li%hts that ne1er dim 8or us2 abo1e and beyond all other thin%s2 !ew "or# is the $eo$le who inhabit it2 its hard-wor#in%2 %enerous2 friendly $eo$le *t is those $eo$le * thin# of whene1er * $roclaim2 without blushin%2 that P* lo1e !ew "or#2Q too Amon% these $eo$le * include the many * came across in boo#stores and diners2 in classrooms and $arlors2 who would berate me with hostile in1ecti1es and anti-Cuban

$reSudice2 but were also able to listen and ar%ue and maybe2 in the end2 understand my 1iew$oint2 e1en Sust a bit N1er the course of many years2 we ha1e had similar e/$eriences time and a%ain *n both !ew "or# and Ha1ana * ha1e had countless meetin%s with American $oliticians2 Sournalists2 businessmen2 di$lomats2 intellectuals2 and students where the common denominator has always been the cultural rift that di1ides us And $erha$s the comment * ha1e heard most fre3uently is P* didnJt #now Q .e/$ressed in En%lish2 often the only lan%ua%e in which * ha1e been able to communicate with more than one academic s$ecialiGin% in Cuban affairs Aore than once2 leftist American friends and $eo$le concerned about with im$ro1in% relations between our two countries ha1e tal#ed to me2 as if it were the most natural thin% in the world2 about the im$ortance of ma#in% an effort to PeducateQ $oliticians and other $eo$le res$onsible for ma#in% im$ortant decisions in Cuba Such statements2 which re1eal a sad and easily -$ro1en truth2 cannot hel$ but cause consternation amon% those of us who are not from the United States This concern be%ins to ta#e on truly distressin% $ro$ortions when we thin# about how those $eo$le who do not understand a si%nificant number of basic facts about the world around them also ha$$en to $ossess a military mi%ht that is ca$able of annihilatin% the $lanet many times o1er Ay $rinci$al endea1or2 for many years now2 has been that of tryin% to PeducateQ them Q * am not certain that * ha1e had any success as a teacher in that sense2 but at the 1ery least2 * ha1e been able to enSoy the e/$eriences that2 on more than one occasion2 ha1e also $ro1en 3uite disconcertin%

* was able2 for e/am$le2 to show a le%islator the te/t of an amendment that bore his name2 endorsin% the Pembar%oQ a%ainst Cuba * had to do this because the %entleman in 3uestion2 no doubt a sincere and well-intentioned man2 had boasted of ha1in% made a 1ery im$ortant contribution toward im$ro1in% relations between the two countriesTthat is2 until he finally had to confess2 dumbfounded2 that he had not read the full te/t of his own le%islation Nn another astoundin% occasion2 * found myself in the $osition of ha1in% to e/$lain to a 1ery self-sufficient senior senator that it was not Cuba that was im$osin% an embar%o on the United States but 1ice -1ersa2 and that the Helms-;urton and Torricelli laws had been $assed in Washin%ton2 not Ha1ana * thin# * may ha1e been a bit curt when * e/$lained to him that he had 1oted in su$$ort of both laws2 thou%h $robably without ha1in% read them There are other information 1oids with $ossibly e1en %ra1er conse3uences Nn se1eral occasions * ha1e s$o#en with Robert Ac!amara2 the former 7efense Secretary of the United States * ha1e heard him here2 in Ha1ana2 tal# about what he #new durin% the days of the ;ay of +i%s in1asion in 4=64 and then durin% the so-called Cuban Aissile Crisis in 4=6' * belie1ed in the sincerity of his an%uish2 as a human bein%2 o1er the tremendous res$onsibility that rested u$on his shoulders2 a res$onsibility u$on which the li1es of so many other $eo$le hin%ed And * belie1ed him when2 forty years later2 he ac#nowled%ed his own i%norance and admitted that he had not #nown certain basic facts at a time when he had been char%ed with decisions that would directly affect the li1es of others 8or the $ast ten years2 * ha1e been tryin% to %et Americans to ta#e an interest in the case of fi1e Cubans who2 without ha1in% caused any harm to anyone2 are $resently behind bars in the United States and2 moreo1er2 are bein% subSected to de$lorable $rison

conditions2 includin% a $rohibition on family 1isits Collecti1ely they were %i1en four lifetime sentences and >5 se1enty-fi1e years in $rison for ha1in% sou%ht out .T$eacefully2 without wea$ons2 resortin% neither to force nor 1iolenceTinformation re%ardin% the $lans of a number of anti-Cuban terrorist %rou$s that o$erate with total im$unity on American soil When * mention the names of Gerardo HernFndeG2 RamBn :abaVino2 Antonio Guerrero2 8ernando GonGFleG2 and RenM GonGFleG2 many of the Americans * s$ea# to tell me that they #now nothin% of this case or of the heroic sacrifice that these fi1e youn% men ha1e made The fact that e1erythin% has been duly recorded in official documents that are easily accessible is irrele1ant The fact that that $arliaments2 churches2 and humanitarian2 le%al2 and human ri%hts or%aniGations all o1er the world ha1e called for their liberation is also irrele1ant The $rinci$al U S media or%aniGations2 Pinformati1eQ as they are2 ha1e said nothin% about these fi1e martyrs Aany honest2 noble $eo$le in the United States ha1e confessed to me2 3uite sim$ly2 P* didnJt #now Q * ha1e wor#ed hard to ma#e $eo$le understand that this matter is one of critical im$ortance for the United States2 its $olitics2 and its $eo$le A country cannot $retend to wa%e a Pwar a%ainst on terrorismQ around the %lobe while $rotectin% some of the most des$icable terrorists of all within its own borders2 and ruthlessly $unishin% those who o$$ose their trans%ressions in the United States The abominable acts of Se$tember 442 '((42 $ro1o#ed a most Sustified indi%nation in the United States Nn that day here in Cuba2 alon% with millions of other Cubans2 my wife2 my dau%hter2 and * we$t in $ain and an%er We also felt $ain and an%er when we learned that in early Aay of '(()2 in the city of Aiami2 a $ublic tribute was held in honor of :uis +osada Carriles2 self-confessed

terrorist and mastermind of uns$ea#able crimes that he himself ac#nowled%ed in his autobio%ra$hy as well as in front-$a%e inter1iews $ublished by The New York Times on July 4' and 4?2 4==) The e1ent was co1ered e/tensi1ely in the media +ain and an%er were what we felt when2 in that terrorist concla1e2 s$ea#in% directly to the cameras and micro$hones of AiamiJs tele1ision stations2 Ar +osada announced the new criminal $lans he was hatchin% a%ainst the Cuban $eo$le A %reat :atin American $oet who was awarded the !obel +riGe once described United States forei%n $olicy with two words< arro%ance and i%norance There are other binary e/$lanations N1er forty years a%o2 * was sent to !ew "or# as the Cuban Ambassador to the United !ations There2 * shared countless unfor%ettable hours with many brothers who ma#e their home in !ew "or# and who are $art of a %enerations-old tradition of emi%ration that e/tends bac# to the days before the trium$h of the re1olution in 4=5= They are the successors of many others li#e them2 who followed the 1ery same $ath lon% before the rise of the Cuban nation Nne s$rin% afternoon2 toward the end of a $arty amon% Cubans2 a com$atriot of mine2 wiGened by many years of lon% wor#days in the factories of !ew "or#2 told me about a secret he had been hidin% in his house for some time2 an obSect that he wanted to %i1e to me before he died2 now that Cuba was finally free and inde$endent *n a humble room in the northeast corner of Aanhattan2 this man be%an to rumma%e throu%h a trun#2 from which he $roduced a $icture *t was little more than a modest wooden frame with a %lass $anel $rotectin% a document that2 by this time2 was o1er a century old * read it

The document contained a messa%e si%ned by Carlos Aanuel de CMs$edes2 the 8ather of the !ation2 the founder of the Cuban nation2 the +resident of the Re$ublic who rose u$ in arms and who2 in 4)6)2 $roclaimed the liberation of all sla1es and launched our nationJs stru%%le for inde$endence and social Sustice The words had been written for the benefit of one of the re1olutionary clubs of the $atriotic Cuban Mmi%rMs li1in% in !ew "or# *n essence2 CMs$edes sent his $eo$le two cautionary messa%es< on one hand he warned them that the United States leaders were beholden to an oli%archy that as$ired to ta#e o1er Cuba and that would always try to thwart its efforts for inde$endence2 and on the other hand2 he also stated that the $eo$le of the United States had absolutely nothin% to do with those im$erial $retensions2 that the Americans were a noble and %enerous $eo$le of a friendshi$ and solidarity that the Cubans would do well to culti1ate ;efore me * had a letter that reiterated what the 8ather of the !ation had e/$lained on so many other occasions2 somethin% that JosM AartO would condemn twenty years later2 and that history would e1entually re1eal to be true ;ut how had it made its way to the man who was now handin% it o1er to me2 a century laterR Aany years earlier2 before World War **2 when he was a youn% man who had recently arri1ed in the United States2 he had found a Sob with a construction team2 almost all of them Cuban2 whose wor# consisted of demolishin% old buildin%s and cleanin% u$ the remainin% debris This was $recisely what they were doin% one day in a dila$idated buildin% in :on% *sland when2 by accident2 they came across the $icture and rescued it from a mountain of twisted scra$ iron2 colla$sed walls2 and dust They decided to hold onto it ;elie1in% that it would be an insult to the memory of CMs$edes to turn it o1er to the Cuban leadershi$ of the day2 they #e$t it under loc# and #ey durin% the two ;atista dictatorshi$s and the corru$t administrations between them They

#e$t it in their $ossession e1en after the trium$h of the 4=5= re1olution2 until2 finally con1inced that the !ation had finally achie1ed 1ictory2 they %ranted me the %reat honor of recei1in% it so that * mi%ht2 in turn2 send it to the museum where it sits today alon% with many other national treasures :on% before anyone else did2 CMs$edes disco1ered the secret behind the official U S Js official $olicy toward Cuba Thou%h he tra1eled to many countries2 he ne1er 1isited the United States2 and while on one hand his letter warned of the threat it re$resented2 it also called for friendshi$ between the two nations This messa%e2 so lo1in%ly $reser1ed by the Cuban $eo$le2 is somethin% that will always stay with me

HeneGuela The United States and :atin America< *ne1itable !ostal%ia 8ernando ;FeG Translated by 0ristina Cordero

* The first time * e1er heard anyone utter the words PUnited StatesQ was in San 8Mli/2 the town where * was born * was four or fi1e years old at the time and li1ed in di%nified $o1erty2 the sole ad1anta%e of which was the absolute freedom * was %i1en to learn to read without a care in the world Ay 1illa%e was an im$o1erished little hamlet situated alon% the broad ban#s of the ma%nificent Nrinoco Ri1er2 which2 from the 46th century onward2 had ser1ed as a $ort of entry and de$arture for the hul#in% shi$s that %reedily di1ested the re%ion of Guayana2 in HeneGuela2 of the %old that $irate Walter Ralei%h so e/tolled :ater on it would become the unyieldin% a/is of the sloo$s2 schooners2 and steamshi$s that boldly e/tracted iron and $recious stones as well as the tanned hides of ferocious ti%ers2 endless anacondas2 treacherous alli%ators2 and fossils that e1o#ed a world that was already ho$elessly lost Nf that time outside of time2 mAy mind wanders bac#2 in that time outside of time2 to the day that my father2 an honest .Tthat is2 unem$loyedTlawyer2 %a1e me a %ift With a $om$ and circumstance * will ne1er for%et2 his eyes beamin% with %enerosity2 he handed me a li%ht-%reen 1olume with %olden letterin% *t was a bio%ra$hy2 he said2 of the $olitician he most admired in the world< John 8itG%erald 0ennedy At my fatherJs side2 wearin% a hat that clun% to his head2 a blue-stri$ed shirt2 and blac# sil# $ants2 stood a man whose name * ha1e since for%ottenTin fact * only recently learned that he had been one of the few

consultants to sur1i1e the nationaliGation of the old *ron Aines Com$any2 a su$$lier of the 8airless Wor#s $lant which that belon%ed to U S Steel2 in the state of +ennsyl1ania *n my $resence2 the two men s$o#e a lan%ua%e that was forei%n to me Auch later that ni%ht2 or $erha$s it was already early mornin% by then2 when * saw that my father was once a%ain alone2 attem$tin% to read the $re1ious dayJs news$a$er2 * as#ed him where his friend was from2 for * was intri%ued and somewhat astonished by his red colorin% Ay father dryly res$onded< the United States That was all he saidT* donJt #now if he intended to say anythin% else2 but in any case those two words were $lenty A wee# or two later2 * decided that * had to learn more about that eni%matic country and went to the $ublic library2 where * enSoyed the discreet aid of an aunt by marria%e2 a widow who had been the strait-laced su$er1isor of the $lace for se1eral years The library was little more than a blue house with a flat oa# roof held u$ by a number of ancient tree trun#s that rather incon%ruously held 1arious thin sheets of Ginc in $lace The inside was dominated by bro#en shel1in% and brand-new boo#cases2 barely illuminated by the scant li%ht that came throu%h the windows2 ma#in% the collections seem scattered2 dis$ersed The rooms were either loc#ed u$ with a #ey that had disa$$eared 3uite una$olo%etically2 or else left o$en to re1eal s$aces that had become stora%e areas for the $am$hlets of the $olitical $arties of the moment !othin% was where it was su$$osed to be Cuite often2 my aunt would $lace in my hands the most daGGlin% illustrated 1olumesU they filled me with emotion :uc# was on my side when2 after tellin% her about my fatherJs friend2 she $ulled out a hea1y dictionary with color $lates and showed me a ma$ of the United States2 a ma$ of 0ansas2 $hotos of canyons in Colorado2 drawin%s that unsuccessfully $ortrayed colonists from the Mayflower2 EdisonJs li%ht bulb2 8ran#linJs li%htnin% rod2 the faces of Aartin :uther 0in% and El1is +resley2 a !ew "or# s#yscra$er and an out-of-focus $hoto%ra$h of

an astronaut wal#in% on the moon ;efore * #new it the hours had sli$$ed away2 smoothly2 ra$idly As if the rest of the world had disa$$eared *t %oes without sayin%2 of course2 that * went home and declared to my mother2 a lon%-sufferin% S$anish woman2 that * too could become an astronaut Anyone who could ha1e seen me ri%ht then2 with my torn $ants2 mended shirt2 and uncon1entional hair style scul$ted by the $illow * sle$t on rather than the comb * did not $ossess2 would ha1e lau%hed out loud ;ut * fer1ently belie1ed what * said And * belie1ed the thin%s * read in boo#s< * could cry while starin% at an etchin% of a dyin% 7on Cui/ote and * cut u$ $ieces of $a$er to create the roc#et in which * would finally set out to e/$lore the farthest recesses of outer s$ace With Aanuel2 my childhood $laymate2 * made a $rototy$e for a wooden shi$ that we launched in the ri1er and would ha1e drowned in had it not been for the $ro1idential hand of one of those lone fishermen who s$end days on end in search of the $erfect fish that ne1er materialiGes from the waterJs de$ths Without many other distractions2 a$art from those of $lun%in% into ri1ers or $layin% hide-and-see#2 * was 3uite ta#en by the local mo1ie theater that an *talian businessman by the name of Aarconi o$ened in our 1illa%e *t lasted only two wee#s before %oin% ban#ru$t2 but before it did2 * mana%ed to see a film that chan%ed my life 7urin% this time when * still didnJt ha1e a clear $icture of the United States2 * was at least able to ima%ine it than#s to The i!ard of "! featurin% Judy Garland2 an un$aralleled e/$erience for me2 e1en thou%h *

didnJt understand much of it ;ut how could * not deli%ht in the wise scarecrow and the fri%htened lionR How could * not realiGe that this was a new way of loo#in% at the world2 throu%h the lens of fantasy and enchantmentR American mo1ies had already left their mar# on the $lanet2 and soon they cast a hy$notic s$ell on me that has dissi$ated only recently2 thou%h lea1in% behind intense after-effects redolent of Cha$lin2 Welles2 and Hitchcoc#

The man whom my friends2 between %i%%les2 called Pthe %rin%oQ returned to my house on more than a few occasions The routine of his 1isits was always the same2 as if co$ied from a manual on sur1i1al in the tro$ics He would brin% two beers2 a $i$e that he would ne1er smo#e2 and four or fi1e ba%s of $eanuts Nnce settled into the houseJs one roc#in% chair .the same one my %randmother sat in as she swore ne1er to for%i1e my %randfather for his infidelitiesThe would be%in to tal#2 and thou%h *2 of course2 did not understand him2 his words consoled my father and made him lau%h in the middle of all the hardshi$s we li1ed with They would also ar%ue sometimes2 suddenly fallin% silent as if they had run out of words2 the obstinacy of their con1ictions %i1in% way to the lon%est of silences Nccasionally they would e/chan%e boo#s2 and * recall them their s$ea#in% about RBmulo Galle%os and William 8aul#nerT* ima%ine they were tal#in% about the time the two men met in Caracas2 a $owerful encounter that brou%ht to%ether two literary traditions born from the telluric forces of the American continent !e1er a%ain would a meetin% of this sort between two literary %iants come to $ass as it did in the 4=6(s Seated ne/t to my father2 who suffered from a most in1incible %loom2 * was able to a$$reciate the 1alue of ar%ument 8or it was durin% one of these discussions with his American friend that an inconcei1able debate was s$ar#ed by a stran%e word that * would only come to understand only later on2 in my adolescence< Hietnam * remember how the man2 u$on hearin% that fatal word2 s$ran% from his chair2 tense2 Sum$in% u$ to s$it out a few words before finally surrenderin% to the e1idence as my father %aGed at him with a $erfectly serene countenance After that2 the word became a taboo2 and suddenly it became terribly difficult to return to the ori%inal idea that had set them off on their $ath of sharin% une/$ected2 re1elatory moments The man was finally bid farewell one 7ecember ?4st2 without e/$lanations2 at a rather unusual hour of the day2 and only after se1eral lon% wee#s

had %one by did * learn that he had returned to his home city with a hea1y heart2 because by then he considered himself an honorary HeneGuelan

** * must confess that this is my Dsomewhat unsuccessfulE7es$ite my attem$t at recreatin% a sense of those $leasant times2 althou%h to tell the truth * am only left with only 1a%ue2 halfe/$lored recollections2 and the uncomfortable feelin% that my father2 who died of +ar#insonJs disease not lon% a%o2 be3ueathed to me .Teither #nowin%ly or notTa memory of and a commitment to friendshi$2 but most of all to dialo%ue and cultural e/chan%e Ay $articular ima%e of the United States2 until * was almost twenty years old2 was an orthodo/ inheritance *ncredible as it may seem2 in my house2 boo#s li#e Eduardo GaleanoJs The "pen Veins of Latin America or !oam Choms#yJs The #esponsi$ility of %ntellectuals were not read2 nor were the wor#s of Aario ;enedetti2 Au%usto Roa ;astos2 +ablo !eruda2 or Hladimir *lich :enin Abundant attention2 howe1er2 was $aid to the wor#s of Ernest Hemin%way2 Ray ;radbury2 8rancis Scott 8itG%erald2 Raymond Chandler2 Walt Whitman2 Henry James2 Washin%ton *r1in%2 *saac Asimo12 and Jac# 0erouac When * be%an to write2 at the a%e of twel1e or thirteen2 * was enthralled by Ed%ar Allan +oe At my fatherJs behest * memoriGed the $oem PThe Ra1enQ and re$eated its 1erses o1er and o1er a%ain The most lu#ewarm cold war in history $layed itself out in my home2 in its own idiosyncratic way2 with no $ressure2 because my father refused to allow us to buy anythin% by 0arl Aar/ or 8riedrich En%els At the uni1ersity2 * was ordered to #ee$ away from all manner of anti-im$erialist student $rotests2 conferences2 concerts2 or $oetry readin%s2 and * re%arded all leftist initiati1es with sus$icion The one and only time * e1er mentioned2 in the

softest 1oice * could mana%e2 that ChM Gue1ara .and his murderThad cau%ht my attention2 my mother dissol1ed in tears The harshest criticism * e1er heard .Tand e1er will hear2 * am sureTwas $rom$ted by the su$$osed heresy that fell from my li$s2 and that was how * came to realiGe that my familyJs 1ision of thin%s was firmly anchored in the 0ennedy era2 in s$eeches of the P* ha1e a dreamQ 1ariety2 at a time when it seemed that the United States could loo# forward to a friendly future with the $o$ular :atin American sectors This was also the time when the Alliance for +ro%ress was inau%urated2 a moment in which sustained2 efficient social de1elo$ment seemed $ossible 0ennedy was the leader who had said< P*f a free society cannot hel$ the many who are $oor2 it cannot sa1e the few who are rich Q * s$ea# of these thin%s2 $ersonal as they are2 because they are an inte%ral $art of how and why * came to admire the United StatesThow could * notR Today2 howe1er2 * can only feel dee$ly saddened when * thin# of how irre1ocably that o$timism .so fresh2 so %enuine Thas been lost2 transformed into the %rowin% s#e$ticism that2 at the $resent moment2 $recludes me from belie1in% in the bene1olence of the most recent actions underta#en by the country that the historian Samuel + Huntin%ton defines 3uite a$tly as the lonely su$er$ower * donJt belie1e the United States has e1er been 3uite as alone and menaced by dan%er as it is now *n my own case2 without a doubt2 two or three factors in $articular contributed to the erosion of my faith Nne of them2 the most sinister2 infamous2 and incom$rehensible of them all2 was the unconscionable tacit su$$ort that the administration of Richard A !i/on lent the cou$ dJetat $er$etrated by General Au%usto +inochet on Se$tember 442 4=>?2 in Chile2 that led to the death of the countryJs $resident2 Sal1ador Allende *n my home this $roduced conflicts2 insi%nificant at first and more serious o1er time2 that ne1er culminated

in much of anythin% but which undermined certain time-honored family understandin%s Nften * would ar%ue about the dama%e wrou%ht by Henry 0issin%er2 the !obel +eace +riGe laureate most fre3uently associated with wars2 who encoura%ed so many ruthless military officers to sta%e cou$s2 commit %enocide2 and inflict torture2 all in the name of #ee$in% the re%ion free from PCubaniGation Q *t was terrible to e/$erience2 so intensely2 the im$lementation of the thesis of the ideolo%ical war in :atin America Countless writers and editors were assassinated or silencedU millions of men and women were disa$$eared or forced into e/ile 7urin% the 4=>(s and 4=)(s2 the officers of the U S 7e$artment of State seemed to ha1e beenbe con1inced that all e1il was $referable to the e/$ansion of the left2 which2 no doubt2 too# ad1anta%es of mista#es made on the economic2 social2 and cultural fronts Nne miscalculation after another2 attem$ts were made to build relationshi$s based on amnesia2 on indirect and bloody inter1ention ;y a certain $oint2 so many ne%ati1e elements had cons$ired to destroy my ima%e of the United States2 that * finally ran out of ar%uments with which to defend the res$ect * had $re1iously felt for so lon% What finally shattered inside me was somethin% of a moral nature2 and it feels no more whole now whene1er * thin# bac# and wonder how it was $ossible to su$$ort murderers li#e Alfredo Stroessner2 who %o1erned +ara%uay from 4=5@ to 4=)= with utmost cruelty Dand tried to ma#e +ara%uay a ha1en for !aGi fu%iti1esE Another de$lorable fact that dam$ened my enthusiasm for the United States was the direct $artici$ation of its intelli%ence a%encies in the Central American conflict durin% the days of 7aniel Nrte%aJs Sandinista %o1ernment A number of Ronald Rea%anJs ad1isers belie1ed the !icara%uan mo1ement to be a direct and imminent dan%er2 and they decided to train2 arm2 and finance Sandinista o$$onents2 s$onsorin% a ci1il war that left ?)2(((thirty-

ei%ht thousand $eo$le dead and 4> se1enteen billion dollars in losses This situation re$eated itself in El Sal1ador and most $oi%nantly in Guatemala2 where '((2(((two hundred thousand $eo$le died as the result of ?6 thirty-si/ years of conflicts between the armed forces and %uerrilla mo1ements Hard as it is for me to belie1e2 the $erson who made me ta#e note of all this was the American intellectual !oam Choms#y2 who ultimately became central to my way of thin#in% * thin# it im$ortant to ac#nowled%e that * ha1e Choms#y to than# not only for hel$in% me see that as an intellectual * ha1e a res$onsibility to denounce situations in which human ri%hts are bein% disre%arded2 but also for hel$in% me to reco1er my faith in the $ossibility of fi%htin%2 from a non-Aar/ist $ers$ecti1e2 the mis%uided forei%n $olicy of se1eral U S administrations The United States has inter1ened2 on 45( se$arate occasions2 in a considerable $ortion of the '' twenty-two million s3uare #ilometers that com$rise :atin America2 lea1in% its catastro$hic2 $ainful mar# on countries li#e Haiti2 the 7ominican Re$ublic2 Grenada2 ;raGil2 ;oli1ia2 and +eru *nstead of contributin% to the re%ion throu%h humanitarian missions2 the U S %o1ernment o$ted instead to ste$ u$ its military $resence Today2 some '2((( two thousand acti1e members of the United States armed forces are de$loyed in the re%ion2 which includes the Caribbean SNCSNUTH DS$ecial N$erations Command SouthE2 created in 4=@>2 is res$onsible for all the acti1ities of the so-called Southern Command2 which has bases in Soto Cano2 HondurasU +anamaU Comala$a2 El Sal1adorU :iberia2 Costa RicaU Reina ;eatriG2 on the island of ArubaU Hato2 on the island of CuraWaoU Hie3ues2 +uerto RicoU JamaicaU *3uitos2 Santa :ucOa2 and !anay2 in +eruU Tres Es3uinas Dair baseE2 :arandia2 +uerto :e%uiGamB2 and :eticia2 in ColombiaU Cha$arM2 ;oli1iaU and * cannot hel$ but conclude by mentionin% GuantFnamo2 which has become a symbol for horror much as the %ula%s were in the now-e/tinct So1iet Union When * was a

little boy in HeneGuela2 we had medical doctors2 en%ineers2 businessmen2 members of humanitarian missions2 sin%ersTall of them from the United States And then2 somehow2 all of a sudden2 they were re$laced with soldiers Thin%s ha$$ened so fast2 * donJt thin# anyone understood how Nn the stiflin% day of Se$tember 442 '((42 a %rou$ of suicidal Arab militants belon%in% to the or%aniGation #nown as Al Caeda hiSac#ed four air$lanes and attac#ed the United States Their trail of destruction e/tended from the World Trade Center in !ew "or# all the way to an entire win% of the +enta%on * remember * was eatin% at the home of friends Someone turned on the tele1ision set and des$ite the terrible rece$tion we watched as columns of smo#e came billowin% out from a massi1e tower And then2 it must ha1e been a few minutes later2 a $assen%er $lane do1e into a buildin% and thousands of $a$ers went flyin% into the air 7ebilitated beyond measure2 the structure was unable to withstand the heat and colla$sed2 somethin% * had thou%ht im$ossible !ot since +earl Harbor had the United States been attac#ed on its own territory by enemy forces :i#e so many other $eo$le2 * could not hel$ cryin%2 and my ra%e was not lon% in comin% * #new somethin% terrible was about to ha$$en 7estiny is what it is2 but more often than not a cataclysmic e1ent has a way of redirectin% our $aths And because * want to tell the story of how my s#e$ticism came about2 * ou%ht to e/$lain how2 followin% the *ra3 in1asion in '((?2 * recei1ed an in1itation to be $art of an international commission char%ed with in1esti%atin% the matter of the libraries2 archi1es2 and museums destroyed in the wa#e of Saddam HusseinJs demise 8or the $ast ten years * ha1e been %atherin% information about cultural destruction2 and recently * finished what may be the only boo#-len%th wor# on the to$ic--Tyet that tri$ to *ra3 was

the only thin% ca$able of %i1in% me bac# the measure of doubt * needed to fully abandon the myth of the United States as a nation ca$able of contributin% to $eace +anic always seems to be out there somewhere2 ready to stri#e without a momentJs notice That was how * felt while standin% in the !ational :ibrary of ;a%hdad DAl Aa#taba Al WataniyaE2 in Rasaf2 where the 7efense Ainistry is located The !ational :ibrary lost almost a million boo#s After s$endin% some time there2 * went to the Archaeolo%ical Auseum where o1ermore than '52(((twenty-fi1e thousand $ieces were $illa%ed and then sold on the blac# mar#et * found myself standin% before a maSestic2 elon%ated structure2 the faWade of which was flan#ed by towers on either side2 a buildin% the color of sand that was bein% %uarded by a tan# with a cannon that had the words PGreetin%s from the United States of AmericaQ written on its side Cuite the $arado/ * now #now that all the libraries and museums of *ra3 were torn to $ieces2 and that the United States may ha1e caused as many as one million deaths in the country The worst thin% of all2 howe1er2 is that the miserable ;ush administration destroyed the le%itimacy of the war a%ainst terror by usin% false e1idence to Sustify its attac# on *ra32 which was an attem$t to distract the world from the clumsy actions that frustrated the mission to ca$ture the $eo$le who truly caused the e1ents of =I44 * s$ea# of the same ;ush who fomented and re1i1ed the obsession with the Aiddle East and who mana%ed2 as few others ha1e2 to com$letely i%nore the reality of his countryJs closest nei%hbors *ndifferent2 disres$ectful2 and su$erficial2 the ;ush team for :atin America only %enerated only anti$athy2 ra%e2 and ill will Allies were mysteriously mar%inaliGed as the United States instead chose to e/ert control o1er forei%n %o1ernments throu%h elites instead of institutions The worst si%n of the increasin% distance wrou%ht between the United States and the re%ion came2 of course2 with the construction of a wall

alon% the countryJs much-feared border with Ae/ico2 which brou%ht to mind the memory and the conse3uences of other walls2 li#e the one that di1ided ;erlin in two Contrary to what some mi%ht thin#2 :atin America2 not the Aiddle East2 is the re%ion that the United States ou%ht to be concerned about in the decades to come Today2 the re%ion is a 1ast factory of $o1erty and famine +resently there are 6(( si/ hundred million $eo$le li1in% in the re%ion2 half of whom are $oor *ma%ine the entire $o$ulation of the United States li1in% in the most e/treme hardshi$ *t is a des$erate circumstance that #nows only disa$$ointment and disillusion< )4 ei%hty-one million are indi%ent and nine= million li1e on one dollar a day "ear after year2 for%otten and filled with doubt2 ?((2(((three hundred thousand children die of hun%er :atin America has2 accordin% to one estimate2 some 6>4 indi%enous %rou$s2 an o1erwhelmin%ly abandoned sector that re$resents )(X of the most e/treme $o1erty2 des$ite the fact that2 in many cases2 these indi%enous $eo$le share their territory with transnational minin% and oil com$anies

*** At my side as * write this essay is the 1olume my father %a1e me2 the 0ennedy bio%ra$hy *t has not sur1i1ed the years so well< its letters are no lon%er 3uite so %old2 the %reen cloth is fadin%2 certain cha$ters suffer from far too much underlinin% Here and there2 sli$$ed in between its $a%es2 are a few articles my father wrote about Sustice and his lo1e for America2 a country that des$ite e1erythin% he ne1er #new in $erson Nne note from 4=6@ reads2 P* ha1e ne1er 1isited the United States2 and by now * #now * ne1er will2 but * shall #ee$ that wish ali1e Q *ronically for him2 he was ne1er able to %et a 1isa to 1isit the country he so admired2 thou%h in his later years he was a Sud%e and an acti1e ad1ocate of democracy To the 1ery end he would send $ostcards to his P%rin%oQ friend2 and recei1ed $ostcards from

his friend in return Nne of the $ostcard $hotos featured ima%es of Canaima and Salto An%el2 the tallest waterfall in the world2 named after Jimmy An%el2 the American $ilot who disco1ered it in one of those ma%nificent fli%hts of ha$$enstance And todayR * #now how much has been made of the need for stren%thened relations between the United States and its :atin American nei%hbors2 and * dare to su%%est that the connections between the two re%ions must first be made more di%nified somehow Hast sums of money are in1ested in $romotin% the 8ree Trade A%reement2 yet somehow $eo$le seem to for%et that culture is the brid%e between nations Any #ind of inte%ration without honesty is an ambush Ay own fear .Tsu$$orted by factTis that the United States has been hiSac#ed by a $olitical class with a militarist military 1ocation that lon% since a%o surrendered2 3uite unconditionally2 to the cor$orate interests that destroy the en1ironment and mani$ulate the $olitics of entire continents2 ha1in% %i1en in to the commercialiGation of freedom rather than the freedom of commerce As a result2 no matter where * %o2 from the Rio Grande down to Tierra del 8ue%o2 the influence of the United States has become mere com$romise2 and has lost all credibility ;y way of an anecdote conclusion2 herewith an anecdote that summariGes* will conclude with a summary what has been on my mind as well as what has been ha$$enin% in the world of late *n '((@2 on a 1isit to Ae/ico2 * s$ent se1eral lon% hours wal#in% around the LBcalo2 fascinated by the mysteries of its elusi1e architecture After a while2 * decided it was time for a cold beer and found a tiny2 noisy bar As loud shouts eru$ted from all the tables2 the wind swe$t unceremoniously throu%h the $lace2 whi$$in% $ast those of us standin% by the ancient entrance door The tele1ision dis$layed the cho$$y ima%es of a massi1e crater in ;a%hdad2 formed by a homemade e/$losi1e de1ice that had #illed two soldiers2 twenty and twenty-two years old At my side2 an old man from Jalisco said in a

low 1oice< PAy son was a musician2 but he died in 8alluSah *n a horrible2 stu$id combat2 and the worst $art of all is that * thin# he %a1e his blood to a country that was not wise enou%h to 1alue his talents Q He then showed me the $hoto%ra$h of a smilin% youn% man PThe American dream can be a ni%htmare2Q he added2 and then withdrew * listened to him2 noddin% my head without much ener%y2 sur$rised by the disillusionment he had confided in me2 and ordered another beer2 which * wouldnJt drin# * then wal#ed o1er to the dar#est corner of the bar and sat down2 to wait hours and hours2 with the same doubts and the ine1itable nostal%ia of someone who #nows he is an Mmi%rM of the lost $aradise of his memory

+alestine Gi1in% the Harness ;ells a Sha#e Aourid ;ar%houti

*n one of his early articles2 the distin%uished American $oet W S. Merwin wrotewrites: PWhere inSustice $re1ails Dand where does it notRE a $oet . . . has no choice but to name the wrong as truthfully as he can, and to try to indicate the claims of Sustice in terms of the 1ictims he li1es amon% Q * a%ree2 and would add that American intellectuals2 writers2 and Sournalists who try to Pname the wron% as truthfully as they canQ are $art of humanityJs thirst for Sustice and inde$endent thin#in% American forms of $o$ular $rotest and the 1ibrant discussions within American society do assert the fact that the conce$t of Pus2Q e/actly as the conce$t of &them2Q has ne1er been2 and will ne1er be2 an inert lifeless bloc# An o1erly sim$le consensus onAny a$$roach to the meanin% of the two $ronouns we and they must not be sim$lifiedallowed They should not be seen used as labels for swee$in% %eneraliGations. On our small planet, no race, no culture, no ethnicity or religion is a guest. The present civilization, the outcome of the contributions of all cultures, is the shared property of all man ind. ! witnessed the fall of the "erlin #all and the end of the Soviet $mpire. ! lived in "udapest and saw the elation of millions and their great e%pectations of for a happier future. The &nited States of 'merica became the single superpower on earth and was left to lead the world community without any rival. !t did it very badly. The &.S. persisted, persisting in its aggressive, interventionist policies as the long(armed world policeman in 'sia, 'frica, )atin 'merica, and the Middle $ast, e%panded its

military bases throughout the world and lightly sent young men and women to war. The *#ar against on Terror+ has become a tool to end opposition to local dictators and to demonize legitimate resistance movements. The &nited .States. has resorted to the self(deceptive tric of being reactive, its leaders refuse to investigate the causes of those resistance movements-: that is,i.e. the military occupation in .alestine, !ra/, and 'fghanistan. The #hite 0ouse has devoted itself to stifling any voice calling for an international conference to discuss a globally agreed( upon definition of terrorism. !ts unilateralism has almost destroyed the fabric of the &nited 1ations, which is supposed to be the world2s arbitrator. 1ow 'merica has become the 3udge, 3ury, and e%ecutioner. 'nd now millions have ta en to the streets around the world, protesting 'merican policies and wars. These huge anti(war demonstrations should have startled many in the &nited .States., because they came less than two years after the near( universal outpouring of support and sympathy for the 'merican people in the aftermath of the crime of September 44,th 5664. AmericansJ $resent $reoccu$ation with the 3uestion PhHow do they see usRQ is $erfectly Sustified And from my $art of the world2 the answer would be< PHery well Q We see you 1ery well2 from P'riends ( to 8-46s2 from roc# YJnJ Roll roll to PShoc# and Awe2Q from Walt Whitman to white $hos$horus2 from the Auseum of Aodern Art to GuantFanamo2 from Aichael Aoore to 8o/ !ews2 from John 0ennedy to Geor%e W ;ush2 and from 7onald 7uc# to 7onald Rumsfeld2 whose %roundbrea#in%ly ori%inal 1an%uard $oetry many can recite by heart< As we #now2 there are #nown #nowns There are thin%s we #now we #now We also #now there are #nown un#nowns That is to say we #now there are some thin%s we

do not #now ;ut there are also un#nown un#nowns2 the ones we donJt #now we donJt #now We li1e in the American A%e An American tourist or resident in Arab countries need not abandon any facet of his or her lifestyle< he or she would fly American Airlines in a )oeing2 %o to Avis rent-a-car and ta#e a 'ord or *hevrolet to a +ilton or Sheraton where his roomJs mini- bar would be stuffed with *oca, *ola2 Pepsi *ola2 )ounty2 and Mars etc 2 sto$$in% by a Mc-onald.s restaurant2 $ayin% it all with a Visa credit card or American /0press tra1eler chec#s or cash withdrawal from any *iti$ank branch America tra1els with Americans and returns with them on the same fli%ht America is e1erywhere *n my $art of the world2 howe1er2 the 3uestion mi%ht be of a different nature< P7o they see usRQ Nr2 P7oes America see us at allRQ 7o you hear our 1oiceR As a matter of fact2 des$ite ha1in% the best intelli%ence a%encies2 news a%encies and corres$ondents2 academic thin# tan#s and research centers2 *1y :ea%ue uni1ersities and 45@2((( troo$s in our midst2 you do not see us *t seems to me that America wants to see and hear America2 and thin#s that this is sufficient Nne of my $oetry collections has the title PThe Logic of All )eings Q This boo# is com$osed of e$i%rams in which $eo$le2 $lants2 animals2 and thin%s s$ea#< The mirror said<

How miserable * am2

!o one of those loo#in% at me

Wants to see PmeQ

A common ni%htmare is one in which the dreamer seems to want to say somethin%2 to scream2 to e/$lain2 but the 1oice is stifled2 lost * often thin# that there are whole %rou$s2 communities2 $eo$les2 races2 and lan%ua%es that face that traumatic e/$erience of the bloc#ed scream2 their 1oices stran%led either by local tyrannies or by bein% i%nored by the outside world !inety $ercent=(X of world lan%ua%es are absent from the *nternet Arabic literature both classical and modern2 thou%h with an unbro#en continuity for 45(( fifteen hundred years2 is almost absent from the world sta%e2 es$ecially in the United States2 where readers thin# that we ha1e no literature e/ce$t for 0ahlil Gibran and the Ara$ian Nights The dominant culture of our $resent times2 which has been that was able to disco1er2 obser1e2 and understand the secrets of the body as well as the secrets of the uni1erse2 is also the culture that is obli1ious to other lan%ua%es2 discourses2 and ci1iliGations The rulers of the sin%le unri1alled su$er$ower seem to be afraid and sus$icious of the rest of the world2 and the rest of the world is afraid and sus$icious of the +enta%onJs future wars *f the USA insists on bein% the sin%le le%islator of ri%ht and wron%2 %ood and e1il2 if it insists on the us- 1s , them di1ision of humanity2 then our world will be %row more dan%erous 7oes America hold a mirror to see othersR 7oes she thin# of what she sees2 or does she always see what she thin#sR When you are the sin%le su$er$ower on this $lanet2 you are easily tem$ted to define others2 to label them2 and to thin# of them as one unit We do see the di1ersity of the American $eo$le< we see their achie1ements2 talents2 in1entions2 mo1ies2 no1els2 shows2 son%s2 dances2 and lo1e stories as well as the abuses of their soldiers in the corridors of Abu Ghraib and the a%%ressi1e $olicies and machinations of their successi1e administrations2 Re$ublican or 7emocrat Whene1er our fanatics and fundamentalists label America Pe1il2Q they are faced down by those who remind them of the PotherQ America2 the beautiful America That is not because we are wiser or more

obSecti1e2 but because your two sides are flawlessly com$letely 1isible to us and widely re$orted2 discussed2 and $rofessionally studied Nn the other hand2 we are 1ictims of systematic2 incessant disinformation and misinformation and disinformation that aims at to hi%hli%htin% our mista#es Dand we ha1e a lot of them2 Sust as you doE A +alestinian2 an Arab2 or a Aoslem is ne1er de$icted as a human bein%2 a lo1er2 $ainter2 en%ineer2 nei%hbor2 uncle2 a man2 or a woman with a sense of humor2 who would sometimes tell a small lie or cheat in on a school e/am or e1en cheat on a s$ouse2 i e Tthat is2 a normal creature Sust li#e all others *s it colonial blindness that %uides White House $olicy towards our re%ionR Nr is it the a desire to resort to military mi%ht and the $ower of the media to im$ose the American will e1erywhereR "es2 the media can be a trainin% cam$ for inSustice and a tool in %lobal domination The +enta%on needs 8o/ !ews and other $owerful cultural fi%ures2 and they com$lement one another The em$ire needs its docile tal#in% heads Nur $roblem is that the sin%le %reatest $ower in the world and Euro$e is blindly su$$ortin% *srael and is totally biased in its attitude towards the Aiddle East The American elite automatically ado$t the *sraeli narrati1e and refuse to ac#nowled%e our ri%hts or sufferin% The USA Dand Euro$eE seem to thin# that anythin% done or decided by *srael is %ood2 le%al2 and le%itimate< the collecti1e $unishment2 the settlement- buildin%2 the a$artheid Wallwall2 the tar%eted #illin%s2 the denial of the Ri%ht to Return of the +alestinian refu%ees2 the re-2 re-2 reoccu$ation of our towns and 1illa%es2 and the military chec#$oints and incarceration of more than 442(((ele1en thousand +alestinians in *sraeli detention centers and Sails Z the list %oes on With such a bias you can ne1er reach a Sust

solution2 and it is this bias that is the real obstacle to successful ne%otiations or a lastin% $eace in the re%ion

* do wish that some American columnists2 TH commentators2 editors2 and filmma#ers were similar to some of their *sraeli collea%ues "es2 e1en the *sraeli $ress is far better We are bein% systematically demoniGed by both sides2 but $ro-*sraeli American Aedia is more fanatically $ro-*sraeli than the *sraelis themsel1es *s this caused by historic misunderstandin%R This 3uestion is a serious 3uestion indeed2 because it stands as a eu$huism eu$hemism for biased $olicies * was once as#ed in an inter1iew about the misunderstandin% of *slam in the United States and in the West in %eneral This was my answer< *f Pmisunderstandin%Q ser1es some $eo$leJs interests and hel$s in the achie1ement of their obSecti1es they will decide to misunderstand1 Aisunderstandin%2 here2 is not an incident of bad luc# or the lac# of information and dataU it is an intentional choice +olitical leaders and biased mass media are s#illed at ele1atin% certain 1alues and conce$tions or de%radin% them to the lowest abyss2 accordin% to their a%enda The whole thin% is not about dis$uted theolo%ical or cultural differences or $hiloso$hical issues Nne has to loo# for $olitical economy to understand the attem$ts of the decision ma#ers in the USA to im$ose uniform %lobal 1alues on all nations and all cultures The neoconser1ati1esJ lan%ua%e of us 1s them can lead to endless wars and send humans to the #illin% fields Scandalous $arado/es and a%%ressi1e2 dece$ti1e $ro$a%anda subSect our world to the terrorism the rest of the world claims to fi%ht 7emocracy is acce$ted or reSected accordin% to Washin%tonJs interestsU dictatorshi$s are created2 armed2 financed2 and $rotected by Washin%ton in one re%ion and bombarded with smart bombs in another Unfortunately2 America was and is the main friend2 $rotector2 and su$$orter of any dictator in the world ser1in% its interests2 from the

royal family in Saudi Arabia to General +inochet in Chile to Ausharraf in +a#istan "ou cannot ally with such dictators and then in1ade other countries to teach democracy Will such $olicies continueR Almost all Arab countries are now ruled by dictatorshi$s and corru$t %o1ernments Aillions of Arabs are economic emi%rants outside their countries Aillions more are in 1oluntary e/ile The life of those who stay in their countries is not easier +olitical $risoners in Arab Sails number in the thousands2 and the United States is allied with their o$$ressors American alliances in this $art of the world $rotract our sufferin% The *sraeli military occu$ation has been turnin% +alestinian life into a real hell2 and it will continue to do so because of the small thin#in% of the *sraeli %o1ernments and their its bi%%est friend2 the USA *n fact2 all destructi1e theories such as fascism2 racism2 a$artheid2 colonialism2 terrorism2 des$otism are the result of small thin#in% and o1ersim$lification of com$le/ issues *srael and the USA refuse to see the humanity of their 1ictims2 and until this attitude chan%es2 the so-called P$eace $rocessQ and all the attem$ts to sol1e the $roblem will end in failure The +alestinians ha1e been ne%otiatin% with *srael for fifteen45 years now in the framewor# of the P$eace $rocessQ without achie1in% anythin%2 and that is $artly because of the unconditional American su$$ort of *sraelJs intransi%ence and its contem$t for international law ;y $uttin% $ressure on the wea# side in the conflict2 the U SA can achie1e some accord and celebrate success2 but this will not last *t mi%ht $ost$one tensions or delay confrontations2 but without Sustice2 no a%reement or accord can sur1i1e and no crisis can be sol1ed * am not a $olitician and it is too late for me to become one * ha1e ne1er Soined any $olitical $arty and * will not do so now2 but it is my duty to name the wron% as truthfully as * can and to $oint out inSustices $er$etrated by any side *t is my duty to $ut the two

$ronouns us and them under scrutiny and to be critical of PourQ own actions and reactions as Arabs and Aoslems Hysterical calls to condemn anythin% American are the $roduct of second-rate analysis and miserable o1ersim$lification Such calls are $art of the $roblem and not $art of the solution 8ortunately2 this is not the dominant trend Nur students do their best to Soin American uni1ersities2 and we enSoy the fruits of American creati1ity and e/$lorations in arts2 sciences2 social studies2 and technolo%y ;ut U S military boots on our soil are stron%ly o$$osed2 and our inde$endence will not be bro#en to $lease American cor$orations Geor%e W ;ushJs feeble attem$t to understand anti-American sentiment led him to announce that they envy us1 This $seudo-analysis of international conflicts is dimwitted com$laisance com$lacency that e/$lains nothin% What should be said to the American $eo$le is that we do not en1y you for your way of life2 but we reSect ta#in% other $eo$lesJ li1es to #ee$ your way of life Any terrorist answer to conflicts is e3ually reSected Nn Se$tember 442th '((42 the whole world was united in genuine sympathy and solidarity with the &S'. There was no reason for the "ush administration to fabricate lies and concoct false evidence about *weapons of mass destruction+ and plunge into a devastating war. 'ware of its bad image in the Middle $ast, where anti-American sentiments run hi%h2 the ;ush administration has set u$ the Arabic-lan%ua%e satellite networ# Al-Hurra2 Radio Sawa2 and stren%thened ties with many local Sournalists2 news$a$ers2 and ma%aGines to win the hearts and minds of the $eo$le2 but none of these efforts a$$ear to ha1e achie1ed substantial results The mission to $romote American $olicies would be easier if these $olicies were subSected to serious reassessment "ou cannot maintain such a%%ressi1e and biased $olicies and e/$ect to im$ro1e the way you are seen in the re%ion The faith in

military $ower has $la%ued the forei%n $olicy of the United States ;ut a military solution to all conflicts and differences is not only dan%erous and costlyU it is futile and more than that2 ine1itably leads to new conflicts History tells us that neither the $owerful remain $owerful fore1er2 nor do the wea# remain wea# fore1er At the Sunction of the chan%in% of the %uard at the White House2 a re1ision of $olicy is li#ely to ta#e $lace AristotleJs notion of Pthin#in%Q as a Psolitary dialo%ue between me and myselfQ comes to my mind whene1er * contem$late what is missin% in America today +oetry cannot2 and is not intended to2 %uide $olitics or decide $olicies ;ut it can ins$ire us to action Remember the horse of Robert 8rost2 in one of his beautiful $oems< * He %i1es his harness bells a sha#e I To as# if there is some mista#e Q

Aorocco I the The !etherlands 7ear America2 Abdel#ader ;enali

Nf all historical mista#es2 you are the most e/ce$tional one and you #now it *t is for that reason that the immi%rant2 the historical mista#e $ar e/cellence2 is attracted to $ut down roots in you2 because lots of historical accidents . Tall those brilliant blunders . Tma#e one %reat %lowin% %em * also see my writin% career as a historical mista#e The only way to deal with this mista#e is by embracin% it and ma#in% the most of it To li1e the contradiction2 as it were *lliterate $arents from the Aoroccan Rif settled in Rotterdam2 !etherlands2 with ho$es of a better life and %ood schoolin% for their children2 and2 in time2 a 1ideo-recorder Nne #id becomes a writer Such bad luc#[ Ay writin% career started with a writin% com$etition run by a 7utch news$a$er that won me a tri$ to one of your %reatest Sewels2 !ew "or# . Tthe $latinum tooth in your already richly filled mouth As you can see2< we were doomed to be to%ether Had the $riGe been a tri$ to Stoc#holm * would not ha1e tried nearly as hard When * first set foot on American soil2 * was ei%hteen or so2 an a%e at which you are erotically susce$tible to e1erythin%2 from *talian football to AahlerJs 8ifth *t was my first tri$ across the ocean Aichael Jordan2 Richard +ryor2 and Aichael J 8o/ didnJt mean anythin% yet * tried out my "an#ee En%lish on the blac# ta/i dri1er and my $oetry on the s#yline * stammered out sentences in which words li#e Pshining2Q Psharp2Q Pma2estic2Q and2 yes2 e1en Punreacha$le2Q lit u$ li#e %litterin% diamonds * was set u$ with a hotel not far from Aadison S3uare Garden * claimed to hear the balls fallin% throu%h the bas#etball

nets At that time * #new the scores stats of all the Chica%o ;ulls $layers off by heart *n the hotel lobby stood a cowboy !othin% was far away2 e1erythin% was within reach +oc#etin% my first dollars2 this Aoroccan-Euro$ean %y$sy with his tent2 bear2 tambourine2 and tric#s u$ his slee1e to win the $ublicJs charm2 be%an a $ersonal odyssey throu%h this city * was forced to redefine my laGy definitions of s$ace2 time2 and mass Einstein needed a train Sourney from ;asel to ;U you became my ;asel where * saw that time is elasticity moulded in concrete Nn the street * heard Arabic bein% s$o#en2 into which * read that this city2 li#e old ;abylon2 attracts astrolo%ers2 and where there is astrolo%y2 there are o$$ortunities Ay family and * made our way to the A$ollo Theater2 where the soulJs inde$endence was confirmed a%ain That e1enin% * went to bed with a 4(@- de%ree2 culture-e/citement induced fe1er

"ou were then bein% led by Clinton2 a $resident whoTwith all his hy$er-intelli%ent charm2 with that round face that could lau%h so o$enly and shamelessly at "eltsinJs bumblin%2 with the tone in which he shared his bedroom secrets with the worldTalready felt dated2 wornout2 a mista#e that needed to ma#e way for other mista#es

E1erythin% * ate in !ew "or# was fried and tasted stic#y *n a stand-u$ comedy cafM * dran# coca Coca-cola Cola out of a %lass buc#et and to celebrate my crossin% * stole the buc#et2 too# it with me to my hotel2 and wra$$ed it in news$a$er to ta#e bac# to Euro$e The hi%h $oint of the tri$ at that $ointR The World Trade Center *t seemed as if the whole 1isit was built around this small $il%rima%e So many floors that we $assed at flyin% s$eed to reach the to$ where we could loo# out o1er all that teemin% history Here * am2 * thou%ht2 standin% in the #eyhole2 the ;or%esian Ale$h of all historical mista#es The front

$ortal to e1erythin% Here is where the #ey is turned with sur$risin%2 une/$ected2 and often destructi1e conse3uences for all Helico$ters and $ro$eller-$lanes came by What2 * wondered2 if a little $lane flew throu%h this #eyhole into the $ast2 $resent2 and future2 what would that little $lace o$en2 what smell would come throu%h the o$ened doorR Content with this thou%ht * floated bac# down a%ain The World Trade Center %ained as lieu de memoire !othin% could tem$er my enthusiasm . Tthe immi%rantJs antidote to a hostile world . Tnot e1en my worn-out shoes *n my hotel room * $ierced a blister The moisture that flowed o1er my foot was this churchJs holy water

Whoe1er2 li#e you2 has %i1en oneself the tas# of bein% e/ce$tional in all thin%s2 must find it hard to bear when you see it co$ied2 stolen2 and $erfected by others TheyJ1e ta#en your %reatest treasure from you Nthers seem to be able to do it Sust as wellTbetter2 3uic#er2 and with less fuss Their stee$ %rowth cur1es recall the nineteenth century The Wild West in the East and you canJt %o bac# to the be%innin% to rise a%ain li#e a $hoeni/ from the ashes and start the stru%%le anew "ouJ1e built u$ an im$ressi1e list of achie1ements History is on your side ;ut now whatR The $ri1ile%es you awarded yourself in e/chan%e for the %enerosity with which you handed out the fruits of your labor and talent2 border on the monstrous . Te1en that beha1iour has been co$ied The only thin% they canJt ta#e away from you is your manhood They can s3ueeGe your balls from time to time to see what ha$$ens To see if you are still a man or ha1e since ta#en on effeminate ways a la Rome in decline Sittin% bac# and enSoyin% the status you ha1e achie1ed is not in your nature "ou need to win2 to destroy 7urin% those days America showed me that when one is e/ce$tionalTin contrast to 7utch morality . Tnothin% is absurd

Ay stay in !ew "or# was not yet o1er The day before my de$arture to stable2 washedout2 %rey %ray Euro$e2 * felt a reSection of my roots2 my family2 and the !etherlands * thou%ht e1erythin% should resemble America * wanted to li1e the future and decided that the only way to ma#e this ha$$en was to stay in !ew "or# and2 li#e the Arabs *Jd seen days before in the street2 become the astrolo%er of my own destiny *Jm a Sa%ittarius and my mother $redicted * would try to %rab it all Ay $arents didnJt want me bein% ta#en for a ride They had come alon% because they thou%ht * was too youn% for tourist solitude * was %oin% to show them that wasnJt the case * needed to %o into hidin% and decided to mo1e into an enormous boo#sho$ where * had bou%ht Ral$h EllisonJs %nvisi$le Man the day before When my $arents realiGed my disa$$earance2 they would notify the $olice and file a missin% $ersonJs re$ort ;ut ultimately they would decide there was no $oint to stayin% in the city and return home * #now the 7utchU once theyJ1e satisfied their emotional and administrati1e duty2 they sail off At 4(<((2 * $ac#ed my ba%s and wal#ed on my threadbare shoes to the subway Ten $lasters banda%es on each foot * left a note in the hotel for my $arents< P7onJt loo# for me Q * didnJt write this it to reassure but as a warnin%2 as e1idence of my determination When * had left the hotel2 it occurred to me that writin% Plea1e me aloneQ would ha1e been better Was that not what * had always stri1ed forR To finally $ut an end to the relentless $ressure to $ro1e yourself2 be #nown2 do your duty laid down by othersR !ew "or# frees you from the res$onsibility of not lettin% anyone down To #ill the few hours before mo1in% into the boo#sho$2 * 1isited the Aetro$olitan Auseum of Art * determined that my first ste$ would be to stride from room to room in search of the artwor# that would calm my ner1es The second ste$ was to swa$ the stic#y2

fried food for a sandwich of sorts Third2 * needed to find a Sob Nn the ste$s of the Aetro$olitan * wrote the followin% lines in my noteboo#< %t has $egun1 Nothing can stop me1 The casts are off1 Now 2ust an American girlfriend1 #elationships are everything1 *n the distance * heard the scream of sirens $ossibly loo#in% for me or2 li#e the Sirens of Ndysseus2 tryin% to tem$t me bac# home !ot lon% after * had sat down in a cafM to be%in my autobio%ra$hy2 a beautiful woman came in #elationships are everything1 *t wasnJt difficult to ma#e contact because she sat down ne/t to me and * was elo3uent Within fi1e minutes * had told her about my as$irations * 3uoted Thurou/Therou/2 Aarlowe2 and the Aar/ ;rothers * ho$ed * came across as one of the craGy Aar/-characters She listened with interest2 left me her card2 and told me to contact her if * %ot stuc# *n the !etherlands * had been %i1en the ad1ice to ne1er ta#e u$ this #ind of in1itation--TitJs American $oliteness2 not to be confused with hos$itality * felt she was different *n the ;arnes & !oble * had chosen as tem$orary accommodation * reclined on a bi% leather sofa in the fiction de$artment and started ta#in% boo#s off the shel1es at random Ay enthusiasm boiled o1er when my eye fell on a small boo# containin% the 7eclaration of *nde$endence Thou%h * had com$any--Ta dar# man was sittin% in a corner with his head in an Asian coo#boo#--T* started feelin% lonely * must ha1e radiated this because * was suddenly a$$roached by the same woman * had met in the cafM She smiled at me and wal#ed o1er to the coo#boo# area P*s this the boo# you are loo#in% forRQ * as#ed her and handed her the Asian coo#boo# * had remo1ed from under the dar# manJs nose P"es2 this is the boo# * was loo#in% for * ha1e a %uest this e1enin% who * am coo#in% for Q Thin%s were %oin% in the ri%ht direction * told her about my e/$erience with

%in%er and blac# bean sauce Dthe short-li1ed relationshi$ * had with the Chinese dau%hter of a ta#e-away restaurant2 was bearin% fruitE Unfortunately she had to lea1e and the moment she was %one the loneliness of the ad1enturer descended u$on me a%ain * tac#led my weariness by di1in% into the boo#sU eatin% some chocolate biscuits coo#ies and then more chocolate biscuitscoo#ies Slowly my $atience be%an to run out The sho$ was closin% Without e/ternal stimulus my will$ower be%an to fade * decided not to s$end the ni%ht in the boo#sho$ Standin% in front of a cosycoGy2 warm restaurant2 * wor#ed out what * wanted to eat from the menu2 what it would cost me2 and then decided not to do itTa 3uic# sum informed me * would ha1e used u$ my dollars before reachin% the main course *t was about %ettin% throu%h the first day2 * told myself Tomorrow e1erythin% would be easier +erha$s it was a %ood idea to %et a Sob 1ia the bac#doorR The Ae/ican boy washin% u$ loo#ed at me with %lassy eyes2 shouted somethin% in an American dialect to someone2 and recei1ed a res$onse which that he summariGed as !N[ * retorted him with my bi%%est %reetin%< hasta la victoria sempre * searched in my ba% for the last chocolate biscuit coo#ie and found the card of the woman who had ta#en the Asian coo#boo# from me Close e/amination of the ma$ showed me she li1ed Sust a stoneJs throw away2 a mere forty-fi1e@5 minutes away She had said * could call her if * was stuc# * rec#oned that moment had come * had a sudden stron% desire for Chinese sou$ The ta/i dri1er too# me as far as my money allowed We had an animated con1ersation about the world we li1ed in He from the +unSab2 me from the Rif * as#ed if he #new of a Sob for someone who #new how to wor# hard We $arted as friends

Her name is Catherine She comes from the Aidwest and is blonde She doesnJt seem sur$rised P"ou really had nowhere left to %o2Q she said with a smile

P"es2 you are my last refu%e Q PWelcome Q * sat on the sofa in her a$artment She 1anished2 shuffled $ast2 and 1anished a%ain She as#ed if * wanted a drin# * said anythin% non-fiGGy was fine * was handed a %lass of red wine When she came bac# she as#ed me to follow her to the dinin% room PWerenJt you e/$ectin% a %uestRQ P"es2 he has arri1ed Q The table was set for two We ate the Asian dishes we had s$o#en about in the boo#sho$ * couldnJt eat with cho$stic#s so * used a #nife and for# She as#ed me endlessly about the !etherlands2 * as#ed her endlessly about !ew "or# She said my eyes shone * said it was because of her

The enthusiasm that had characterised characteriGed youTin *shmael of Mo$y -ick2 +ortnoy of Portnoy.s *omplaint2 Aoses HerGo% of +er!og2 Huc#leberry in +uckle$erry 'inn--Trecei1ed a massi1e blow when the towers fell on Se$tember 44th The #eyhole 1anished out of si%ht The #ey was lost and had to be searched for amon%stamon% the rubble2 the dead2 and the molten bronGe artwor#s The #ey had melted And we could only loo# on2 $artly shoc#ed2 $artly in1ol1ed2 and lar%ely unsure and ner1ous about the conse3uences of your rancour And then the bombs be%an to fall Nn 0abul2 in on ;a%hdad Aaybe one day in *ran :i#e e1ery em$ire you wi$e out what shows your wea#nesses "ou burn to the %round the $ainful contradictions brou%ht to li%ht by the %a$ between sayin% and doin% *n this you are no different from other em$ires Nnly you do it with a smile With no rush With an enthusiasm that is conta%ious A ;-5' is a bas#etball $layer who scores bas#et after bas#et Haru#i Aura#ami wrote in his afterword for The ind, 3p )ird *hronicle that he was in

America at the time of the first Gulf War and he sensed an enthusiasm for the comin% war The idea alone united $eo$le2 he said2 %a1e them a %oal A self-a$$ointed mission to free the world of the bad %uys We are on that trac# a%ain *f em$ires are %ood for somethin% it is for ma#in% war !othin% e/ce$tional about that2 you Sust #now how to2 with your charm2 ma#e it e/ce$tional in e/ecution and style

Someone #noc#ed on the door Ay su$er1isors said it was time to %o P*n one hour at the rece$tion des# WeJre off[Q * had the taste of salt in my mouth 7ran# water How did * %et from her to here * remembered that Catherine had %one for a wal# with me She had to be at wor# early the ne/t day2 in fi1e hours time in fact so couldnJt ma#e it a late one * understood The Ae/ican who told me there was no wor# for me in the restaurant2 wal#ed by He didnJt reco%niGe me * too# a shower2 chan%ed my clothes and decided not to thin# about it anymore The ad1enture was o1er *n the ta/i bac# to the air$ort * was so 3uiet the su$er1isor as#ed if * was ill P!o2Q * said2 PSust a little tired Q

The only sou1enir was the %lass * had stolen That e1enin% * %a1e it to my father He loo#ed at it and said2 PHow beautiful2 a flower 1ase Q * said nothin% but had to lau%h Euro$e would ne1er understand America2 not e1en this resident immi%rant ;ut the 1ase ne1er saw flowers The ne/t day it sli$$ed out of my hand Gra1ity $ulled it %roundwards and it shattered into a thousand %i%%lin% tears

Ae/ico Aarilyn AonroeJs +anties Carmen ;oullosa

Nn the 1ery same day that the astronaut John Glenn orbited the Earth three times2 Aarilyn Aonroe boasted that she2 too2 had done somethin% 3uite intre$id< she had tra1eled to Ae/ico Those were not em$ty words Ae/ico and the United States may be ne/t- door nei%hbors2 but we are nonetheless far a$art in s$irit 7es$ite the fact that we share the busiest border crossin% in the world2 that twenty million of my fellow citiGens li1e in the USA2 that our economies are ine/tricably lin#ed2 that we ha1e sim$ly no way of esca$in% each other2 we remain radically different ;oth sides ha1e a hard time understandin% and #nowin% who2 e/actly2 li1es ne/t door Really2 we are rather li#e those classic marria%es of yesteryear2 a cou$le irre1ersibly bound by fate and family2 with no $ossibility of di1orce We ha1e totally irreconcilable $ersonalitiesU2 we seethe with mutual scorn2 Zyet we slee$ side by side2 in se$arate beds ;etween us the Rio Grande2 a ri1er whose waters alternately flow and dry at 1arious s$ots alon% its course When Aarilyn Aonroe made her now-famous tri$ to Ae/ico2 the first thin% she did was re3uest an audience with the 8irst :ady2 who had cham$ioned the cause of ser1in% free brea#fasts in the countryJs $ublic schools When the two women met2 Aarilyn handed the 8irst :ady a donation2 a chec# in the amount of two thousand U S dollars2 Pfor the children of Ae/ico Q +resident :B$eG Aateos2 who in the middle of the Cold War described himself as a P$ra%matic leftistQ and was re$uted to be somethin% of a 7on Juan2 recei1ed the actress behind closed doors in the +residential +alace Under the %enteel $rotection of a Ae/ican

ambassador2 she was s3uired from the city center to ,ochimilco2 where she admired the canals2 the flower-festooned chalupa boats2 the music Dmariachi and otherwiseE2 the 3uesadillas ser1ed2 freshly -made2 from the canoes Z

The news$a$ers dedicated $a%e after $a%e to Aarilyn2 who then tra1eled to Ta/co2 the beautiful colonial minin% town in the state of Guerrero where La )andida was bein% filmed The mo1ie featured the illustrious Emilio DEl *ndioE 8ernFndeG actin% alon%side La -o4a5 La Me0icana6 AarOa 8Mli/2 the $aradi%m of Ae/ican beauty and one of the le%endary di1as of our domestic cinema U$on learnin% of AonroeJs 1isit2 8Mli/ refused to meet the P%rin%a Q * was se1en years old when la Aonroe came to our country2 and in my house nary a word was mentioned about her Sun#et !othin% was said about the lo1er she su$$osedly too# u$on arri1al2 a $roducer by the name of ;olaVos with whom she tra1eled to Aca$ulco2 and then to :os An%eles2 where the affair ended !or did * hear a word about the $arties2 coc#tail %atherin%s2 or restaurants she %raced with her $resence in the com$any of Cantinflas and other Ae/ican luminaries All * heard was that Aarilyn Aonroe was a P%rin%a2Q nothin% more s$ecific than that !ot a sin%le mention of how2 in the le%endary Continental Hotel in the city center2 a $hoto%ra$her immortaliGed her crossin% her im$ossibly white le%s and re1ealin% that she wore absolutely nothin% beneath her dress !or did anyone in my house tal# of the crowds that %athered outside her hotel chantin% her name2 or of the %enerous chec# she %a1e to hel$ the $oor !othin% PGrin%a Q To call it $eSorati1e is an understatement that barely describes the wei%ht of a term uttered by women $erched ato$ the hi%h horse of Ae/ican aristocracy P8rom the remote $ast I u$on the %reat $yramids of TeotihuacFn I u$on the teocallis and the 1olcanoes I u$on the bones and the crosses of the %olden con3uistadors I time %rows in silence2Q %oes the $oem P7el $asado

remotoQ D8rom the remote $astE by the renowned Sal1ador !o1o2 in his day the chronicler of Ae/ico City The women that who sat around our family dinner table called her P%rin%aQ not because she was a di1orceedi1orcMeTin my house di1orcees di1orcMes were not mentioned because mine was a traditional family that2 for a time2 had had a brief flirtation with N$us 7ei !o2 they des$ised her because she was a P%rin%a2Q a woman who wore no $anties They des$ised her because they themsel1es thou%ht they were so ele%ant The women in my family #new they had style2 $lenty of itTafter all2 they were citiGens of a country with thirty centuries of history behind it U$ there to the north of the ROo ;ra1o Das we call itE2 the %rin%os were a bunch of u$start cowboys2 brutes that $ossessed neither culture nor tradition D;ut there is somethin% else that stri#es me about Aarilyn AonroeJs missin% $anties *mbedded in the Ae/ican collecti1e consciousness is the belief that indi%enous women do not use underclothes beneath their traditional dress And loo#in% bac# now2 * canJt hel$ but wonder if there wasnJt a hint of deni%ration in that nasty remar#2 a re$rise of the Aalinche myth2 the myth of the ra$ed woman2 whose le%s are always o$en Pfor the masterQ in what is a $articular 1ariant of sla1ery 8or Aalinche had %i1en CortMs the #ey to con3uer our country *t had to be in Ae/ico2 Aarilyn2 where they too# that $hoto%ra$h of you without your $anties on Nnly in Ae/ico2 where the indi%enous women2 as the le%end %oes2 donJt wear $anties2 either E Gettin% bac# to what was said and not said in my house2 one thin% * do remember 3uite well is len%thy descri$tions of the astronaut John GlennJs %reat feats 7urin% afterdinner con1ersations2 his e/$loits were enumerated in la1ish detail2 thou%h * must say that my family failed to mention that he2 li#e Aarilyn2 was also a P%rin%o Q Surely2 this

omission was due to the fact that Glenn was differentTunli#e Aarilyn2 his con3uests were Pfor man#ind Q The same year that Aarilyn toured Ae/ico2 our country welcomed other 1isitors from the north2 such as the 0ennedys2 who also caused a sensation Thousands u$on thousands %athered at the air$ort2 and e1en more lined the road that carried them2 in a con1ertible2 to the !ational +alace2 and still more 1enerated the cou$le when they went to mass at the ;asilica of the Hir%in of Guadalu$e "et2 $art of what made the 0ennedys such a daGGlin% success in Ae/ico2 and all across :atin America for that matter2 was the fact that they were %rin%os2 but then a%ain2 they werenJtTnot really At the end of the day2 J80Js family was *rish Catholic2 and Jac3ueline was not only not blonde but she actually s$o#e S$anish2 which meant that she was an PeducatedQ $erson2 not Sust another Pdumb %rin%a Q So they werenJt totally %rin%osTnot real %rin%o %rin%os in the truest sense2 at least They wore underwear beneath their formal clothes2 they attended mass and they ate real meals at the middle of the day2 not the ty$ical American Plonch2Q as we called it Lonch< in the mo1ie Primero soy me0icano DP8irst * am a Ae/icanQE2 Joa3uOn +arda1M Da !ar!uela sin%er and actor with a s$ecial %ift for comedyE2 $lays a man li1in% in Ae/ico whose son2 now li1in% in the USA2 comes to $ay him a 1isit Here2 the $oint is dri1en home 3uite clearly< in this mo1ie2 the nutritional mores of our nei%hbors to the north are considered the stuff of wild beasts PLonchRQ the father as#s his son PWhat #ind of insanity2 what #ind of atrocity is thatR We are culti1ated $eo$le2 we eat a comida2 not Ylonch JQ The so-called American Way of :ife is the butt of many a So#e2 as well2 in the comedy by Juan ;ustillo de Nro2 Ac7 las tortas DPHere2 TortasQE \n b < tortas are a #ind of sandwich that Ae/icans find totally different from the sandwiches ser1ed across the

border]2 a film that re1isits the to$ic of those nut cases u$ north At the family dinner table2 the adults wile away the hours in con1ersation2 eatin% not lonch but many of the delicacies of the e/3uisite cuisine of Tabasco..turtle sou$2 shar# bread2 layers of tortillas2 shar# coo#ed in tomato sauce2 and fried blac# beans2 stuffed hens2 ;as3ue-style codfish2 liGardfish tamales2 stuffed 7utch cheese2 copa nevada..a #ind of 8le flotant..burnt mil# Z Ay father wor#ed his entire life at a P$roud to be Ae/icanQ com$any that made D1ery whiteE industrial bread..sliced breadTwhich that was far from a local tradition2 ha1in% been im$orted than#s to P%rin%oQ technolo%y He had studied chemistry at the Jesuit uni1ersity because his family belie1ed that was the $rofession of the future2 a $o$ular notion in those daysU my mother went to the same uni1ersity to study chemistry as well2 and that is how and where they met :ater on in Ainnesota2 after he was married but before he %raduated2 my father too# a course in bread $roduction that ultimately $roduced the to$ic for the thesis that earned him his de%ree2 and he told me that in the Twin Cities he and my mother would %o to baseball %ames * can only assume they also must ha1e eaten those classic American lonches as well :oo#in% bac# on my fatherJs $rofession2 another Sal1ador !o1o 3uote comes to mind< P!i%ht< Wor#er2 * donJt mean to say * am a socialist I but you ha1e s$ent the entire day I ta#in% care of machines in1ented by Americans I to ta#e care of needs in1ented by Americans Q At home it was ne1er su%%ested that my fatherJs wor# had anythin% at all to do with the Americans..his com$any was one hundred $er cent Ae/icanTnor were the words PworkerQ or &SocialistssocialistsQ e1er uttered PChristianity yes2 Communism noQ stic#ers were fundamental elements of my family life bac# then "et my father could not hide the fury and desolation he felt when the :a AGteca chocolate com$any was sold to Pthe

%rin%os Q * remember it wellU2 we were in the car when he started com$lainin%< P!ow2 e1ery time a Ae/ican child eats a Carlos Cuinto \a fa1orite sweet treat in those days] the %rin%os will %et e1en richer WasnJt Almonris enou%hRQ he fumed2 referrin% to another childhood candy2 $roduced by Chocolates :arOn2 which had already been ta#en o1er by Pthe P%rin%os Q E1ery time another Ae/ican com$any Pfell into the clutches of the %rin%os2Q it was a day of mournin% for usTthose cowboys from the north were so %reedy Ay fatherJs horror reached its $ea# when a U S com$any be%an to com$ete with his in the $roduction and sale of sliced breadU * remember hearin% him say how this could be the end of e1erythin%2 that the %rin%os #new all there was to #nowTmar#etin% $loys2 snea#y tactics2 bribin% unions and %o1ernment officials They were utterly without scru$les2 and they came armed with all of Uncle SamJs money and mi%ht * heard the main $oints of this lecture one Sunday mornin% as my father contem$lated the full-$a%e ad1ertisement that Sunbeam bread had ta#en out in /l /0celsior2 Pthe news$a$er of our nationJs life Q Nh2 it was im$ossible to com$ete with the %rin%os :uc#ily there were laws that $rotected us2 laws that declared PAe/ico for the Ae/icans Q !ationalist sentiment..that is2 Ae/ico for the Ae/icansTwas not limited to Se$tember 45th2 our *nde$endence 7ay2 when the entire $o$ulace e/$lodes in a countrywide celebration of e$ic $ro$ortions Ae/ico was ours The %rin%os had already robbed us of Te/as and made off with another siGable chun# of our territory2 but we had reclaimed our oil Nur iciest disdain was reser1ed for the prestanom$res2 the name-lenders< mercenary lawyers who would sell their names to the %rin%os who wanted to $urchase $ro$erties that by law were off-limits to Americans As we Ae/icans re1eled in our %rin%o$hobia2 we also indul%ed in our own brand of domestic racism< a%ainst the *ndians Nf course2 the *ndians that were our nationJs

ancestors were brilliant2 sublime2 but those that li1ed amon% us in the here-and-now were rele%ated to the most abSect $o1erty2 e/$elled from our contem$orary world1iew2 all within the con1iction that Ae/ico is a mesti!o country DTo %o bac# to AarilynJs $anties for a moment.< .in the $rudish Ae/ico of those days2 anyone who %aGed at that $hoto which disrobed her so $ublicly was2 in effect2 $enetratin% the %rin%a2 for the ima%e had the effect of %i1in% her u$ to the $eo$le ZE As for the industrial bread that rested in the hands of our familyJs $rofessional e/$ert2 my father e/$lained2 in a way that almost sounded li#e a Sustification2 that his com$any made their sliced bread because it tra1eled better2 stayed fresher lon%er2 didnJt %et so%%y or hard at the dro$ of a hat ;ut most im$ortantly2 he said2 they made the bread because they were able to do so under the most hy%ienic conditionsTit was sanitary2 healthy And as when he said those words * had no idea that they were in fact 1ery %rin%oes3ue criteria Which reminds me once a%ain of a $oem by Sal1ador !o1o2 this time his P8rida 0ahlo<Q< Pthe cereals full of 1itamins the s$inach full of time Q !ow2 e1er since my earliest childhood * #new of nothin% more e/3uisite than a $olillo2 our white bread2 or a corn tortilla2 neither of which was $roduced in 1ery hy%ienic conditions2 accordin% to my fatherTthe ba#ers who churned out $olillos would wi$e the sweat from their brows with the dou%h they #neaded !or did their $roducts stay fresh for more than a day2 and they tra1eled 3uite miserably At the time when Aarilyn Aonroe came to Ae/ico2 * still had not be%un to $lay with ;arbies2 nor eat Sweetarts or HersheyJs 0issesTonce * did2 they were $ure $aradise for me2 stiff com$etition for the Carlos Cuinto candies2 the almonris chocolates2 the CereGo marGi$ans and the non-industrial2 hand-$re$ared %reen man%os on a stic# with $i3uOn chilies that * ha1e since seen for sale on street corners in !ew "or# DthatJs Ae/ican e/$ort

technolo%y for you[E2 the tamarind balls2 the almond s3uares2 and the homemade chocolate bars that my %randmother made in her #itchen * only %ot my hands on 0isses and ;arbies only because my father brou%ht them bac# directly from the land u$ northU because they were not for sale in Ae/icoTthe mar#et was $rotected Nur country was 1ery stin%y when it came to %rantin% im$ort licenses for all #inds of $roducts2 and it was e/$ressly forbidden to im$ort thin%s li#e household a$$liances and other such %oods Ay father occasionally tra1eled to Grin%oland for $rofessional reasons TTto manufacture sliced bread2 one had to stay on to$ of inno1ations in the industry ;ut he was ha$$y to return home P+oor %rin%os[Q * always thou%ht2 with the aristocratic $reSudice of those who come from a culture thirty centuries old2 as * connected the dots between the many thin%s * had heard here and there about life in America< PThey li1e in deserted wastelands they call Ysuburbia2JQ * said to myself2 Pin a country that isnJt anywhere near as beautiful \or certainly not as cute] as ours Q That was because the %rin%os didnJt ha1e San :uis +otosO2 or the lo1ely city of Lacatecas2 or GuanaSuato2 or Ae/ico City..which2 unli#e the ni%htmare it is today2 was a beautiful city bac# then2 with roundabouts and fountains2 lush $romenades bloomin% with dahlias2 trams that tra1ersed the city with ease2 and 1olcanoes that loomed o1er us from the ed%es of our tall 1alley !or did the %rin%os ha1e beaches nearly as breathta#in% as ours2 ob1iouslyTotherwise2 what were all those P%rin%asQ doin% in Aca$ulco2 ma#in% fools of themsel1es as they #issed the lancheros who dro1e the tourist boatsR +recisely because we $ossessed such %reat wealth and they $ossessed nothin% but a barren2 almost suffocatin% wilderness2 we had to $rotect oursel1es from themThow could we hel$ but feel afraid that they mi%ht want to ma#e off with all that belon%ed to usR

And so2 when la Aonroe $aid her 1isit to Ae/ico2 the wei%ht of that word2 gringo2 was crystal clear to me2 des$ite the fact that * was only se1en at the time 9ringo was a word that im$lied scorn2 that saw the American Way of :ife as the domain of rude2 1ul%ar heathens ;ut as soon as * abandoned my ;arbies and other childhood whims .Tthis was before the com$uter a%eTit did not ta#e lon% for me to become a fan of ;ob 7ylan and the Rollin% Stones2 to %et #issed for the first time to the strains of Auddy Waters2 and to declare Aartin :uther 0in%2 Jr my all-time hero !ot lon% after that2 * chanced u$on my 1ery first co$y of Ms1 ma%aGine2 started wearin% embroidered blouses from Na/aca2 worshi$$ed CortFGar and !eruda2 and thou%ht to myself2 with all the force * could muster< P"an#ee %o home[Q *n this * was actually Soined by some %rin%o friends2 the #ind that Sal1ador !o1o describes in the $re1iously -cited $oem P7el $asado remoto2Q almost $uttin% his words in the mouth of my mother2 %randmother and aunts< Pyan3ui I defeated by the machine that en%endered his comforts I bewildered2 dri1en mad by the noises of industry2 I missionary2 tourist2 Sournalist2 I %reat blond thin#ers who arri1ed in an air$lane I Another man said< YWith a few 8ord tractors2 I a few Crane toilets2 I a few #ilometers of $a1ed roads I Ae/ico will be the $aradise I that the United States failed to become JQ *n the 4=)(s2 with Salinas de Gortari and the !A8TA accord2 thin%s too# a turn2 thou%h not 4)( de%rees The P%rin%oQ no lon%er needed those name-lenders to buy and $ossess *m$orts entered the country unrestricted Small com$anies went ban#ru$t *mmi%ration to the United States.Tille%al2 of course2 Sust li#e those ;arbies2 Sweetarts2 and record $layers of my childhoodTrose dramatically And PourQ ban#s suddenly became %rin%o ban#s ;ut now2 so many years later2 in the a%e of com$uters and i+ods2 one thin% that has not chan%ed is that lo1e-hate feelin% about the United States Nr2 to borrow the words of the

8amilia ;urrBn2 $rota%onists of one of Ae/icoJs most widely -read comic boo#s2 the U SA is Pthe land of the blonds Zlos estates1Q DNur our way of sayin% Pthe States QE The

8amilia ;urrBn is the a$otheosis of urban Ae/ican e/istence2 li1in% in a vecindad5 Da #ind of crumblin% $alace where families %ather around a central courtyard2 creatin% somethin% of a community infrastructure as they wash their clothes and occasionally coo# meals to%etherE2 tal#in% in their nei%hborhood slan%2 and belie1in% family and solidarity to be lifeJs most $riGed $ossessions The co1er of the Nctober 462 '((42 edition of the comic boo# features Gamucita2 a ninety=(-year-old woman2 dra%%in% her bro#en-down2 tattered suitcase held shut by two $ieces of strin%2 the soles of her shoes $oc#-mar#ed with holes2 alon%side an arrow $ointin% toward the United States She ma#es the Sourney on foot because she cannot afford to tra1el any other way She has no choice but to abandon her home because she ma#es her li1in% by washin% and ironin% other $eo$leJs clothes2 and now the water has run out She and her son are hun%ry What follows is the dialo%ue between them and the ;urrBn family2 the $rota%onists of this comic boo# series< PAy little mother and * had a serious ar%ument because * swore to her that * would %o anywhereTanywhere e/ce$t the land of those blond $eo$le1 1 1 1:Q P;ut your mother #nows youJll find wor# there Q P* donJt doubt it2 but thatJs where all the bad Ae/icans %o2 dra%%in% our re$utation throu%h the mud2 $uttin% their miserable li1es on dis$lay !o2 * canJt Zthe day * %o to

los estates will be when * %et in1ited to %i1e lectures at the %reat %rin%o uni1ersities To %o there because weJre bro#e2 for%et itT*Jd rather die than set foot on the other side Q PGoodfor-nothin%[Q P*nstead of %oin% o1er there to bust your ass $ic#in% cotton or swee$in% streets2 you let your mother %o instead so that she can cou%h u$ a lun% from wor#in% so hardRQ P* donJt ha1e an assT*Jm an intellectual Q

There are a number of interestin% thin%s to be %leaned from this little scenario< firstly2 the idea that it is $ossible for e1en a ninety=(-year-old woman to reach the USA by foot That this is her only chance to esca$e $o1erty That Mmi%rMs are always the wea#est2 the neediest of us all Twenty million Ae/icans li1e and wor# in the United States2 the ones who bust their asses as well as the PlaGyQ intellectuals Dli#e GamucitaJs sonE Ae/icoJs number one source of money transfers comes from its Mmi%rMs2 whose de$osits now e/ceed those %enerated by the countryJs oil incomeTall of which ma#es me wonder if2 in the a%e of %lobaliGation2 our e/$orted fol# continue to feel what +i$orro felt in the mo1ie /l pochoPocho R< reSected by his own countrymen2 yet des$ised by the %rin%os2 because he Pis neither from here nor there2Q and so he Sust stays in -between2 floatin% in the waters of the ROo ;ra1o Z Nur ambi1alence toward the United States could not be more $atent< on one hand anti-%rin%o sentiment is stron%er than e1er in Ae/ico2 but %rin%o sym$athies ha1e not wea#ened2 either The $eo$le ha1e chan%ed< now we ha1e ;ritney S$ears and +aris Hilton2 ;ush and the war in *ra32 and Nbama Times chan%e ;ut memories and $reSudices ha1e a way of stayin% the same

China A 7ouble :ife 7a Chen

* came to America at the a%e of twenty-three'? with a bamboo flute2 ^?( in my $oc#ets2 and the intensity of ho$e that only an immi%rant can #now *n 4=)52 the Chinese %o1ernment only allowed its out%oin% students to chan%e our soft currency into only the e/act e3ui1alent of ^?(2 no matter what their destination China was $oor then2 hun%ry for the hard coin of forei%n currency2 and they cared little that their students could star1e soon after arri1al at their $ort of call :et them suffer2 so they would taste the bitter fla1or of de%enerate ca$italistic countries Ay flute was made of bamboo %rown in south China2 where my little 1illa%e was *t was a sentimental obSect for me because it was my father who2 without much money2 bou%ht it for me when * was ei%ht with twenty $ennies from a toothless flute ma#er who %rew fine-#nuc#led bamboo trees in his bac# %arden 8ather had tau%ht me a rich re$ertoire of traditional tunes and ancient melodies *t was his %ift to me2 and each time * $layed the flute2 the feelin% of homesic#ness would fade away and * would feel embraced by the warmth of our dee$ south and the lo1e of my family * was not a Chinese James Galway but * was ne1er too shy to offer my music2 whether for a church ser1iceT* was attendin% Union Colle%e2 a Christian school with a 1ery bi% and new cha$el on their :incoln2 !ebras#a2 cam$usTor a community center * soon became the music $erson to %o to whene1er a sin%er for the church was late or an or%anist called in sic# ;ut more im$ortantly2 it the flute was somethin% of my father2 who had since $assed away2 and each

time * $layed his flute2 * could feel his $resence The ^?( did not last lon% but that flute is still with me2 a 1inta%e now2 mellowed with my s$ittle 8rom :incoln2 * was acce$ted into Columbia Uni1ersityJs law school After %raduatin%2 * followed the fad at that time and $lun%ed into cor$orate finance2 Soinin% the in1estment- ban#in% firm of Rothschild2 *nc as an associate in mer%ers and ac3uisitions The Sob came about because * had wor#ed the $rior summer for the international law firm of S#adden Ar$s in ;eiSin%2 hel$in% their American clients to deal with Chinese Soint 1enture $artners The Sob $aid me ^42((( a wee#2 a $rincely sum * was a one-man show2 re$resentin% the mi%hty S#adden on a bicycle2 deli1erin% e/orbitant American-brand le%al ser1ice S#addenJs len%thy le%al documents had2 on se1eral occasions2 Sammed all of the three a1ailable fa/ machines in the ;eiSin% Hotel2 Great Wall Hotel2 and Jian Guo Hotel

The S#adden e/$erience led to a friendshi$ with Robert +irie2 a leadin% lawyer-turned-ban#er and former S#adden $artner2 who was the CEN of Rothschild2 *nc Rothschild was a 1enerable in1estment- ban#in% firm head3uartered at Nne Roc#efeller +laGa2 its hallways decorated with austere $ortraits of the fi1e ori%inal Rothschild brothers Ar +irie had a $ri1ate #itchen built on the '=th floor2 ri%ht behind his office2 and had the to$ 8rench chef from :ut_ce coo#in% for him The firmJs clients dined in rooms o1erloo#in% Roc#efeller CenterJs s#atin% rin# while drin#in% the famous house wine2 Chateau :afite Rothschild 7eals were discussed and lastin% relationshi$s created

* still remember my first day at wor# there * had on my brand-new suit and hand-stitched ChurchJs shoes2 which * had bou%ht at the $ainfully dear $rice of ^45(U both $urchases were made $ossible by my si%nin% bonus *t had been recommended to me by the

senior 1ice $resident abo1e me that it had to be ChurchJs shoesTno more chea$ stuff Ay ties were all shiny2 bou%ht on a Chinatown street corner for a dollar each * lo1ed shiny thin%s2 anythin% machine-made< when * was %rowin% u$ as a child in bac#ward China all the clothes we wore were unshiny rou%h fabric2 hand- stitched by my %randmother

As soon as * ste$$ed off subway train number >Twhich * rode in daily from 8lushin%2 Cueens2 where * rented a tiny a$artmentTand emer%ed out onto 5th A1enue2 a torrential rain started to $our Still 1ery much a 1illa%e man at heart2 who had not owned a $air of shoes until the a%e of nine2 * was horrified that the rain would ruin my brand-new shoes So * too# off my shoes and soc#s2 and $ut them inside the safety of my fau/-leather briefcase D8lushin% is a %ood $lace for buyin% such commoditiesE2 Sammin% them in with my lunch bo/2 which contained fried rice left o1er from the dinner * had coo#ed myself the ni%ht before2 and wal#ed the se1eral lon% bloc#s to my office without shoes Good thin% Ar +irie didnJt see me that way2 or he mi%ht ha1e let me %o then and there

Wor# consisted of cor$orate mer%ers and ac3uisitions between American and Asian cor$orations see#in% to e/$and or ali%n or swallow or di1est one another *t was tedious2 and 3uite frustratin% Nftentimes we chased deals that ne1er came to anythin% :ife was s$ent2 day and ni%ht2 se1en days a wee#2 on the $hone or on the road We $ored o1er 1oluminous cor$orate financial statements2 tryin% to sniff out hidden windfalls or follies buried in mountainous footnotes of fine $rint written in contorted le%alese The $ay was 3uite %ood2 thou%h2 and lunch and dinners were always free and $lentiful as lon% as it was either wor#-related2 which it always was2 or if you wor#ed later than >$m2 which * always did2 usually lea1in% around midni%ht When A&A wor# slowed down in the early YJ=(s2 *

threw myself into ban#ru$tcy and restructurin% wor#2 re$resentin% fallen an%els li#e 7re/el ;urnham :ambertJs and AacyJs bondholders where my le%al trainin% was 1aluable in analyGin% com$le/ a%reements for bond issuance and loan documents2 and dealin% with bondholders in len%thy multi-$arty liti%ation

* should ha1e been content After all2 * was Sust a $oor fellow from ChinaU not e1en from the %lamorous $art of China but from a so%%y 1illa%e in the dee$ southTthe $art of China that my own northern countrymen would s$it on *n my childhood2 * had tasted the %nawin% bitterness of star1ation durin% AaoJs lean years !ow * could order from the best Aidtown restaurants Sust by tellin% my secretary2 S$encer2 what * desired He would order it and bill it to the current client for whom * was toilin% What more could ha1e * as#ed forR And yet2 somethin% seemed amiss There was a certain em$tiness and mindlessness to what * was doin% What was missin%2 * #new notU what was needed to fill that hole2 * could not tell * was almost thirty now2 enterin% my er li !hi nianTyears of comin% to be Time to marry and ha1e children Nnly $roblem< * did not #now how to call u$ a %irl and as# her out on a date *t was Sust not done that way where * was raised Ay coastal 1illa%e in 8uSian +ro1ince clun% ti%htly to old traditions !o boy should be seen holdin% a %irlJs hand2 and no marria%e could occur without the ne%otiations of a matchma#er *f you stared at a %irl for too lon%2 her father or brothers would %o after you2 as if you were a thief who had Sust stolen her 1ir%inity 7urin% my law- school years2 * only dated only 1icariously2 throu%h the hard wor# of my roommate A chemistry %raduate student from *ndia2 he was doin% his blonde ;arnard co-ed e1ery afternoon Sust a thin wall away from me Their noise informed me they were ha1in% a %ood time At the be%innin%2 * was rather annoyed because it

distracted me %reatly from my studies Then2 slowly2 * be%an to li#e it When they e1entually bro#e u$2 * was the one who we$t ;ut this lac# of datin% didnJt hurt me a bit * was 3uite assured of my belief that #ee$in% myself $ure for Pthe chosen oneQ would hold me in %ood stead2 in #ee$in% with my 1illa%e 1irtue2 and that belief was finally rewarded when * went on a blind date *t came about durin% my first year of wor#in% for Rothschild A dear matriarchal friend2 an old-fashioned lady from Shan%hai2 too# me under her win% after ha1in% heard my flute music at a church ser1ice She said that it was time * %ot married * said2 to whomR She said that she #new a friend who had a friend who had a musical dau%hter of marria%eable a%e %oin% to some California medical school So we met2 and * fell in lo1e "ou mi%ht thin# my instant lo1e had come from my lac# of contact with the o$$osite se/ ;ut it wasnJt random * Sust %ot luc#y The first woman was the ri%ht woman Sunny was a 1i1acious youn% woman attendin% medical school in southern California *t was a %ood name for her< she was a burst of sunshine She was a s$ecial breed #nown as A;CTAmerican-born Chinese We $ro$osed to each other on the $hone a month after we met2 %ot married a year later2 and settled in the suburbs2 where she had been raised and where her family still li1es A new %eneration of Chens came alon% shortly afterwardT Hictoria first and then Aichael Aichael2 who Sust turned ten2 is $ic#ed u$ e1ery mornin% ri%ht in front of our house by a shiny yellow school bus2 and dro$$ed off $unctually at our door e1ery afternoon He has lunch at school and brea#fast too2 if he %ets there early enou%h The teachers are #ind and encoura%in% !o one %ets beaten or scolded At home2 he eats Ha$$y Aeals2 $iGGa2 Chinese ta#eout2 and the occasional home-coo#ed dinner After school2 we ferry him to an assortment of e/tra-curricular acti1ities< ta$2 SaGG2 hi$-ho$2 and tumblin% classes in

AarlboroU ballet in !ew +altGU sin%in% near 0in%stonU and actin% and the occasional audition in Aanhattan *n my $ast2 my only after-school acti1ity was carryin% an em$ty bamboo bas#et around our 1illa%eJs dirt $aths scoo$in% u$ do% $oo$ and cow manure to fertiliGe our 1e%etable $lots Ay dau%hter Hictoria2 thirteen2 has been ta#in% ballet since she was three2 and will be attendin% a 1ery e/$ensi1e $re$ school in the ;oston area this fall What a life she has[ She sho$s for herself in the stores of her choosin%TAbercrombie & 8itch2 Hollister2 8ore1er '4 She does little few chores and is much $am$ered by her %randmotherTmy mother2 who2 since my fatherJs $assin%2 has been li1in% with us She s$ends all her leisure time watchin% her fa1orite tele1ision shows2 readin% late into the ni%ht2 or listenin% to her fa1orite son%s by John Aayer2 ;eyonc_;eyoncM2 or Alicia 0eys on her i+od She is confident about her life today2 but e1en more certain about tomorrow America instills in her a sunny $erce$tion of her own future So different from my own childhood When * was nine years old2 at the hei%ht of the Cultural Re1olution2 my family was labeled by the Communist leaders as dirty2 rotten landlordsTwu lei fen!i< one of the fi1e bad elementsT$art of the former rulin% class that needed to be reformed in the new China Ay %randfather was no sinner2 nor the criminal he was labeled by the %o1ernment He had wor#ed 1ery hard to own some land *n 4=@=2 the Red Army too# our land2 burned my %randfatherJs deeds2 beat him u$2 and $ut him in Sail ;y the time * came of a%e2 * had witnessed my %randfather bein% sla$$ed across the face by our communeJs cadreU my father bein% han%ed by both thumbsU and my diminuti1e mother struc# across her chee# by a brutish militiaman * myself was ordered to lea1e my elementary school and became the youn%est farmer on that communist farm2 %ettin% u$ 1ery early e1ery mornin% to collect $i% manure Nn to$ of that2 * was star1in% most of the time !ot that our family was laGy The

land was $oor and ty$hoons 1isited us often2 sometimes wi$in% out the entire seasonJs cro$ and lea1in% us with little food for months Nur commune would not allow any Pca$italistic commerceQ to be conducted There were months when we only ate only one meal a day of sou$y rice $orrid%e with much water in it but little rice :ife was e1en harder for my sisters Two of my three sisters ne1er %raduated from elementary school2 not because there was no school but because they too were dis%raced So they became full-time farmers at the a%es of 44 ele1en and 4'twel1e E1ery day they had to wa#e u$ before sunrise to %o to the rice fields to cut rice with older farmers2 and were %i1en the same amount of labor to do as the adults e1en thou%h their frames were thin and fra%ile They had to carry buc#ets of mud or manure wei%hin% fifty $ounds or more to a distant farmland2 Sust as the %rownu$s did Their shoulders were ri$$ed and bloodied2 their bac#s s$rained2 their feet blistered< their youth a%ed2 their ho$e dead ;ut they could only cry only in their own beds2 for such was their lifeU otherwise they would not be %i1en their ration of %rains and would star1e to death Such was the child sla1ery of Communism * still remember when my eldest sister ,i ,i came of a%e2 and was ready to be matched with a %room The matchma#er told my mother that no one with a %ood $olitical bac#%round would touch her2 e1en thou%h ,i ,i was a rather attracti1e %irl The matchma#er recommended that she be matched to a cri$$le somewhere far away from our town2 so the cri$$leJs family would not bear the sti%ma of our familyJs dis%race !o %irl li#ed to be told that she could only be matched only to a cri$$le with a roc#in% lim$2 to be his second wife2 the first ha1in% died of dubious causes2 h He was also a ferocious drun# So she waited until she was in her late '(Js2 facin% the dim $ros$ect of becomin% a s$inster * was youn% then2 but * understood why she cried alone sometimes in her bedroom

When * was youn%2 my father often told me ne1er to become a writer thou%h he himself was a $laywri%ht who s$ecialiGed in traditional Chinese o$era2 and my %randfather was a $oet noted for his whimsical 1erses and eccentric arran%ements of meter and rhymesU a cou$let of his was $ainted on our ancestral home entrance< *olors of the mountain will never leave our door; Sounds of the river will linger forever in our ears1 Ay %reat%randfather was a Jinshi2 an official of the last dynasty who had been chosen to be the %o1ernor of +utian as a result of his academic and literary achie1ement in a ci1il ser1ant e/amination 8atherJs reason was sim$le *f you wanted to be a writer in Communist China2 you would ha1e to s$out Communist rhetoric and stay away from the untouchable truth of the %o1ernmentJs corru$tion and blatant human- ri%hts 1iolations *f you wrote from your heart2 s$ea#in% the truth that couldnJt be s$o#en2 it would be the most dan%erous Sob you could e1er ha1e "our ne/t destination would be a Sail cell with a stin#in% hole in the middle as your toilet 8or me2 it was almost an act of defiance to embar# u$on the Sourney of writin% my own memoir about %rowin% u$ durin% the bloody Re1olution At first2 fear held me bac#2 #e$t me from di%%in% dee$er2 from touchin% u$on shameful e1ents or $ainful incidents Writin% about oneself is no less Sarrin% than stic#in% yourself with a needle or a blunt #nife At first2 the writin% was terrible2 full of bi% words * had $ic#ed u$ in law school such as notwithstanding2 un$eknownst2 therefore2 nevertheless2 wherein2 and there$y Then2 slowly2 with each $a%e %ently criti3ued and edited by my wife2 the words be%an to flow2 and the tale formed fluidly on the $a%es Sunny read e1ery word and %a1e encoura%ement as each e1ent re1ealed details of my $ast she had not $re1iously #nown When we met in America2 * was the $ortrait of a ty$ical "u$$ieyu$$ie< starched shirts2 cuff-lin#s2 briefcase2 suit2 and tieTthe necessary costume of a deal man The $rocess of writin% that memoir became not

Sust a way to reclaim my dwindled childhood2 it allowed Sunny to %ain an insi%ht into me she otherwise would ne1er ha1e had

After nine months of furious writin% at ni%ht and on wee#ends2 small $ara%ra$hs became cha$ters2 and cha$ters %rew finally into a com$leted boo# of o1er more than three hundred $a%es *Jd ne1er cried harder or lau%hed more than durin% those $ur%ati1e writin% days All the $ain was brou%ht out na#edly a%ain2 $ain that was soon diminished by the Soy * felt re1isitin% in my memories the %ood $eo$le who had aided me in my %rowin% years There were $lenty of them * had been ostraciGed by all the children in school2 and was befriended by four e3ually isolated rascals in my 1illa%e They became my best friends2 $rotectin% me from othersJ fists and 1erbal abuse2 e1en thou%h they themsel1es were 1ulnerable under the harsh hand of our law and authority Then there was dear +rofessor Wei2 my saintly ;a$tist En%lish teacher2 who too# me from the dirty streets and tau%ht me my first words of En%lish Her tutorin% e1entually led me to score well enou%h to enter colle%e in ;eiSin%2 and thus start my Sourney to America and writin%

The manuscri$t sat under our dau%hterJs crib for four years * didnJt thin# anyone would want to $ublish such a storyU it was meant to ser1e merely as family history for our children Nne e1enin% while * was browsin% at ;arnes & !oble in +ou%h#ee$sie2 * encountered a %rou$ of enthusiastic writers %athered around a table2 criti3uin% one anotherJs wor# * was intri%ued enou%h to $ay the ^'( annual dues and became a member of the Aid-Hudson WriterJs Association on the s$ot 8or the first si/ months2 * sat 3uietly2 Sust listenin% to others read their fine $rose and $oetry2 too shy to read my own wor# Then one day * finally marshaled enou%h coura%e to start readin% my memoir After the first

cha$ter2 one man as#ed if it was fiction * said no2 it was the true story of my life He said that *Jd had a $retty shitty early life * a%reed with him The %rou$ ur%ed me to read one more cha$ter2 brea#in% the associationJs one-cha$ter-only $olicy After the third ni%ht of my readin%2 one of the members too# me aside and told me that my memoir was %ood enou%h to be $ublished He said he was the national sales mana%er at Simon & Schuster2 in the business of sellin% boo#s2 and offered to $ass my manuscri$t alon% to one of the editors at his house When * as#ed him who would want to $ublish a little story written by a nobody2 he too# me to the autobio%ra$hy section He showed me a co$y of Angela.s Ashes and told me that this boo#2 written by a retired Aanhattan hi%h- school teacher2 had won the +ulitGer +riGe * still remember 1i1idly the details of that unfor%ettable day when my a%ent called to tell me that Random House had bou%ht my boo# *t was a hot summer day The s#y was blue and the sun bri%htU the %rass was 1ery %reen There were some thin white clouds hu%%in% the horiGon The $hone ran%2 the old u$state line crac#led2 and my a%ent Soyfully told me the sta%%erin% amount offered * listened with the recei1er $asted to my ear2 but heard little2 with my heart thum$in% li#e a mad drum and my head buGGin% li#e a tossed beehi1e She said much but in the end two words re$eated themsel1es in my head2 o1er and o1er a%ain2 li#e lin%erin% summer thunder< Random House[ Random House[

We celebrated by feastin% at the best Chinese restaurant we had in the area "esterday my manuscri$t had Sust been dusty $a%es and bro#en memories Aonths from now it would be $rinter $rinted and bound and made a1ailable for the whole world to read

When the boo# was $ublished2 half the town showed u$ at my first boo# si%nin% at Ariel ;oo#s in !ew +altG to cheer me on - Thalf of whom were my wifeJs $atients Then * embar#ed on a thirty-city boo# tour There were lar%e crowds and much smaller ones2 but the $eo$le of America were always #ind and welcomin% A ;uddhist cou$le in Chica%o %a1e me a lon%-stemmed rose2 a Woodstoc# ceramicist made me an in# bottle2 and a Ainnesota man brou%ht his two sons to see me because they had heard me on !+R A boo# club in *owa wrote to tell me that they had a ritual after readin% each boo#< they $retended to in1ite their fa1orite character out for lunch This time it was my mother whom they had unanimously 1oted to in1ite

*n China * would ha1e been swe$t into a dar# $rison2 #nown by a number and not a name

South Africa A Good Aon#ey *mraan Coo1adia

* want to ta#e ad1anta%e of a writerJs maSor $ri1ile%e in society2 which is chan%in% the subSect2 or %i1in% an answer to a 3uestion which hasnJt been as#ed2 or2 e3ually2 $ro$osin% a 3uestion when we ha1e been as#ed for a statement2 or constructin% a list of alternati1es and $ossibilities when somebody2 with the best of intentions2 demands a decision of us *n this case my subSect is the subSect *t has conse3uences for a non-American writer who a%rees to ta#e it on as a to$ic *t is the #ind of subSect which that is a difficult fit for the res$ondent2 rather li#e shoes which that donJt %o fit on your feet or certain 3uestions which that $ut you in a difficult $osition DPWhy do you hate me so 1ery muchRQ and PCan you tell me when you be%an hatin% America RQE The subSect of this antholo%yT+ow They See 3sQThas the followin% conse3uence< it ma#es me one of a PthemQ loo#in% as if throu%h a window at an all of Pyou Q ;ut2 li#e most writers2 * ha1e ne1er wanted to be $art of a PthemQU writin% $ri1ile%es indi1idual Sud%ment2 and resistance to collecti1e understandin%s2 es$ecially those which weJre su$$osed to ha1e by birth or %eo%ra$hy +eo$le as#2 how do you feel as a AuslimR How do you feel as an AfricanR As a South AfricanR Well2 writers2 Sust because we create characters2 #now that 1iew$oints are $lural and contradictory and that one $erson2 not to say one lar%e subset of humanity2 can harbor more than one feelin% and that these 1ery feelin%s s$lit and mutate and wonJt stay still for ins$ection And anyway2 our feelin%s arenJt necessarily res$onsible :i#e Shyloc#Js dau%hter Jessica2 in The Merchant of Venice2 we can be attracted by what we see throu%h the

window We can want to Soin the $arty on the other side2 and sell our motherJs rin% for a mon#ey *n %eneral2 this $osition of s$ectatorshi$ is a $retty miserable one2 li#e the $oor catchin% %lim$ses of the rich on the road outside an o$era house Aaybe a better com$arison is that it $uts us in the $osition of the ants obser1in% the a$$earin% and disa$$earin% snout of the ant-eater that has established itself outside our burrow At least these ants2 in my com$arison2 belon% to the same burrow Those of us who find oursel1es on one side of our subSect loo#in% in at the other belon% to a com$any of si/- odd billion non-AmericansT Ui%hurs2 Scandina1ians2 Cameroonians2 0oso1ars Such com$any is united only by our $robable %rud%es and uns$o#en en1y of the scene on the other side of the telesco$e ;ut2 s$ea#in% for myself at any rate2 we donJt want to be united by our %rud%es Who2 e/actly2 are these 0oso1ars and HeneGuelans to me2 and what could * be to themR ThereJs a $ra%matic answer to the 3uestion *n a world with one $ole2 our connections to each other more often than not run throu%h America more often than not *n !ew "or#2 !ew Ha1en2 and Cambrid%e2 Aassachusetts Dwhere the new is silentE2 * was far more li#ely to meet a HeneGuelan2 or a Co$t from E%y$t2 than in Ca$e Town where * wor# *n 7urban2 on the *ndian Ncean where * %rew u$2 forei%ners are rarer than shoals of sardines There are symmetries that are only 1isible in the United States *n !ew "or#2 es$ecially in 8orest Hills where * once had a $lace ne/t to the disused tennis stadium2 se1eral friends were +ersian Jewish and had Aiddle- Eastern names li#e TanaGe and Shireen Their families had lon% or%aniGed their wills accordin% to the Auslim formula< one share for a dau%hter and two shares for a son To all intents and $ur$oses2 the *ranian Jews are culturally

Auslim and reli%iously Jewish and from this fact * was able to fi%ure out that * was reli%iously Auslim and culturally Jewish Das2 * thin#2 many writers areE

;ut to %o bac# to the $roblem of the subSect of this boo#< There are only two real choices o$en to somebody cau%ht in this odd situation of loo#in% o1er at America They amount to submission2 on the one hand2 and resentment on the other Resentment %ets us to Shyloc#2 the %reatest resentnik on record< PThou callJdst me do% before thou hadst a causeU I ;ut2 since * am a do%2 beware my fan%s Q Shyloc# has no centre center of his own Therefore he re1ol1es at a distance around another centrecenter2 one which is entirely alien to him The %lamour of Christian *taly is e/em$lified in ;elmont and its e/tra1a%ant $arties attended by his treacherous dau%hter Jessica and :orenGo2 ;assanio and +ortia ;elmont is only dimly 1isible to Shyloc# What he %lim$ses of it ma#es him recoil The world of Christian $arty-%oers seems dedicated to moc#ery of him in $articular and Shyloc#ism in %eneral P"our dau%hter2Q Tubal tells him2 Ps$ent in Genoa2 as * heard2 in one ni%ht fourscore ducats Q A man Pshowed me a rin% that he had of your dau%hter for a mon#ey Q The rin% is one which that ori%inally belon%ed to Shyloc#Js late wife :eah * ha1e always identified2 some of the way2 with Jessica Am * the only oneR * would also ha1e wanted to Soin the $arty And * can see myself bein% carried away and tradin% that useless old rin% for a %ood mon#ey

Shyloc# is correctly described as a Pstony ad1ersary Q He stonily o$$oses the 1ery thin% he orbits on the %rounds that it started first DPThou callJdst me do% $efore thou hadst a cause QE Shyloc# is stony because he doesnJt see that Henice2 ;elmont2 Genoa ha1e their own

$rinci$les of motion2 their own cares2 and their own causes of celebration "es2 they disli#e Shyloc# but not2 as he concei1es it2 $rimordially They o$$ose Shyloc# almost without thin#in%2 the way a club #id in : A mi%ht disa$$ro1e of Saudi Wahhabism The contradiction is dee$ and irreconcilable2 yet Wahhabi doctrineTand its su$$ression of the instincts and $ossibilities belon%in% to the nature that God2 after all2 %a1e to usTne1er crosses the #idJs mind Jessica ne1er de1otes a dutiful thou%ht to her father or motherJs memory She is2 in fact2 the first true teena%er in world literature Unli#e her fatherJs household Dand 7ubai and Saudi ArabiaE2 ;elmont and Genoa are fun The basic element of fun is2 of course2 se/ual license *n our world2 until 1ery recently2 America was the su$er$ower of fun *n The Merchant of Venice +ortia is inhumanly Christian She fi/es AntonioJs trial so that he wonJt ha1e to yield a dro$ of his blood alon% with the $ound of flesh And +ortia insists that Shyloc# con1ert to Christianity Well2 the old moneylender says as he de$arts with only half his $ro$erty and none of his reli%ion remainin%2 P* am content Q Those three words are some of the hardest to decide about in Sha#es$eare Contentment is not what we e/$ect from Shyloc#2 althou%h there is Sust a su%%estion that it comes with bein% a Christian Auch of the early Soy of watchin% The Merchant of Venice must ha1e come from seein% an ad1ersary brou%ht to this $osition * donJt thin# it is unfair to say that2 since the 4==(s2 AmericaJs neoconser1ati1es ha1e wanted the worldJs Auslims2 from the GaGa Stri$ to +aris2 to lea1e the world-historical sta%e mumblin% the 1ery same thin%< * am content2 * am content2 * am content Z

We feel about those three words that Sha#es$eare e/$ects us to belie1e in them yet that he hasnJt %one to the trouble of ma#in% us belie1e in them 8or Sha#es$eare2 as for ;elmont2 Shyloc# is not im$ortant enou%h to thin# about That stin%s *f one day the shel1es of e1ery

;arnes & !oble are %roanin% with titles about *slam and its fatal history2 the ne/t day America has mo1ed on *f +ortia had been an American2 she would ha1e inter1iewed Shyloc# for a boo# of her own2 +ow +e Sees 3s ;ut the ne/t year she would ha1e been on N$rah with another boo#2 The <uality of Mercy *tJs not Sust that2 as weJre always bein% told2 America has a short attention s$an *tJs that America is the most mobile society in history2 $er$etually demolishin% and rebuildin% its o$inions li#e its cities Almost nothin% you can say about America2 or assume about it2 is %oin% to be 1alid fore1er2 for more than a few years2 a few states2 a few of the many %rou$s which create com$osin% American society Nrdered and $recise lan%ua%e doesnJt $enetrate far into an e1er-chan%in% society of ?(( three hundred million2 which is why Walt WhitmanJs fa1orite de1ice is the list *ntellectuals and writers2 li#e the ones who are writin% and readin% this boo#2 o1er1alue the ability of words to ca$ture the Selly of reality *tJs a Shyloc#ian habit Dyou called me a do%2 Shyloc# reasons2 and here are my fangsE Writers and intellectuals arenJt the only $eo$le who ta#e words too seriously So2 it turns out2 do a lar%e number of the worldJs Auslims who ha1e been turned2 and turned themsel1es2 into AmericaJs chief ad1ersary The affairs of the 7anish cartoons and Satanic Verses $ro1e that too many Auslims ta#e words and ima%es far too seriously2 without reasonin% that God also %a1e us the $ower to for%et and i%nore2 to shut our eyes and to do somethin% else2 Sust as he im$lanted an instinct for Sustice in our breast The first thin% God %a1e us2 before the scri$tures and the $ro$hets2 is was a common nature2 and this is still the best indication of his wishes for our li1es Anyway Sustice2 * thin#2 es$ecially Sustice to God2 is an o1er-1alued 1irtue 8or God is a $hiloso$hical liberal and maybe a liberal of the *saiah ;erlin school2 because his commandments are irreconcilable and2 most of all2 he wants us to ma#e u$ our minds2 which

he made immune to com$ulsion 7id Geor%e ;ush call his mission in the Aiddle East a crusadeR )ig deal Words come and %o A human life is made of millions of words *tJs foolish to #ill2 e1en more foolish to die2 for one of them Shyloc# is a literalist He canJt $ass by on the side of a word With this word Pdo%Q they freeGe him into the $osture of a resenter2 Sust as the subSect PHow how They they See see UsusQ freeGes an PusQ and a PthemQ into $lace Shyloc# stares at the insult *t %lares bac# at him This interaction would be eternal e/ce$t that +ortia releases Shyloc# by im$osin% Christianity u$on him *n this sense2 which * thin# Sha#es$eare intended2 +ortia doesnJt release Shyloc# from his reli%ion so much as from the $lace where Henetian and Euro$ean anti-Semitism $ut the Jews ;ut the world has no +ortia2 and no secretary-%eneral of the United !ations can release us from our $ositions until for%etfulness2 or some other concern2 or other enmity2 o1erta#es us Those of us who suffer the misfortune of bein% born Auslim2 and not American2 can find oursel1es transfi/ed by the e3ui1alent of the word Pdog Q Whate1er his faults as an intellectual historian2 Edward Said was the %reat articulator of how do%%ish we feel *n "rientalism and afterward2s Said charted all the ways in which we ha1e been called Pdo%Q throu%h the centuries 7oesnJt Nthello boast of ha1in% murdered a Tur# in Ale$$o2 Pa circumcised do%QR 7es$ite their conser1ati1e detractors2 Edward Said and his academic followers ha1e no bite Dalthou%h he did once throw a stone at the *sraeli border wall from :ebanonE They could ne1er say2 li#e Shyloc#2 P$eware my fangs Q SaidJs #ey insi%ht is about what it is li#e to li1e in a world where what is said is said by someone else about oneself *f "rientalism2 in 4=>=2 was nominally about how they Dthe Euro$eansE see us DAuslims2 Arabs2 *ndiansE2 its actual subSect was our $ostmodern world of tele1ision and now electronic communications

Astronomers worry about how an alien ci1iliGation would rec#on with the broadcasts it $ic#s u$ from $lanet Earth< what would they ma#e of )aywatch2 Survivor2 =>R How would they en1isa%e a relationshi$ with humanity after watchin% %ndependence -ay or Aliens ?R Well2 those of us who arenJt American ha1e been runnin% this e/$eriment throu%hout the twentieth century We li1e in a %lobe of American radiations2 American trends2 American brands and thou%hts We o1erhear America all the time2 ea1esdro$ on American life and American $ers$ecti1es on oursel1es in the way Shyloc# ea1esdro$s on ;elmont2 Henice2 and Genoa in all the $ain of his e/clusion Electronic America winds its way into our fantasies and ma#es Jessicas of each and e1ery one of us *f we o1er-react to America2 thatJs itJs because America is already a s$linter in our flesh Just because America is the land of mobility and discontent2 of the P$ursuit of ha$$inessQ and not its $romise2 doesnJt mean itJs effecti1e at %o1ernin% the world :e%itimacy means %ettin% others to say2 P* am content2Q or P*J1e had enou%hU * %i1e u$ Q ;ut where is that messa%e in Walt Whitman2 undisci$lined2 $romiscuous2 and 1oracious for e1erythin%R Whitman says< P* celebrate myself2 and sin% myself2 I And what * assume you shall assume2 I 8or e1ery atom belon%in% to me as %ood belon%s to you Q And what if the Shia in *ra32 or the Tutsi in Rwanda2 donJt assume what Walt Whitman assumesR What if they are in lo1e with their own assum$tions2 their own histories and startin% $lacesR What if they donJt see what Hamlet and Whitman see -T that Pe1ery atom belon%in% to meQ has once belon%ed to somebody else and will belon% to yet another in the futureR How far can a lo1e of humanity $enetrate a%ainst human bein%s who donJt lo1e humanity but only their subsections of itR And how about those who donJt lo1e at all but see# their own idea of hea1enly SusticeR Sha#es$eare %i1es Shyloc# a more stubborn sense of human intractability E/$lainin% his own waywardness2 Shyloc# obser1es<

PSome men there are2 lo1e not a %a$in% $i%U I Some2 that are mad if they behold a catU I And others2 when the ba%$i$e sin%s iJ the nose2 I Cannot contain their urine< for affection2 I Aistress of $assion2 sways it to the mood I Nf what it li#es or loathes Q *n fact Whitmanian uni1ersalism may be the 7eclaration of *nde$endence set in $oetic lines2 but its boundaries are not those of humanity itself but those of the United States *n WhitmanJs America2 the Pnation of nations2Q which has absorbed more di1ersity than any state on earth2 one hears always of Americans and ne1er of human bein%s and the %eneral interest of humanity As for the neo-conser1ati1es who ha1e sailed the American shi$ of state u$ the cree#2 ima%inati1e writersTwho want to create characters with their own freedom of motion and their own conflictin% $ers$ecti1esTha1e lon% understood what their $roblem is *t wasnJt merely hubris at wor#2 or the need for an American $resident to do somethin% %reat with his term in office The neoconser1ati1es and their Rumsfeldian and Cheneyite allies made a basic mista#e about human com$le/ity and a%ency +ortia can ma#e Shyloc# say2 P* am content2Q but only at the cost of our belief in Sha#es$eare at that moment *n her 4)66 no1el 'eli0 +olt2 Geor%e Eliot borrowsed an ima%e from Adam Smith Dultimately from medie1al $olitical thou%htE< 8ancy what a %ame at chess would be if all the chessmen had $assions and intellects2 more or less small and cunnin%< if you were not only uncertain about your ad1ersaryJs men2 but a little uncertain also about your ownU if your #ni%ht could shuffle himself on to a new s3uare by the slyU if your bisho$2 in dis%ust at your castlin%2 could wheedle your $awns out

of their $lacesU and if your $awns2 hatin% you because they are $awns2 could ma#e away from their a$$ointed $osts that you mi%ht %et chec#mate on a sudden \ ] Z"ou mi%ht be the lon%est-headed of deducti1e reasoners2 and yet you mi%ht be beaten by your own $awns "ou would be es$ecially li#ely to be beaten2 if you de$ended arro%antly on your mathematical ima%ination2 and re%arded your $assionate $ieces with contem$t

Geor%e Eliot2 li#e Smith2 concludes that Pthis ima%inary chess is easy com$ared with the %ame a man has to $lay a%ainst his fellow-men with other fellow-men for his instruments Q There couldnJt be a nicer summary of whatJs %one wron% between the world and America since the 4==(s Some of it is your fault Some of it is our fault Dfor e/istin%E And a lot of it2 es$ecially in the Aiddle East2 is a result of the basic waywardness of human chessmenTQ$awns2 hatin% you because they are $awnsQ is a brief 1ersion of what $olitical scientists call %eo$olitical balancin%Tcombined with the contem$t inherent in the far ri%ht win%2 and far left2 1iew of history Nf course the United States Constitution is the %reatest $olitical e/$ression of this doubt about the controllability of human bein%s The brea#down between America and the rest of us is only %oin% to be fi/ed when America a%ain falls under the s$ell of what Abraham :incoln called its better an%els Those better an%els2 unli#e +ortia2 #now that weJre no an%els and that2 in fact2 there are no an%els and there is no way of the an%els WeJre Jessicas and Shyloc#s Some of us Plo1e not a %a$in% $i% Q Some of us Pare mad \to] behold a cat Q And2 as Shyloc# #new2 Pothers2 when the ba%$i$e sin%s iJ the nose2 I Cannot contain their urine Q

South Africa A Good Aon#ey *mraan Coo1adia

* want to ta#e ad1anta%e of a writerJs maSor $ri1ile%e in society2 which is chan%in% the subSect2 or %i1in% an answer to a 3uestion which hasnJt been as#ed2 or2 e3ually2 $ro$osin% a 3uestion when we ha1e been as#ed for a statement2 or constructin% a list of alternati1es and $ossibilities when somebody2 with the best of intentions2 demands a decision of us *n this case my subSect is the subSect *t has conse3uences for a non-American writer who a%rees to ta#e it on as a to$ic *t is the #ind of subSect which is a difficult fit for the res$ondent2 rather li#e shoes which donJt %o on your feet or certain 3uestions which $ut you in a difficult $osition DPWhy do you hate me so 1ery muchRQ and PCan you tell me when you be%an hatin% America RQE The subSect of this antholo%yT+ow They See 3sQThas the followin% conse3uence< it ma#es me one of a PthemQ loo#in% as if throu%h a window at an all of Pyou Q ;ut2 li#e most writers2 * ha1e ne1er wanted to be $art of a PthemQU writin% $ri1ile%es indi1idual Sud%ment2 and resistance to collecti1e understandin%s2 es$ecially those which weJre su$$osed to ha1e by birth or %eo%ra$hy +eo$le as#2 how do you feel as a AuslimR How do you feel as an AfricanR As a South AfricanR Well2 writers2 Sust because we create characters2 #now that 1iew$oints are $lural and contradictory and that one $erson2 not to say one lar%e subset of humanity2 can harbor more than one feelin% and that these 1ery feelin%s s$lit and mutate and wonJt stay still for ins$ection And anyway2 our feelin%s arenJt necessarily res$onsible :i#e Shyloc#Js dau%hter

Jessica2 in The Merchant of Venice2 we can be attracted by what we see throu%h the window We can want to Soin the $arty on the other side2 and sell our motherJs rin% for a mon#ey *n %eneral2 this $osition of s$ectatorshi$ is a $retty miserable one2 li#e the $oor catchin% %lim$ses of the rich on the road outside an o$era house Aaybe a better com$arison is that it $uts us in the $osition of the ants obser1in% the a$$earin% and disa$$earin% snout of the anteater that has established itself outside our burrow At least these ants2 in my com$arison2 belon% to the same burrow Those of us who find oursel1es on one side of our subSect loo#in% in at the other belon% to a com$any of si/ odd billion non-AmericansTUi%hurs2 Scandina1ians2 Cameroonians2 0oso1ars Such com$any is united only by our $robable %rud%es and uns$o#en en1y of the scene on the other side of the telesco$e ;ut2 s$ea#in% for myself at any rate2 we donJt want to be united by our %rud%es Who2 e/actly2 are these 0oso1ars and HeneGuelans to me and what could * be to themR ThereJs a $ra%matic answer to the 3uestion *n a world with one $ole our connections to each other more often than not run throu%h America *n !ew "or#2 !ew Ha1en2 and Cambrid%e2 Aassachusetts Dwhere the new is silentE2 * was far more li#ely to meet a HeneGuelan2 or a Co$t from E%y$t2 than in Ca$e Town where * wor# *n 7urban2 on the *ndian Ncean where * %rew u$2 forei%ners are rarer than shoals of sardines There are symmetries that are only 1isible in the United States *n !ew "or#2 es$ecially in 8orest Hills where * once had a $lace ne/t to the disused tennis stadium2 se1eral friends were +ersian Jewish and had Aiddle Eastern names li#e TanaGe and Shireen Their families had lon% or%aniGed their wills accordin% to the Auslim formula< one share for a dau%hter and two shares for a son To all intents and $ur$oses the *ranian Jews are culturally Auslim and reli%iously Jewish and from this fact * was able to fi%ure out that * was reli%iously Auslim and culturally Jewish Das2 * thin#2 many writers areE

;ut to %o bac# to the $roblem of the subSect of this boo# There are only two real choices o$en to somebody cau%ht in this odd situation of loo#in% o1er at America They amount to submission2 on the one hand2 and resentment on the other Resentment %ets us to Shyloc#2 the %reatest resentnik on record< PThou callJdst me do% before thou hadst a causeU I ;ut2 since * am a do%2 beware my fan%s Q Shyloc# has no centre of his own Therefore he re1ol1es at a distance around another centre2 one which is entirely alien to him The %lamour of Christian *taly is e/em$lified in ;elmont and its e/tra1a%ant $arties attended by his treacherous dau%hter Jessica and :orenGo2 ;assanio and +ortia ;elmont is only dimly 1isible to Shyloc# What he %lim$ses of it ma#es him recoil The world of Christian $arty-%oers seems dedicated to moc#ery of him in $articular and Shyloc#ism in %eneral P"our dau%hter2Q Tubal tells him2 Ps$ent in Genoa2 as * heard2 in one ni%ht fourscore ducats Q A man Pshowed me a rin% that he had of your dau%hter for a mon#ey Q The rin% is one which ori%inally belon%ed to Shyloc#Js late wife :eah * ha1e always identified2 some of the way2 with Jessica Am * the only oneR * would also ha1e wanted to Soin the $arty And * can see myself bein% carried away and tradin% that useless old rin% for a %ood mon#ey

Shyloc# is correctly described as a Pstony ad1ersary Q He stonily o$$oses the 1ery thin% he orbits on the %rounds that it started first DPThou callJdst me do% $efore thou hadst a cause QE Shyloc# is stony because he doesnJt see that Henice2 ;elmont2 Genoa ha1e their own $rinci$les of motion2 their own cares2 and their own causes of celebration "es2 they disli#e Shyloc# but not2 as he concei1es it2 $rimordially They o$$ose Shyloc# almost without

thin#in%2 the way a club #id in : A mi%ht disa$$ro1e of Saudi Wahhabism The contradiction is dee$ and irreconcilable yet Wahhabi doctrineTand its su$$ression of the instincts and $ossibilities belon%in% to the nature that God2 after all2 %a1e to usTne1er crosses the #idJs mind Jessica ne1er de1otes a dutiful thou%ht to her father or motherJs memory She is2 in fact2 the first true teena%er in world literature Unli#e her fatherJs household Dand 7ubai and Saudi ArabiaE2 ;elmont and Genoa are fun The basic element of fun is2 of course2 se/ual license *n our world2 until 1ery recently2 America was the su$er$ower of fun *n The Merchant of Venice +ortia is inhumanly Christian She fi/es AntonioJs trial so that he wonJt ha1e to yield a dro$ of his blood alon% with the $ound of flesh And +ortia insists that Shyloc# con1ert to Christianity Well2 the old moneylender says as he de$arts with only half his $ro$erty and none of his reli%ion remainin%2 P* am content Q Those three words are some of the hardest to decide about in Sha#es$eare Content is not what we e/$ect from Shyloc# althou%h there is Sust a su%%estion that it comes with bein% a Christian Auch of the early Soy of watchin% The Merchant of Venice must ha1e come from seein% an ad1ersary brou%ht to this $osition * donJt thin# it is unfair to say that2 since the 4==(s2 AmericaJs neoconser1ati1es ha1e wanted the worldJs Auslims2 from the GaGa Stri$ to +aris2 to lea1e the world-historical sta%e mumblin% the 1ery same thin% * am content2 * am content2 * am contentZ We feel about those three words that Sha#es$eare e/$ects us to belie1e in them yet that he hasnJt %one to the trouble of ma#in% us belie1e in them 8or Sha#es$eare2 as for ;elmont2 Shyloc# is not im$ortant enou%h to thin# about That stin%s *f one day the shel1es of e1ery ;arnes & !oble are %roanin% with titles about *slam and its fatal history2 the ne/t day America has mo1ed on *f +ortia had been an American she would ha1e inter1iewed Shyloc#

for a boo# of her own2 +ow +e Sees 3s ;ut the ne/t year she would ha1e been on N$rah with another boo#2 The <uality of Mercy *tJs not Sust that2 as weJre always bein% told2 America has a short attention s$an *tJs that America is the most mobile society in history2 $er$etually demolishin% and rebuildin% its o$inions li#e its cities Almost nothin% you can say about America2 or assume about it2 is %oin% to be 1alid fore1er2 for more than a few years2 a few states2 a few of the many %rou$s which create American society Nrdered and $recise lan%ua%e doesnJt $enetrate far into an e1er-chan%in% society of ?(( million2 which is why Walt WhitmanJs fa1orite de1ice is the list *ntellectuals and writers2 li#e the ones who are writin% and readin% this boo#2 o1er1alue the ability of words to ca$ture the Selly of reality *tJs a Shyloc#ian habit Dyou called me a do%2 Shyloc# reasons2 and here are my fangsE Writers and intellectuals arenJt the only $eo$le who ta#e words too seriously So2 it turns out2 do a lar%e number of the worldJs Auslims who ha1e been turned2 and turned themsel1es2 into AmericaJs chief ad1ersary The affairs of the 7anish cartoons and Satanic Verses $ro1e that too many Auslims ta#e words and ima%es far too seriously2 without reasonin% that God also %a1e us the $ower to for%et and i%nore2 to shut our eyes and to do somethin% else2 Sust as he im$lanted an instinct for Sustice in our breast The first thin% God %a1e us2 before the scri$tures and the $ro$hets2 is a common nature and this is still the best indication of his wishes for our li1es Anyway Sustice2 * thin#2 es$ecially Sustice to God2 is an o1er-1alued 1irtue 8or God is a $hiloso$hical liberal and maybe a liberal of the *saiah ;erlin school2 because his commandments are irreconcilable and2 most of all2 he wants us to ma#e u$ our minds2 which he made immune to com$ulsion 7id Geor%e ;ush call his mission in the Aiddle East a

crusadeR )ig deal Words come and %o A human life is made of millions of words *tJs foolish to #ill2 e1en more foolish to die2 for one of them Shyloc# is a literalist He canJt $ass by on the side of a word With this word Pdo%Q they freeGe him into the $osture of a resenter2 Sust as the subSect PHow They See UsQ freeGes an PusQ and a PthemQ into $lace Shyloc# stares at the insult *t %lares bac# at him This interaction would be eternal e/ce$t that +ortia releases Shyloc# by im$osin% Christianity u$on him *n this sense2 which * thin# Sha#es$eare intended2 +ortia doesnJt release Shyloc# from his reli%ion so much as from the $lace where Henetian and Euro$ean anti-Semitism $ut the Jews ;ut the world has no +ortia2 and no secretary-%eneral of the United !ations can release us from our $ositions until for%etfulness2 or some other concern2 or other enmity2 o1erta#es us Those of us who suffer the misfortune of bein% born Auslim2 and not American2 can find oursel1es transfi/ed by the e3ui1alent of the word Pdo% Q Whate1er his faults as an intellectual historian2 Edward Said was the %reat articulator of how do%%ish we feel *n "rientalism and afterwards Said charted all the ways in which we ha1e been called Pdo%Q throu%h the centuries 7oesnJt Nthello boast of ha1in% murdered a Tur# in Ale$$o2 Pa circumcised do%QR 7es$ite their conser1ati1e detractors2 Edward Said and his academic followers ha1e no bite Dalthou%h he did once throw a stone at the *sraeli border wall from :ebanonE They could ne1er say2 li#e Shyloc#2 P$eware my fangs Q SaidJs #ey insi%ht is about what it is li#e to li1e in a world where what is said is said by someone else about oneself *f "rientalism2 in 4=>=2 was nominally about how they Dthe Euro$eansE see us DAuslims2 Arabs2 *ndiansE2 its actual subSect was our $ostmodern world of tele1ision and now electronic communications

Astronomers worry about how an alien ci1iliGation would rec#on with the broadcasts it $ic#s u$ from $lanet Earth< what would they ma#e of )aywatch2 Survivor2 =>R How would they en1isa%e a relationshi$ with humanity after watchin% %ndependence -ay or Aliens ?R Well2 those of us who arenJt American ha1e been runnin% this e/$eriment throu%hout the twentieth century We li1e in a %lobe of American radiations2 American trends2 American brands and thou%hts We o1erhear America all the time2 ea1esdro$ on American life and American $ers$ecti1es on oursel1es in the way Shyloc# ea1esdro$s on ;elmont2 Henice2 and Genoa in all the $ain of his e/clusion Electronic America winds its way into our fantasies and ma#es Jessicas of each and e1ery one of us *f we o1er-react to America2 thatJs because America is already a s$linter in our flesh Just because America is the land of mobility and discontent2 of the P$ursuit of ha$$inessQ and not its $romise2 doesnJt mean itJs effecti1e at %o1ernin% the world :e%itimacy means %ettin% others to say2 P* am content2Q or P*J1e had enou%hU * %i1e u$ Q ;ut where is that messa%e in Walt Whitman2 undisci$lined2 $romiscuous2 and 1oracious for e1erythin%R Whitman says< P* celebrate myself2 and sin% myself2I And what * assume you shall assume2I 8or e1ery atom belon%in% to me as %ood belon%s to you Q And what if the Shia in *ra32 or the Tutsi in Rwanda2 donJt assume what Walt Whitman assumesR What if they are in lo1e with their own assum$tions2 their own histories and startin% $lacesR What if they donJt see what Hamlet and Whitman see - that Pe1ery atom belon%in% to meQ has once belon%ed to somebody else and will belon% to yet another in the futureR How far can a lo1e of humanity $enetrate a%ainst human bein%s who donJt lo1e humanity but only their subsections of itR And how about those who donJt lo1e at all but see# their own idea of hea1enly SusticeR Sha#es$eare %i1es Shyloc# a more stubborn sense of human intractability E/$lainin% his own waywardness2 Shyloc# obser1es< PSome men there are lo1e not a %a$in% $i%UI Some2 that are mad if they behold a catUI And others2 when the

ba%$i$e sin%s iJ the nose2I Cannot contain their urine< for affection2I Aistress of $assion2 sways it to the moodI Nf what it li#es or loathes Q *n fact Whitmanian uni1ersalism may be the 7eclaration of *nde$endence set in $oetic lines but its boundaries are not those of humanity itself but those of the United States *n WhitmanJs America2 the Pnation of nationsQ which has absorbed more di1ersity than any state on earth2 one hears always of Americans and ne1er of human bein%s and the %eneral interest of humanity As for the neo-conser1ati1es who ha1e sailed the American shi$ of state u$ the cree#2 ima%inati1e writersTwho want to create characters with their own freedom of motion and their own conflictin% $ers$ecti1esTha1e lon% understood what their $roblem is *t wasnJt merely hubris at wor#2 or the need for an American $resident to do somethin% %reat with his term in office The neoconser1ati1es and their Rumsfeldian and Cheneyite allies made a basic mista#e about human com$le/ity and a%ency +ortia can ma#e Shyloc# say2 P* am content2Q but only at the cost of our belief in Sha#es$eare at that moment *n her 4)66 no1el 'eli0 +olt Geor%e Eliot borrowed an ima%e from Adam Smith Dultimately from medie1al $olitical thou%htE< 8ancy what a %ame at chess would be if all the chessmen had $assions and intellects2 more or less small and cunnin%< if you were not only uncertain about your ad1ersary`s men2 but a little uncertain also about your ownU if your #ni%ht could shuffle himself on to a new s3uare by the slyU if your bisho$2 in dis%ust at your castlin%2 could wheedle your $awns out of their $lacesU and if your $awns2 hatin% you because they are $awns2 could ma#e away from their a$$ointed $osts that you mi%ht %et chec#mate on a suddenZ"ou mi%ht be the lon%estheaded of deducti1e reasoners2 and yet you mi%ht be beaten by your own $awns "ou would

be es$ecially li#ely to be beaten2 if you de$ended arro%antly on your mathematical ima%ination2 and re%arded your $assionate $ieces with contem$t

Geor%e Eliot2 li#e Smith2 concludes that Pthis ima%inary chess is easy com$ared with the %ame a man has to $lay a%ainst his fellow-men with other fellow-men for his instruments Q There couldnJt be a nicer summary of whatJs %one wron% between the world and America since the 4==(s Some of it is your fault Some of it is our fault Dfor e/istin%E And a lot of it2 es$ecially in the Aiddle East2 is a result of the basic waywardness of human chessmenTP$awns2 hatin% you because they are $awnsQ is a brief 1ersion of what $olitical scientists call %eo$olitical balancin%Tcombined with the contem$t inherent in the far ri%ht win%2 and far left2 1iew of history Nf course the United States Constitution is the %reatest $olitical e/$ression of this doubt about the controllability of human bein%s The brea#down between America and the rest of us is only %oin% to be fi/ed when America a%ain falls under the s$ell of what Abraham :incoln called its better an%els Those better an%els2 unli#e +ortia2 #now that weJre no an%els and that2 in fact2 there are no an%els and there is no way of the an%els WeJre Jessicas and Shyloc#s Some of us Plo1e not a %a$in% $i% Q Some of us Pare mad \to] behold a cat Q And2 as Shyloc# #new2 Pothers2 when the ba%$i$e sin%s iJ the nose2I Cannot contain their urine Q

Hun%ary The Truth about America GyKr%y 7ra%omFn

America does not e/ist America is 0ansas2 0ansas is the land of NG "ou canJt really %o there !o one can *t is Sust a fairy tale America is farther than the moon * #now this is true2 * am four years old2 * am listenin% to the WiGard of NG e1ery day *t is my fa1orite story2 my only double :+2 my mother bou%ht it for me on the blac# mar#et2 and therefore it is a bi% secret *tJs 4=>>2 Transyl1ania2 Western western $art of Romania The country is one of the more brutal $laces behind the *ron Curtain*ron Curtain2 with an atmos$here of fear resemblin% that of Stalinism The Hun%arian minority2 to which * belon%2 is $olitically sus$ect2 and therefore our situation is e1en worse Ay $arents do not %et $ass$orts2 not e1en to the friendly nei%hborin% socialist re$ublic of Hun%ary * wonJt be allowed to lea1e Romania until *Jll bem fifteen2 and then *Jll lea1e it for %ood2 as our family will immi%rate to Hun%ary All this lies well ahead in the future2 and * am not e1en aware of our situation * am li1in% the life of a four-year- old2 Tlife is a bi% %ame2 Tand so * do not e1en flinch when one day my father tells me ne1er to re$eat anythin% * hear at home outside our a$artment The ne/t day we are su$$osed to tal# about our fa1orite tales in the 0inder%arten#inder%arten * as# him about the WiGard of NG2 my father tells me * should #ee$ it secret So * do2 * tell the #inder%arten -teacher that my fa1orite tale is John and the se1en-headed dra%on

America is the filthy cradle of im$erialist ca$italismU $eo$le there donJt ha1e the ri%ht to wor# +eo$le star1e in America America is e1il Nr so the #inder%arten -teacher tells us * #now this is not true2 when my father told me about #ee$in% NG a secret he also told me that nothin% theyJd tell me in #inder%arten would be true The #inder%arten -teacher tells us we ha1e the ri%ht to wor#2 e1erybody in our socialist re$ublic has the ri%ht to wor# She tells us we donJt realiGe how luc#y we are that we were born here and not in America or the westWest * am si/ years old * #now America does in fact e/ist2 but it is still farther than the moon * #now America is the land of the free America is not the westWest2 it is somethin% e1en better2 it is the Wild West2 were the buffalo roam free * want to %o there * want to become a cowboy Nr e1en better2 * want to become an *ndian * #now %oin% there is im$ossible2 but * donJt really #now why The %ame we are $layin% has lots of rulesU most of the rules ha1e no e/$lanation And sometimes * for%et them Nne day the #inder%arten -teacher as#s me to recite the $oints of the com$ass P!orth2 east2 south2 west2 and the Wild -West Q PWhat did you Sust sayRQ PThe Wild West Q PNh the Wild West Q P"es the wild west America Q PWhere did you hear about that2 my childRQ PAt home Q PWho told you about the wild Wild westWestRQ P0arl Aay Q PWhat did you Sust sayR 0arl Aar/RQ P!o2 0arl Aay Q PWho is 0arl AayRQ 0arl Aay is my fa1orite writer * donJt tell this to the #inder%arten -teacher * cannot read2 but he is still my fa1orite writer2 my mother reads me all his boo#s * want to become an *ndian li#e as he did WeJll be ha1in% a carni1al in our #inder%arten2 and *Jll come be dressed u$ as an *ndian This * do tell the #inder%arten -teacher The #inder%arten -teacher tells me * am not su$$osed to * am su$$osed to come dressed as a wor#er PWe all are %oin% to dress u$ li#e wor#ers Q P!o * am not Wor#ers are borin% They Sust wor#2 * want to dress u$ li#e an *ndian Q * am not tellin%

the #inder%arten -teacher that * ha1e my own costume Ay father e1en %a1e me a bear -claw as a talisman He told me it came from America2 it was a claw of a real %riGGly * will wear it round my nec# Wor#ers donJt ha1e talismans PWor#ers are not wor#in%U they are fi%htin% for $eace Q P8i%htin% for $eace is borin% * am not %oin% to fi%ht for $eace2 * am %oin% to fi%ht with the *ndians With Winnetou * am %oin% to the Wild West * am %oin% to America Q The #inder%arten -lady tells my me to shut u$ The ne/t day my $arents are called into the #inder%arten They learn * committed a %ra1e sinU * am a cosmo$olitan2 a$in% western Western 1alues They should #now better than to teach me such nonsense !onsense li#e 0arl Aay !onsense li#e *ndians !onsense li#e America And they should #now there is now way2 she will allow me to dress li#e an *ndian All the children are %oin% to dress li#e wor#ers Nr miners Nr tractor-dri1ers !o they are not Ay mother smiles2 reaches into her ba%2 and hands the #inder%arten lady a soa$ PTa#e this small %ift2 itJs really nothin% Q * #now this is what you are su$$osed to say when you bribe someone2 this is one of the rules * ha1e learnt * also #now it is a lie2 as the %ift is ne1er a %ift2 nor is it e1er small Ay mother tells the #inder%arten -teacher she should not ma#e a bi% deal of this *ndian business She #nows how #ids are The #inder%arten lady loo#s at the soa$2 she e1en smells it throu%h the $ac#in% The soa$ is Re/ona brand *t smells li#e roses "ou cannot %et it in the sho$s *t is made in West Germany Ay mother tells the #inder%arten -lady 0arl Aay is East German All the *ndians in his boo#s are friendly socialist *ndians The East Germans ha1e e1en made mo1ies out of his wor#s The Wild West is in fact in "u%osla1ia Winnettou the A$ache chieftain2 he is in fact "u%osla12 more $recisely a Serb His name is GoS#o Aitic * #now this is a lie The Wild West is in America Winnettou is an A$ache And if not an A$ache than West German2 or if

not West German than 8rench2 because in the West German mo1ies he is $layed by +ierre ;rice The #inder%arten- teacher $uts the soa$ away 2 She tells my mother2 * mi%ht may dress u$ li#e as an *ndian after all Ay mother nods The Carni1al is ne/t wee# * donJt s$ea# En%lish * donJt s$ea# German 2 * donJt s$ea# any lan%ua%e but Hun%arian * also can recite three lon% sentences in Romanian2 * ha1e no idea about what they mean2 but the #inder%arten-teacher s$ent lon% hours teachin% these sentences to me She told me that was the $rice for allowin% me to wear my *ndian costume * thin# of the soa$2 * #now she is lyin%2 the soa$ was the $rice2 and my mother $aid it already ;ut * #now * am su$$osed to $retend she did not2 so * learn the sentences * donJt understand a word2 but * learn them Ay father made me a bow of layered wood2 and a 3ui1er made of real leather2 and real feathered arrows2 he made me a headband with feathers2 he %a1e me a leather strin% for the bear -claw * want to wear all thisU * really -really want to become an *ndian So * am doin% my best2 dili%ently learnin% those sentences The day before the carni1al we ha1e a costume rehearsal All the other #inder%arten -teachers of our county come to 1isit our #inder%arten Nur #inder%arten -teacher tells me they ha1e all come to see me in my costumeU they want to see me dressed u$ as an *ndian * belie1e her She tells me to stand on a $edestalU she tells me to recite the sentences she tau%ht me * do * donJt understand a word of it2 * ha1e no idea of what * am sayin% *t is in Romanian2 our #inder%arten is a #inder%arten for the children of the Hun%arian minority * only #now only a few words in Romanian !one of those are mentioned in the sentences * was made to learn ;ut * recite e1erythin% without a sin%le mista#e *t is a %reat success2 e1erybody cla$s2 es$ecially all the other #inder%arten -teachers They cla$ for minutes * am deli%hted2 * smile2 * am wa1in% at them They cla$ some more *

thin# they cla$ because * am so cle1er The ne/t day * am allowed to wear my costumeU * am allowed to be an *ndian2 the Carni1al is a %reat success E1erybody wants to touch the bear claw2 but * am %uardin% it with my bowie #nife2 which is made of wood2 with a blade co1ered in tinfoil A few years $ass * %o to school * learn Romanian Nne day2 * find the bear claw in a drawer *t is somewhat smaller than * remembered ;ut it still loo#s dan%erous2 its cur1ed $oint shar$ li#e a blade As * touch it2 * remember the carni1al2 and * remember the sentences * recited the day before standin% on that $edestal Suddenly * understand them The $ast %ets rewritten in a moment +ride turns to shame * realiGe * than#ed the leader of the Socialist +arty and his wife for bein% better $arents than my real $arents2 * also than#ed them for their tireless fi%ht for $eace2 and in the last sentences * denounced the westWest2 im$erialism2 and the United SatesStates * was dis$layed as a model of $atriotic education * loo# at the bear claw * #now it was all a lie * #now it is not the claw of a real GriGGly%riGGly * hide it somewhere2 * ne1er find it a%ain * am nine years old2 * be%in learnin% En%lish * learn about ;ritain2 * learn about America * learn about Trafal%ar S3uare and the Em$ire State buildin% * still donJt thin# these $laces actually e/ist * donJt belie1e America e/ists * #now it does2 but * still donJt belie1e it 0arl Aay is still my fa1orite writerU * ha1e read his boo#s countless times * #now that those are indeed German boo#s2 written in German2 and it is debated weather whether the author2 0arl Aay2 has e1er set foot on the American continent2 and e1en if he did2 it is hi%hly unli#ely that he really earned the moni#er of Nld Shatterhand2 while becomin% a blood-brother to an A$ache chieftain2 and slayin% %riGGlies in close combat with the aids of a bowie -#nife * ha1e also learnt learned that 1ery few of his wor#s are translated into En%lish2 he is 1irtually un#nown and unread in the United States This * find hard to

belie1e * still want to become an *ndian * #now the Wild -West does not e/ist any more ;ut * am $lannin% to %o there anyway * am twel1e * s$ea# some En%lish America is real Nf this * am sure * ha1e %ot $roof America is a s#ewer A blac# s#ewer made of twisted wrou%ht iron * am not allowed to touch it2 it is one of my fathers treasures2 it han%s on the wall of our li1in% room alon% with some of his other treasures2 an old %un$owder horn2 a huntin% #nife made of the sword my %randfather carried as a reser1e officer The s#ewer is a baro3ue $iece of #itchen e3ui$mentU it dates bac# to the si/teenth century *t is ideal for roastin% meat o1er an o$en fire Nr so my father tells us ;ut * #now that is a not the truth Nr not the whole truth The s#ewer is much more *t is America2 the United States Nr a secret lin# to it * #now * #now how to use it * ha1e seen my father do it one ni%ht ;ut * donJt dare to do it Nne day * am at home alone * canJt %o to school because * bro#e my an#le when we were $layin% a war %ame on a buildin% site and * fell into a ditch2 and ha1e to s$end a few days in bed until the $laster on my le% hardens * am readin% Mo$y, -ick by Herman Ael1ille * li#e it2 but * am bored * thin# of America2 the !ew World2 the whalers in their shi$s * ha1e no $lans of %oin% to sea2 but * decide to loo# into this America business * want $roof for once and for all * %et u$ from my bed2 hobble into the li1in% room2 %et our old East German WE8 radio off the windowsill The colla$sible fish-rod antenna of the radio has been missin% fore1erU it is was ri$$ed out of its soc#et * %et the radio2 carry it into my room2 and $lace it on the chair by the bed Then * hobble bac# into the li1in% room for the s#ewer * hesitate before ta#in% it off the wall2 but in the end * do it The s#ewer is hu%e and hea1yU it is cold to the touch * carry it bac# to my room * only saw my father do this only once2 at ni%ht2 throu%h the crac# of the door2 but the ima%e was unfor%ettable2 so * #now what to do

* $ut the radio on my bed2 * thin# of the whalers2 the s#ewer is now a har$oon2 * am %oin% to catch America with it * ta#e a dee$ breath2 and then * Sam the s#ewer into the radio2 ri%ht into the blac# hole in the $lastic2 where the old antenna used to be * turn on the radio2 switch the wa1e -switch to the short- wa1e $osition2 and be%in slowly turnin% the search #nob The room is suddenly filled with the crac#in% hum of static2 * am turnin% the search #nob2 slowly2 e1er so slowly2 listenin% to the fast unintelli%ible bee$ of Aorse code2 the whoo$in% sound of stations comin% into focus and disa$$earin% a%ain 2 * am loo#in% at the red dialT2 there2 behind the smud%ed +le/i%las2 it cree$s from ri%ht to left2 and then suddenly * hear a faint 1oice $roclaim that * am listenin% to the Hoice of America Ay hand ti%htens around the s#ewer2 my body becomes a $art of the antenna2 the 1oice %ets stron%er2 * am one with the radio2 * #now that the radio wa1es are $assin% throu%h my body2 * am listenin% to that distant American 1oice2 most of the words * donJt e1en understand2 but it does not matters2 only America matters * am a hero2 * am a s$y2 * am doin% somethin% secret and forbidden2 * am fi%htin% the system from within2 with a s#ewer and a bro#en radio * am $roud of myself2 thrilled by my coura%e * thin# of war mo1ies and the 8rench resistance * am so absorbed in this %ame2 * donJt e1en hear the #ey turn in the loc# of our a$artment2 * donJt hear my father arri1e * Sust hear his 1oice2 and loo# u$2 and suddenly there he is standin% in front of my bed2 as#in% me what * am doin% * let %o of the s#ewer2 the Hoice of America fades bac# into the murmur of the static2 * am bac# in our a$artment2 bac# in Romania2 bac# behind the *ron Curtain*ron Curtain Ay father %rabs the s#ewer2 $ulls it out of the radio He wants to #now what * am * doin% He does not seem to be 1ery an%ry2 Sust tense * tell him * am sorry2 * did not want to do anythin% wron%2 * Sust wanted to find out the truth about America Ay father nods2 then as#s me what do * care about America2 donJt we ha1e enou%h trouble as it isR

* donJt #now what to answer2 * am not e1en sure if he wants an answer at all Ay father is not a hot-tem$ered man2 but it is no use ma#in% him an%ry So * counter with a 3uestion2 * as# him about the bear claw2 * as# him if it was a real %riGGly claw or not He si%hs ThatJs the only answer Then he sits beside me on the bed2 still holdin% the s#ewer2 its shar$ $oint nested between two floorboards The radio is still on2 the static is a low hiss Ay father does not turn it off2 he listens to it for a while2 meanwhile2 he $uts his hand on the to$ of the radio in an aw#ward2 %entle %esture2 his fin%ers are touchin% the crac#s in the $lastic around the soc#et He as#s me about the radio He wants to #now how did * thin# it %ot bro#en The radio is old2 * has always been bro#en * tell him * ha1e no idea2 then * tell him2 $erha$s the security $olice did it2 they mutilated our radio2 to ma#e listenin% to forei%n broadcasts im$ossible Ay father smiles2 he tells me he always #new * had a 1i1id ima%ination Actually it was my %randfather who bro#e the radio He %rabbed the antenna and flun% the radio a%ainst the wall This ha$$ened in si/ty-ei%ht 8i1e years before * was born *t ha$$ened because of the e1ents in CGechoslo1a#ia * ha1e no idea about CGechoslo1a#ia * ha1e seen some cartoons which that were made there2 and some one once brou%ht me a chocolate -bar as a $resent2 which was also from there2 but thatJs all * #now Ay i%norance must be ob1ious2 my father smiles at me2 and then he tells me that if * really want to find out the truth about America2 then * first need to learn about CGechoslo1a#ia and about si/ty- ei%ht2 about Hun%ary and about fifity-si/2 about "alta and about forty-fi1e

*t sounds li#e a lot of learnin%2 but the tense way my father tal#s about all those countries and numbers ma#es me want to learn anyway ;ut first * ha1e to as# him about my %randfather2 about why he bro#e the radio Ay father tells me2 he bro#e the radio2 because the Americans did not come2 it was the third time they did not come2 and my %randfather had had enou%h They did not come in forty-fi1e2 they did not come in fifty si/2 and when they did not come in si/ty-ei%ht he suddenly had had enou%h2 he did not want to listen to their 1oice any more2 because he realiGed that theyJd ne1er come2 and theyJll ne1er brin% what they ha1e $romised2 and weJll be stuc# with what we ha1e %ot for %ood and all Ay father 1oice is ras$y with tension2 he tells me about the Hun%arian re1olution2 which they ha1e listened toat on the radio2 not the WE82 bac# then they had an old transistor radio2 and the Americans were $romisin% hel$2 and theyJd $romise theyJd come and brin% wea$ons2 theyJd $romised they $rotect us from the So1iets2 now that the Hun%arian $eo$le ha1e %one and decided its time to ta#e fate into their own hands He tells me about how $eo$le were waitin% for the Americans to come e1er since after the Second World War2 he tal#s about the rumors of American soldiers ha1in% been si%hted in the mountains2 where they were $re$arin% the %round for the rest of the troo$s He tells me how he belie1ed they must ha1e been thereU e1en thou%h he #new it could not ha1e been true He does not e/$lain it further2 but this sort of blind belief * understand fully *t is the way * belie1ed in the %riGGly claw2 the way * belie1ed in the Wild West Ay fatherJs fin%ers are still caressin% the crac#s in the $lastic 8or a while he does not s$ea#2 and then he tells me that when the Russian tan#s rolled into ;uda$est in the !o1ember of 8iftyfifty-si/2 my %randfather was wee$in% in front of the radio That was the first time he saw his father cry

The static is still hummin%U my father suddenly lets %o of the antenna-hole and switches off the radio He tells me that these are old stories2 but our world is defined by old stories such as these2 and e1en thou%h he is my father2 and fathers should always #now better2 he canJt tell me the truth about America2 because he has ne1er been there2 and it is 1ery li#ely that he wonJt e1er ha1e the chance to %o there He then %ets u$ from the bed2 ta#es the radio and the s#ewer2 and wal#s out of the room * am lyin% on the bed2 * $ut one hand on the $laster of my le%U2 mye $alm is all sweatyU the $laster is cool a%ainst it * thin# of my %randfatherJs tears2 the %riGGly claw2 the s#ewer2 the :and of NG2 CGechoslo1a#ia2 tan#s2 and chocolate The door o$ens once a%ainU my father comes bac# into my room with a boo# *t is a small %ray 1olume ;efore handin% it o1er to me2 he tells me that it mi%ht $erha$s hold some of the truth about America He tells me2 this was the boo# his own father %a1e him2 when he as#ed him why he was cryin% Ay %randfather told him that he was cryin% because he realiGed that the boo#2 which he belie1ed to be true2 was in fact Sust a fairy tale He was cryin% because he realiGed that the country he belie1ed to ha1e been built on that boo#2 turned out to be Sust a fairy tale He cried2 because he realiGed2 that the America he belie1ed in did not e/ist2 weJll ne1er %o there2 and itJll ne1er come to us Ay father finishes the sentence and2 shru%sU2 than then he $oints at the boo#2 and tells me * should read it2 and Sud%e for myself Who #nows2 $erha$s * will choose to belie1e in it2 e1en thou%h #nowin% that it is Sust a fairy tale ;ecause we all ha1e to belie1e in somethin%2 and it mi%ht as well be this boo# The boo# is dusty2 e1en without o$enin% it * can see that the $a%es are yellowed2 the chea$ $a$er has o/idiGed badly * o$en the boo#U it is "n Li$erty by Johns Stuart Aill * start

to read itU2 it seems 3uite sim$le2 but e1en as * am readin% it * sus$ect that * donJt fully understand it2 and * am afraid *Jll ne1er find the truth about America

United 0in%dom 8iddlers and 8ailures Terry Ea%leton

The story is told in *reland of a fiddlersJ com$etition out in the wilds of the Westwest2 the winner of which would become all-*reland cham$ion DThe title Pall-*reland cham$ionQ is admittedly a little loose< one bum$s into scores of such uni3uely titled fiddlers u$ and down the country2 as thou%h e1ery second woman on the street were to turn out to be Aiss Ar#ansas E The first com$etitor for the award ste$$ed u$ to the front< a s1elte2 distin%uished2 sil1er-haired %entleman bedec#ed in e1enin% dress2 e/3uisitely coiffed and bearin% in his handTno lessTa Stradi1arius Restin% the instrument a%ainst his chin with a confident flourish2 he drew the bow 1i%orously across the strin%s and be%an to $lay And by God he was useless The second candidate for stardom then turned to face the audienceTa slic#-haired2 shinin%-toothed2 sli%htly flashy ty$e in a well-tailored %ray suit2 carryin% in his hand an e/$ensi1e but not classic 1iolin With an in%ratiatin% bow2 he $laced the instrument under his chin and be%an to $lay And by God he was useless The Sud%es were Sust on the $oint of declarin% a no-winner when there was a commotion at the bac# of the room 7es$ite some e1ident reluctance2 a third com$etitor was bein% forced to the front by his friendsTa tiny2 shrun#en2 octo%enarian fellow in a crum$led old suit buttoned u$ with bits of strin% and hardly a scra$ of seat to his trousers *n his withered claw lay a fiddle as decre$it as himself2 its strin%s frayed and $eelin%2 its body held to%ether by elastic bands Shrin#in% from the crowd2 but ur%ed on by his loyal collea%ues2 he

$laced the fiddle beneath his chin with a 3ui1erin% hand2 and softly drew the tattered bow across it And by God he was useless too * ta#e it that this is amon% other thin%s a dee$ly un-American story *ndeed2 the *rish are in %eneral dee$ly un-American2 des$ite their lon% historical entan%lement with the countryTas o$$osed to the ;ritish2 who are in %eneral not un-American but anti-American *n the late 4=th century2 whole 1illa%es in the west of *reland were #e$t afloat by the !ew "or# +olice 7e$artment2 whose *rish officers would send remittances home The so-called Ps$ecial relationshi$Q is not with ;ritain but with *reland *t is the *rish2 not the ;ritish2 who do not re3uire 1isas to enter the United States Nne of the #ey differences between the ;ritish and the *rish is that the latter tend to be fond of Americans while the former2 by and lar%e2 are not *n one sense2 this is scarcely a cause for sur$rise2 since where would the Aic#s be without the "an#sR As one 7ublin wa% commented2 when Saint +atric# dro1e the sna#es out of *reland2 they too# refu%e in Chica%o City Hall This affection2 howe1er2 is bemusin% to an En%lishman of *rish $ro1enance li#e myself who has lon% li1ed in *reland2 since it is hardTat least in terms of sensi$ility6to thin# of two more dissimilar nations The fiddler So#e is un-American to my own ears $artly because it mischie1ously $ulls the ru% out from under a dewy-eyed sentimentalism which that has more than a smac# of the States about it Americans in %eneral are more sentimental than Euro$eans2 which is $art of their %eneral tendency to wear their s$iritual innards on their slee1es *t is also the case that a hard-headed2 brus3uely $ra%matic society2 where what mostly counts is money2 is li#ely to be sentimental sim$ly because sentimentality is the only $oor $arody of %enuine feelin% such $ra%matism is able to muster The *rish e/ist for other $eo$le to be sentimental about2 but they are a $rofoundly

unsentimental2 unromantic $eo$le themsel1esTa fact which that is hardly sur$risin%2 %i1en their catastro$hic history D* assume2 incidentally2 that %eneraliGations about nations or ethnic %rou$s are $erfectly acce$table2 howe1er ner1ous liberals may feel about them 8or a materialist2 it would be astonishin% if a %rou$ of $eo$le had shared rou%hly the same conditions o1er a considerable $eriod of time without de1elo$in% some $sycholo%ical traits in common E :i#e a %ood deal of *rish humor2 the fiddler fable wor#s by u$endin% or in1ertin% emotional common$laces As with the wit of Nscar Wilde2 it is nothin% if not $er1erse2 ta#in% some Dusually En%lishE $iece of con1entional wisdom and fli$$in% it inside out2 standin% it on its head2 turnin% it bac# to front Se/uality was one of WildeJs least interestin% $er1ersities His wit re$resents an anti-colonial smac# at En%lish conce$tual and lin%uistic assurances2 a %leeful deli%ht in debun#in% and deflatin%2 which in *rish culture stretches all the way from Jonathan Swift to Samuel ;ec#ett The fiddler story maliciously baffles con1entional narrati1e e/$ectations2 de$ri1in% us of our roseate Hollywood endin% :i#e much *rish humor2 it is latently a%%ressi1e2 the wit of those with a secret %rud%e a%ainst the self-satisfied2 smoothly $redictable certainties of the established orderU and in this the *rish resemble not Americans as a whole2 whose humor is far heartier and blander2 but !ew "or# Jews *t is not in the least mysterious that the $rota%onist of the %reatest *rish no1el e1er written bears the name of ;loom The fiddler So#e wor#s by bathos2 buildin% u$ hi%h-minded assum$tions about the 1irtuous $oor only %leefully to $uncture themU and bathos is by far the most common tro$e in *rish literature Hac#in% the world sa1a%ely down to siGe is a distincti1ely *rish $ursuit 7istincti1e2 thou%h not $eculiar2 since it is shared to some e/tent by the ;ritish Americans2 by contrast2 always seem to us Euro$eans to be inflatin% thin%s rather than deflatin% them

There is a chronic o1er-the-to$ness about the nation Sendin% twenty flashin%2 screechin% $olice cars to arrest someone found smo#in% a Soint mi%ht ser1e as an e/am$le American $rison sentences2 fruit of a brutally $uritan $uniti1eness2 a$$ear %rossly inflated in our s$inelessly liberal 1iew The United States is the land of hubris and hy$erbole *t cannot Sust %i1e u$ smo#in% or sto$ eatin% so much2 but must ma#e an almi%hty fuss about it DAy own rather eccentric theory of the American obsession with DnonE-Esmo#in% is that smo#e acts as a contaminatin% connection between oneJs own body and someone elseJs2 in a country with so much s$ace that an American will murmur YE/cuse meJ if he or she comes within ten yards of you *t doesnJt ha$$en in ;eiSin% E As far as hy$erbole %oes2 the nation also resounds with a solemn2 sententious2 midHictorian2 hideously earnest $ublic rhetoric 2 which to our ears sounds merely embarrassin% !o ;ritish $olitician could refer to God or This Great Country of Nurs without $ro1o#in% an incredulous Seer Americans seem to us either racily idiomatic or $onderously rhetorical There is a 3uality of innocence about this hand-on-heart discourse which that ma#es Euro$eans feel soiled and Saded !o En%lish or *rish $erson would say somethin% li#e P* a$$reciate your $atience and understandin%2 sir2 and will ma#e a commitment to you2Q as a 7u#e student once said to me They would sim$ly sus$ect you were ma#in% fun of them 8reud once remar#ed that the a1era%e indi1idual is both far less moral than he sus$ected2 and far more moral as wellU and of few human bein%s is this truer than Americans *f only they would sto$ bein% so $ortentously2 self-consciously Aoral2 they mi%ht $ro1e to be better $eo$le US American children Js TH childrenJs $ro%rams2 for e/am$le2 are e/traordinarily didactic com$ared to ;ritish ones2 as thou%h $lay is useless unless a ci1ic moral can be instantly e/tracted from it Aoral earnestness in ;ritain is for sho$#ee$ers2 not for the #ind of $atrician whom many of the En%lish would secretly lo1e to be The tric# is to

be lan%uid and off-hand in a stylish sort of way2 not $athetically $uffed u$ with your own $etty-bour%eois sincerity When someone than#s you2 you re$ly P!ot at allQ or P7onJt mention itQ rather than P*tJs my $leasureQ or P"ouJre 1ery welcome Q The En%lish are would-be Ca1aliers2 and loo# down on their American cousins as unreconstructed Roundheads *f there is a cult of irony in ;ritain2 it is amon% other thin%s because truth2 too2 is for the lower middle classes Truth is borin% and $etty-bour%eois2 whereas irony is $layful2 inessential2 and hence aristocratic Aristocrats donJt need the truth because they ha1e enou%h money to insulate them a%ainst its more rebarbati1e im$lications As a re%ular contributor to the ;ritish 9uardian news$a$er2 * was dumbfounded to be told by a New York Times Sournalist who was inter1iewin% me for that news$a$er that * was forbidden to use irony * couldnJt ha1e been more astonished if she had told me that New York Times Sournalists were e/$ected to %arnish their re$orts with a liberal s$rin#lin% of the most scabrous e/$leti1es they could muster Americans tend to admire $lain s$ea#in%2 which is $art of their $uritan herita%e2 whereas some of the En%lish2 and certainly some of the *rish2 tend to re%ard $lain s$ea#in% as a disability for which a course of thera$y mi%ht be re3uired Why use only four words where forty would doR Some Americans seem to re%ard meta$horical lushness in fiction as Peffete2Q whereas an e/cessi1e re$etition of the co$ula fi%ures as a si%n of 1irile authenticity DPand then he hit me in the Saw and * fell o1er and there was blood e1erywhere and he was still %rinnin% that %oddam stu$id %rin and QE There are other forms of hy$erbole as well !er1ous of all 1ul%ar self-1auntin%2 the a1era%e *rish or En%lish $arent would ne1er dri1e a 1ehicle s$ortin% the si%n PAy Child is on the Honor Roll Q "ou mi%ht Sust see a satirical si%n readin% PAy Child is a Serial

0iller2Q but certainly nothin% as innocently self-affirmati1e as one occasionally sees in the the

States +raisin% oneJs children in $ublic is a $ractice distasteful to most Euro$eans The *rish in $articular are masters at $uttin% themsel1es down2 in case others do it for them *n small nations li#e *reland2 ;el%ium2 or !orway2 where e1eryone was at school with e1eryone else2 you #now each other too well to be im$ressed by each otherJs achie1ements2 and standin% out from the crowd is in any case dee$ly inad1isable *n such thinly $o$ulated communities2 en1y is the only human force stron%er than se/2 so that claimin% some #ind of indi1idual distincti1eness is s$urned as $rofoundly anti-social This can ma#e for an o$$ressi1ely claustro$hobic climate *n the USA2 by contrast2 the habit seems to be to $uff yourself u$ 8ew nations a$$ear so ruthlessly %oal-oriented and noisily self-asserti1e !o other $eo$le to my #nowled%e uses the word Pa%%ressi1eQ as a com$liment2 and no other %rou$ of human bein%s a$art from $sychoanalysts s$ea#s so re$etiti1ely of Pdreams Q *n a curious collecti1e narcissism2 Americans also use the word PAmerica2Q at least in their $ublic discourse2 far more than the Aalays s$ea# of Aalaysia or ;ul%arians s$ea# of ;ul%aria The word si%nifies a 1alue as well as a fact2 an as$iration as well as a descri$tion2 which is not the case with P+ara%uay Q All this selfassertin% does not come across to most Euro$eans as mere stereoty$ical American boastin%2 since they understand that a cultural habit is at sta#e here To some e/tent2 it is one redeemed $recisely by its wide-eyed innocence of the fact that it sounds so un$leasant *t has2 howe1er2 a co1ert affinity with less acce$table #inds of hubris and hy$erbole2 li#e those which sent the United States into *ra32 so that to this e/tent its naa1etM cannot entirely sal1a%e it To listen to some Americans tal#2 one would thin# that world history held no tra%edy as star# as that of the destruction of the World Trade CenterU whereas the truth is

that e/actly three decades earlier2 the United States 1iolently o1erthrew the democratically elected %o1ernment of Chile and installed in its $lace an odious dictator who with U S conni1ance went on to murder far more innocents than e1er died in the horror of =I44 The country also armed and cham$ioned an autocrat in *ndonesia who almost certainly dis$osed of more blameless li1es than did Saddam Hussein *n its time2 Euro$e has committed atrocities to e3ual or e/ceed these massacresU but the difference is that Euro$eans do not $articularly re%ard themsel1es as %ood %uys in the way that some Americans tend to do They are far too cynical for that2 which is one reason why they are not e/actly %ood %uysU but they are also commendably realistic not to $ercei1e themsel1es as such *t is a familiar truth2 howe1er2 that a belief in an absolute o$$osition between %ood %uys and bad %uys belon%s to AmericaJs $uritan herita%e2 which is no doubt one reason why Jac3ues 7erridaJs style of deconstruction was so ea%erly embraced by frustrated radical academics When in doubt2 the En%lish thin# of a $endulum which that swin%s to and fro between e/treme $ositions A certain rela/ed tolerance2 a dim sense of the mi/edness of thin%s DP*t ta#es all #inds to ma#e a worldQU PThereJs %ood and bad in all of usQU P*tJd be a funny world if we all thou%ht the sameQE is $art of their routine discourse This does not mean that they are $ara%ons of liberal 1irtue Nn the contrary2 many of them would feel thorou%hly at home wearin% $ointed white hoods ;ut a sus$icion of star# e/tremes is built into the way they #now they are su$$osed to thin#2 and sometimes e1en do thin# The astonishin% 1oluntarism of much American ideolo%yTthe belief that you can crac# it if you try2 that the s#yJs the limit2 that the word PcanJtQ is almost as offensi1e as the term PCommunistQThas a %rossly naa1e rin% in the ears of a continent buried

beneath the historical detritus of centuries There is a dee$ly destructi1e 3uality about this cult of the na#ed2 unhoused2 muscle-bound will2 which can end u$ burnin% the bodies of Arab children :i#e all desire2 it is 1irulently anti-materialist *t fails to %ras$ that constraints are constituti1e of our s$ecies-bein%2 not sim$ly obstacles to be surmounted *f the United States indeed ends u$ annihilatin% the $lanet2 it will be its craGed idealism2 not its crude materialism2 which will be to blame *t does not seem to ha1e learnt the 8reudian lesson that the chronically idealiGin% su$ere%o is as much a source of destruction and des$air as a well-s$rin%wells$rin% of 1ision and e/altation *deals tend sadistically to rub your nose in your own ineluctable failure Nnce they %et out of hand2 they can become terroristic !ot seein% this is a lar%e $art of what Euro$eans mean by American innocence Aodernity has witnessed a form of discourse which de1otes itself to in1esti%atin% the mechanisms by which the res$lendent re1olutionary ideals of the middle class2 to which the United States ri%htly $ays such homa%e2 tend to twist into their o$$osite whene1er one attem$ts to $ut them into $ractice This discourse2 howe1er2 is #nown as Aar/ism2 and is not the most $o$ular idiom in Grand Ra$ids2 Aichi%an Nn the other hand2 Americans who s$ea# of money as Pthe bottom lineQ are unwittin% adherents of Aar/Js doctrine of base and su$erstructure The 8austian myth of the American dream2 that $ernicious fantasy which that has dama%ed and befuddled the li1es of so many decent men and women2 must accordin%ly be countered by the idea of tra%edy * mean by the idea of tra%edy the reco%nition that only those communities or indi1iduals twhich hat maintain a secret com$act with failure ha1e a ho$e of flourishin% The writin% of Samuel ;ec#ett is a case in $oint *t is not in the least irrele1ant to this fact that ;ec#ett was *rish D*ndeed2 when he was as#ed by a

rather callow 8rench Sournalist whether he was En%lish2 he 3uite $ro$erly re$lied P Au contraire Q E A sufferin% solidarity with brea#down2 loss2 and futility2 so the %reat tra%ic artists and thin#ers ha1e always insisted2 is the 1ital $re-condition for any achie1ement that will not e1entually crumble to dust in your hands +sychoanalysis understands this tra%ic doctrine in its own way2 as does the Christian faith2 which in the United States has for the most $art been blas$hemously $ressed into the ser1ice of what 7 H :awrence called the bitch-%oddess Success *t is not the case in the USA2 as it is not the case in Euro$e2 that you will reco%niGe "ahweh for who he is when you see the hun%ry bein% filled with %ood thin%s and the rich bein% sent em$ty away The United States2 howe1er2 is a $rofoundly anti-tra%ic society2 e1en if it is now li1in% throu%h one of the most tra%ic $hases of its history "ou cannot really flourish if you hate a loser As in the finest tra%ic art2 it is only by reco%niGin% your own distorted 1isa%e in the scum and refuse of the earth2 discernin% in the monstrous terror at your %ates a thin% of dar#ness which that you must ac#nowled%e as your own2 that you ha1e the faintest ho$e of sal1ation American $oliticiansJ tal# of ho$e Da #ey American term2 li#e Pcomforta$le with2Q Preach out to2Q Pawesome2Q and Pstay focusedQE is intended to by-$ass this unutterably $ainful $rocess of self-disin1estment2 not burrow all the way throu%h it in the wan faith that you mi%ht emer%e somewhere on the other side This is why all such tal# of ho$e2 chan%e2 mornin% in America2 and bra1ely facin% the future is as bo%us as tal# of world $eace in the face of the s3ualid concentration cam$ that is the GaGa stri$ *f one would wish the United States a touch more reticence and obli3uity Das well as that it should start usin% the rather beautiful word PchildrenQ in $lace of the u%ly

monosyllable PkidsQE2 one would also wish it to ac#nowled%e what He%el once called the $ower of the ne%ati1e *n a s3uare-Sawed2 self-affirmati1e culture2 s$ea#in% ne%ati1ely about somethin% be%ins to sound li#e a thou%ht crime PHow was your holidayRQ an American as#s P+erfectly dreadful2Q you truthfully re$ly2 watchin% the faint flic#er of $uGGlement and discomfort in his eyes Where1er $ossible2 you are e/$ected to be u$beat The American word for an unmiti%ated disaster is Pchallenge Q 8ailure is scarcely to be admitted E1en cemeteries are to be s$o#en of as $laces where a %ood deal of acti1ity %oes on DSo%%in%2 flower-tendin%2 and the li#eE2 not as dum$in% %rounds for the dead A mistrust of the ne%ati1e is one reason why there is so dismally little satire in the country2 if one discounts the unmatchable Simpsons1 !e%ati1ity is mista#en for nihilism2 and nihilism is bad for ideolo%ical morale This is why ri1al $olitical commentators ar%uin% the toss on tele1ision must #ee$ smilin% and Soshin%2 to assure the 1iewer that there is no real conflict at sta#e here There is2 after all2 only one $olitical $arty in this su$$osed democracy< the ca$italist $arty Such com$ulsory Soshin% and %rinnin% also ser1es to confirm that these indi1iduals are human2 %i1en the 3uaint U S assum$tion that there is somethin% sinisterly robotic about discussin% ideas without an occasional sob2 chuc#le2 P:oo#-itQ or PThere ya %o a%ain Q There are many reasons2 then2 why not to li1e in the United States . Tone of the most $ressin% of all bein% that its inhabitants rise and retire ridiculously early *n this2 too2 the $uritan linea%e can be %leaned2 alon% with the $roddin%s of the $rofit moti1e !o ci1iliGed society would re3uire one to rise before 4( a m 2 or to retire before midni%ht +re-dawn $ower-brea#fasts are 3uite as barbaric as throwin% Christians to the lions Some Americans2 as a%hast at such inci1ilities as any Euro$ean obser1er2

ha1e fled the country2 ta#en u$ home in !a$les or Aarra#esh or Co$enha%en2 and embar#ed there on the $ainful $rocess of de-AmericaniGation Such cities these days are thron%ed with reco1erin% Americans2 all of them at 1arious sta%es of the 4'twel1e-ste$ $ro%ram of AA "et there are se1eral %ood reasons to li1e in the $lace as well And in case this statement2 after all this car$in% and criticiGin%2 mi%ht sound mildly im$lausible2 let me confess that some of my best friends are Americans Ay wife2 for e/am$le2 alon% with two of my children *t is true that my eldest American child could scarcely be described as a fanatical $atriot2 ha1in% rashly attem$ted to scale the s$i#ed railin%s of the U S embassy in 7ublin durin% an anti-*ra3-war demonstration shoutin% obscenities rarely heard in the mouth of a =nine-year-old E1en so2 few countries of my ac3uaintance manifest such a robust ci1ic consciousness as the United States The *rish ha1e traditionally dis$layed 1ery little such ci1ic sense2 lar%ely because the country for se1eral centuries was not their own There is a co1ert connection between ;ritish im$erialism and all that shoc#in% sali1a on the streets of 7ublin :aws are not matters that the *rish obey in too sla1ish or2 literal a s$irit2 e1en today2 since many such laws traditionally wor#ed to their detriment The ;ritish ha1e little ci1ic s$irit lar%ely because of the admirable stubbornness or PbloodymindednessQ of the traditional ;ritish wor#in% class2 who were ne1er fooled into belie1in% that the country was their own in the same sense that it belon%ed to Winston Churchill2 and who unli#e many American wor#ers would ne1er dream of s$ea#in% of PourQ business or com$any Whereas American wor#ers and entre$reneurs tend to re1eal a bri%ht-eyed Pcan-doQ attitude2 the stereoty$ical ;ritish wor#er will stand for ten minutes before whate1er is to be fi/ed sha#in% his head disconsolately2 and will only by

%radual de%rees be drawn into a %rud%in% admission that it is not ho$elessly beyond re$air Nutsiders who are not familiar with this ritual2 and not $re$ared to collaborate conscientiously in its e1ery baro3ue mo1e2 will be left with lea#y $i$es or blown fuses The United States2 by contrast2 has #e$t ali1e somethin% of the sense of ci1ic fellowshi$ and social res$onsibility which that ins$ired its re1olutionary ori%ins !o doubt it needs to2 as a counterwei%ht to the di1isi1e effects of both multiculturalism and ca$italist indi1idualism E1en so2 there are few $eo$les as $leasant and courteous to one another as Americans ;y and lar%e2 the Chinese treat one another with notable rou%hness2 whereas we En%lish $refer not to encounter one another at all *f we can %et away with a $hone call or a coy note rather than a face-to-face meetin%2 we will most certainly do so The En%lish re%ard human contact as %reatly o1errated2 not least by the Americans ;y and lar%e2 they tend to belie1e that once you ha1e seen one s$ecimen of humanity you ha1e seen the lot Americans belie1e in indi1idualism2 while the En%lish belie1e in that 1ery different $henomenon2 idiosyncrasy And idiosyncrasy is amon% other thin%s a way of #ee$in% others at armJs len%th *t is an acce$tably flamboyant form of unsociability There are N/brid%e dons who would wish to be remembered not for their $ath-brea#in% history of ;yGantium2 but for the fact that they fre3uented a $ub e1ery ni%ht with a lo3uacious $arrot $erched on their shoulder Nn the whole2 indi1idualism in the United States belon%s to the economic realm2 while culture is lar%ely a matter of conformity *n ;ritain2 culture is amon% other thin%s the domain of indi1idual idiosyncrasy2 while too brash an entre$reneurialism still tends to be frowned on *diosyncrasy is an e/tra1a%ant form of $ri1acy2 a #ind of ta#in% shelter from others in the de$ths of oneselfU and it is this $ri1acy which that Euro$eans tend to find so

absent in the USA !ot2 to be sure2 that there is any lac# of %ated communities or P0ee$ NutQ notices in the $lace The country is more thic#ly $lastered with stern $ublic $rohibitions than any * #now What bemuses Euro$eans is the a$$arent assum$tion Da%ain $uritan in $ro1enanceE that what is not instantly e/ternaliGed or articulated does not truly e/ist *t is this which that some Euro$eans tend to mista#e for a lac# of human de$th or interiority *t is not that there are no de$ths2 but that the de$ths are more on the surface than they are in Lurich or La%reb The *rish2 by contrast2 can a$$ear easy and s$ontaneous2 but ha1e lon% nurtured D$artly for $olitical reasonsE a com$le/ culture of secrecy2 and are much less instantly deci$herable than they a$$ear *f the ;ritish and the Americans are di1ided by the same lan%ua%e2 in ;ernard ShawJs immortal $hase2 it is $artly because the last thin% the ;ritish belie1e is that what you see is what you %et

Russia Wild-;looded En1oys of the 8uture< A Hisit to a Auseum Hictor Erofeye1

' 7isit to a Museum The small $re%nant woman2 who somehow reminded me of Andrei ;ol#ons#yJs wifeT the one who died in childbirth in ar and PeaceTassembled the %rou$ of about a doGen

Russians in front a $icture by CeGanne The blonde American smiled at us with a wellstudied2 in%enuous smile that was intended to hold our interest at least until the end of the tour2 introduced herself2 and $lun%ed into the dar# waters of the un#nown The one thin% she did #now about this %rou$ was that she was facin% hi%h-$riority H*+s who had come to the Auseum of Aodern Art by s$ecial arran%ement with the mana%ement2 outside normal hours2 before the museum was officially o$en Which meant that the interaction between $eo$le and $ictures would be e/clusi1ely intimate and intense2 a %enuine !ew "or# %ala $erformance A$art from the security men there was no one else in the e/hibition halls ;ut what were these $eo$le standin% in front of her li#e2 how badly did they want to e/$erience this close interaction with CeGanneJs clearly inedible a$$lesR The most definite thin% one could say about the members of this cultural incursion was that they were not hun%ry ;efore comin% to the museum2 they had eaten a solid brea#fast in their e/$ensi1e hotel2 consumin% hu%e2 bri%ht-colored omelettes with tomatoes2 mushrooms2 and ham2 and they were in a %enial mood The small $re%nant woman tried to %et a feel for their le1el She e/$lained that +aul CeGanne was a 8rench artist of the late nineteenth century This information was recei1ed with due a$$reciation and that

seemed to encoura%e her somewhat These $eo$le standin% in front of her were well -%roomed2 on the youn% side2 and had a %eneral air2 if not of affluence2 then at least of calm self-confidence2 a certain aroma that united them all Actually2 they were united by certain other aromas as well There was a sense in which they were collectors of aromas Tthe odors of delicious food2 the latest $erfumes and lotions2 horses2 stylish automobiles2 a multitude of drin#s *n fact2 it was the aroma and taste of a drin# that had brou%ht them here to !ew "or#2 for the world $remiere of a twenty-year-old whis#yTthe launch of an e/$ensi1e $roduct that was set to con3uer the world The %astronomic connection between CeGanneJs a$$les and this still- unfamiliar but archety$ically su$erb whis#y was %limmerin% elusi1ely in the mist The small $re%nant woman %radually %rew bolder She be%an to belie1e in the Russian %rou$ and cast aside the cultural crutches re3uired for Te/as billionaires2 confidently $ilin% on the s$ecial terms The %rou$ sur%ed onward to storm the bastions of cubism and abstract art Nn the way to 1ictory2 howe1er2 the %rou$ be%an to fra%ment Claude AonetJs meters-wide can1ases of water-lilies2 which are usually im$ossible to see $ro$erly because of crowds2 met with a$$ro1al2 but +icassoJs -emoiselles d.Avignon2 who turned out to be common ;arcelona $rostitutes2 e1o#ed conflictin% res$onses Sal1ador 7alO won the %rou$ o1er2 but more with his re$utation than his subSects As far as the Russian bri%ade was concerned2 the %reat battle between +icasso and 7alO was definitely not won by the $o$-eyed inno1ator who Soined the Communist +arty2 but by :orcaJs treacherous e/ecutor2 the man who san% a hymn of $raise to $rison as the %reat re$ository of freedom These S$anish com$etitors were both de1otees of the erotic ;ut

+icassoJs eroticism was the lust of a robustly healthy s$irit2 while 7alOJs surrealist $ictures were filled with a cree$in% $er1ersion that e1o#ed a sweet tremor of re1ulsion The small $re%nant woman concluded the tour on a $atriotic noteTin the American hall ;ut when it came to American abstract artists li#e Jac#son +olloc#2 se1eral women in the Russian %rou$ said somethin% for which 0hrusche1 would ha1e lo1ed them< We could $aint better than that The small $re%nant woman didnJt ar%ue2 she didnJt e1en $urse her li$s in an e/$ression of scorn< she was used to e1erythin% The 1isit to the museum had ta#en $lace The %rou$ hurried off to lunch in a swan#y restaurant

' "eautiful #oman Nn the way to the restaurant * $honed An#a A mechanical American woman informed me that her number had chan%ed2 and dictated a new series of di%its When An#a2 a beautiful forty-se1en-year-old e/-Ausco1ite2 first recei1ed her American $ass$ort2 she couldnJt belie1e her eyes< the American authorities had confused a Pse1enQ with a PoneQ and made her si/ years youn%er She Sum$ed for Soy ;ut this time when * flew to !ew "or#2 she couldnJt be bothered to meet u$ with me2 claimin% that she was feelin% de$ressed and unwell P:i1in% in America is the ultimate $unishment for me2Q An#a said on the $hone She had be%un her life in !ew "or# by mo1in% into a fashionable buildin% on ;roadway2 where she and her husband had two a$artments #noc#ed into one He was a classical $ianist and she flew around the world with him2 first class all the way They min%led with the u$$er crust of society Her wardrobes were burstin% with fur coats2 and she ne1er wore the same $air of shoes twice And then they %ot di1orced and she mo1ed

to a rather less chic a$artment close to Central +ar# 8ollowin% unsuccessful financial 1entures and a robbery2 she was left with no means of su$$ort She dreamed of %ettin% married2 but it didnJt wor# out Rich old men2 brilliant tenors2 and Washin%ton $oliticians came floc#in% to her beauty li#e a fli%ht of carrion crows2 $ec#in% and clawin% at it before dartin% away a%ain 7es$ite her society connections2 she either couldnJt find a Sob or didnJt want to And now she had mo1ed a%ain2 closer to Harlem This was where the idea of the ultimate $unishment had been born P8ind me a fiancM in Aoscow2Q she said2 and hun% u$

The 'gent *n 4=))2 when * came to !ew "or# for the first time from Hermont2 where * was lecturin% on Russian literature2 * started %ettin% such terrible diGGy s$ells that it was a real effort for me to wal# alon% the streets of Aanhattan * felt as if $eo$le here didnJt wal#U2 they whiGGed alon% on roller s#ates with their ties flutterin% in the breeGe * felt as if this was the only $lace where there was anythin% real %oin% on2 the $lace where a new breed of $eo$le was bein% born Ay no1el #ussian )eauty had not yet made me famous2 but already $eo$le were in1itin% me e1erywhere2 as#in% me to write for Vogue and the New Yorker2 ta#in% me out to dinner with the le%endary owner of these ma%aGines and many others2 introducin% me to celebritiesTArthur Ailler2 +hili$ RothTand all the while listenin% to my stories of the So1iet Union durin% the time of $erestroi#a with %enuine American enthusiasm * couldnJt understand what was ha$$enin%2 why !ew "or# had ta#en me to its heart in this way * was ta#en to the twin towers to admire the 1iew from

the hi%h-le1el bar Nn the way bac# to my hotel * always felt li#e the im$ostor 0hlesta#o1 from Go%olJs -ead Souls * started tra1ellin% tra1elin% to !ew "or# more and more often on assi%nments for 1arious non-Russian ma%aGines * wrote about Harlem and ni%htclubs2 dru% addicts and $olicemen2 schools and $risons2 sadists and uni1ersity $rofessors2 trans1estites and feminists !ew "or# was transformed into a fuGGy cloud of $in# candyfloss on a stic# * #e$t eatin% it and * Sust couldnJt %et enou%h E1entually * ac3uired a literary a%ent2 one of the finest in !ew "or#2 who sold his authors for me%abuc#s and was a Hollywood insider To me2 he seemed li#e the 1ery incarnation of fame and success2 a wiGard2 a conSuror2 an American shaman He launched me into orbit !ew "or# ended the day that those craGy Arabs $lou%hed their $lanes into the twin towers * arri1ed in Nctober2 si/ wee#s after the terrorist attac# The city that usually smells of hot do%s still had a $owerful odor of roasted human flesh E1eryone was wearin% $atriotic bad%es with the American fla%2 but the bad%es didnJt hel$ Americans are not %ood at endurin% calamity2 althou%h they #now how to distract themsel1es from it ;ut in a country where the only $ossible answer to the 3uestion PHow are thin%sRQ is P8ine[Q itJs im$ossible to find any answer to %lobal catastro$he !ew "or# is the city of yellow ta/is E1eryone #nows that2 if only from the mo1ies ;efore the catastro$he2 the !ew "or# ta/i dri1ers li#ed to tal# about why they came to America from their own countrycountriesTRussia2 ;raGil2 Af%hanistan2 ;an%ladesh These immi%rants were nimble2 3uic# on their feet2 in a hurry to ma#e money ;ut now it was if theyJd $ut on wei%ht and the effort of ma#in% money was a real strain A%ainst the bac#%round of chan%es that had ta#en $lace the day the twins were

#illed2 our Russian team that had come here to drin# whis#y loo#ed so ele%ant and o$timistic that the Americans mi%ht ha1e s$ecially arran%ed our $resence to remind themsel1es of for%otten national 1alues The headlon% $lun%e into austerity that ori%inally deri1ed from $rotestant standards $uritanism led to !ew "or#Js becomin% an immense wor#in% city When the Russian %rou$ hired a yacht to 1iew !ew "or# from the water2 what it saw was not a dream-city2 but a %i%antic snail that had withdrawn into itself ;ut there was still a s$ecial occasion waitin% for us out on the waterway< the Statue of :iberty remained im$erturbable +erha$s it will be the cure that will allow the American nation to carry on When they saw it2 the Russian bri%ade raised their %lasses After we too# a few swallows2 the statue li1ened u$ a bit We all clearly saw it dancin% a Si% When e1enin% came the Russian %rou$ set off for another astoundin% restaurant and * was able to in1ite my a%ent alon% He brou%ht the writer Robert Greene2 famous for the boo#s in which he has rewritten world history in the American style2 identifyin% only one moti1ation in life from ancient E%y$t to modern Ja$an< the road to success The writerJs fiancMe came too They %ot there before us and were sittin% o1er their a$eritifs And then for the first time * actually saw the stri#in% difference between successful Americans and successful Russians The settin% for this com$arison was a fashionable restaurant that e1ery snob in !ew "or# would li#e to %et into2 but you ha1e to boo# wee#s in ad1ance and itJs e/cruciatin%ly e/$ensi1e The Russians arri1ed dec#ed in their usual blaGe of *talian s$lendorTwhich loo#s li#e a moc#ery of clothes or2 $erha$s2 clothes desi%ned to moc#Tand flo$$ed onto their chairs as if they were sittin% down in some sim$le sushi bar2 without e1en realisin% that they had in1ited three

Americans *f theyJd in1ited them2 fineTno need to ma#e a son% and dance out of it And in the RussiansJ com$any2 the Americans2 wearin% their e/$ensi1e Sac#ets with sil1er buttons and res$ectable ties2 loo#ed li#e $rim and $ro$er En%lish teachers at the annual office $arty The Russians started downin% moSitos with fresh mint lea1es and com$lainin% to each other that in !ew "or# they wouldnJt sell one $erson more than fi1e smart$honesTit was Sust li#e the So1iet UnionTso you couldnJt ma#e a %ift of this craGy American technolo%y to all your friends Ay Americans hadnJt e1en bou%ht themsel1es one smart$hone yet ;ut then2 * still remember about those fi1e smart$hones $er $erson2 and * donJt remember what * s$o#e about with the Americans *t must ha1e been literature Nr democracy And all the while the Russians %rinned bri%htly and hedonistically2 with ca$ti1atin%ly cultured smiles2 althou%h no one mentioned the 1isit to the museum e1en once2 as if they had ne1er e1en been there At the end of the e1enin%2 the Americans said that this had been a really s$ecial occasion for them The Russians li#ed the restaurant too2 notin%2 PE1en for Aoscow2 this $lace is hi%h class Q Ay a%ent as#ed me curiously2 PWho are theyRQ And * said2 PWhat do you meanR TheyJre fine %uys En1oys of the future Q * e/$lained that in this Russian bri%ade * saw the core of the Russian world that was ta#in% sha$e Nf course2 some thin%s would ha1e to be sacrificed "ou couldnJt carry Les -emoiselles d.Avignon with you into this future And weJd lea1e The )rothers @arama!ov behind in the $ast too Culture sim$ly has to become a %arnish for life

The .ublic )ibrary

*n order to sur$rise someone$eo$le2 you ha1e to sha#e their $erce$tions !ot so 1ery lon% a%o2 Salman Rushdie arran%ed a $arty for writers from all around the world amon% the dinosaurs at the !ew "or# !atural History Auseum "ou mi%ht ha1e %ot the idea that writers as a class had become dinosaurs2 althou%h in fact it was the dinosaurs who were roused by the din created by the fifteen-hundred-stron% crowd Z The Scotch whis#y command staff had decided to resurrect the $ast in their own way They %a1e America somethin% that had been ta#en away from it durin% the years of $rohibition They made the American elite a %ift of a brand that was launched in 4=(=2 durin% the %reat awa#enin% of America To disco1er your future2 drin# your %lorious $ast[ En1oys of national %lamour were %athered from all round the world The Ja$anese and Arabs and Chinese flew in2 to%ether with our own Russian assault battalion *t was a %enuine birthday $arty2 with a brass band2 countless $hoto%ra$hers2 TH corres$ondents clutchin% micro$hones2 and a %uard of Scottish master ba%$i$ers wearin% #ilts This was an obSect lesson in how to create a really s$ecial occasion What are the essential elements for a %lobal bashR The most im$ortant thin% in a celebration li#e this is the ritualistic mystery of the e1ent *tJs a $yramid There must be %lim$ses of su$erstars amon% the celebrities2 in order to %et the whole hall e/cited2 but the su$erstars themsel1es must be deli%hted by the a$$earance of the su$reme echelon of societyT blue-blooded members of the aristocracy *n this s#irmish of the elite2 the winner is not the democratically elected $resident2 but the scion of the most ancient line Then there is the %astronomic effect The food must be reco%nisable reco%niGable and com$rehensible to e1eryone2 but ser1ed li#e a culinary cur1e ball2 1er%in% on Toff-the wall combinations li#e north!orth-sea Sea crab and tro$ical $a$aya The wines must be of im$eccable

listin%2 without any u$start $retensions2 reco%nisablereco%niGable2 but not selected for whimsy2 so that they bestow a certain new sa1or of their own The concert must be a function of the city2 the rendeG1ous +lace the accent firmly on !ew "or#2 donJt Sust Sumble e1erythin% u$ to%ether The sin%er that e1enin% was an international celebrity She loo#ed so fli%hty2 it seemed sur$risin% that she had fa1ored us with her $resence at all2 as if she could ha1e been at any of a hundred similar celebrations When she a$$lied herself to the #eyboard2 elicitin% sounds as sweet as the smo#e of American ci%arettes2 the thou%ht came to me that America has a sweet tooth2 and there is nothin% that can be done about this childish habit ;ut what a%itated e1eryone e1en more than her sin%in% was her fee The fee had more $ower than the lo1e son%s *t $ro1ed to be the common measure unitin% the diamonds on the white nec#s2 the la1ish abundance of food2 the success2 the tu/edos2 and the talents The concert was arran%ed in a way that rendered dinner-table con1ersations entirely irrele1ant2 and e1eryone craned their his or her nec#s to watchT with the e/ce$tion2 as always2 of our Russian tables2 where e1eryone #e$t half an ear on what was ha$$enin% on the sta%e and let their bodies %et on with life2 $airin% off with their eyes2 touchin% #nees2 becomin% friends and lo1ers in full $ublic 1iew The intimate beha1iour of Russians at the dinner was a s$ectacle e1ery bit as fascinatin% as a world-famous sin%er< the waiters were enthralled by this u$sur%e of erotic warmth2 while the other %uests2 who were tryin% to focus on the sta%e2 loo#ed round at us in bewilderment and sometimes in re$roach And then2 of course2 the Russians rushed out to smo#e2 scatterin% ash on the ste$s of the rainy e1enin% And then the %irls dashed off in co1eys to the

restroom to $ull u$ their s#irts and en%a%e in candid lesbian lo1e-ma#in% 8or Russians the s$here of intimate relations has no rules E1erythin% is constructed on the multi-le1el meta$hor of the Russian lau%h2 which2 li#e a ra% duster2 wi$es the slate clean of e1erythin% that was written on it before The +ublic :ibrary is a buildin% with cult status in the center of Aanhattan2 %ray and s3uat with thic# columnsTan anti-s#yscra$er *n the recent science- fiction film The -ay after After Tomorrow2 the remnants of !ew "or# society ta#e refu%e here after the catastro$he of a %lobal %laciation *n order to %et warm2 they burn boo#s We were warmin% oursel1es2 too2 with old whis#y in a newly re1i1ed bottle 8inally2 the $arties res$onsible for the celebration were brou%ht u$ on sta%eT master -blenders with the rosy-chee#ed faces of country boys who drin# three %lasses of mil# a day How they e1er mana%ed to de1elo$ a taste for whis#y was a mystery to me The ba%$i$es be%an s3uawlin% with a terrible male whine2 and the waiters and waitresses brou%ht out the resurrected be1era%e for distribution A %ood $oint at which to hold your breath2 for if the drin# was rubbish2 then what was the $oint of this whole circusR ;ut such laws of life do not a$$ly to a %enuinely %reat occasion E1en if Coca-Cola had turned u$ at the tables instead of whis#y2 the constraints of $ro$riety and tradition would ha1e obli%ed the %uests in the hall to $ercei1e it as the reborn s$irit E1erybody tasted it with tre$idation And how was itR The whis#y $ro1ed to be su$erb

7ermeer

The %uests went home in dro1es Classy automobiles $ic#ed them u$ at the entrance and dro1e them off to their entirely $ri1ate li1es At home they would colla$se into armchairs and wearily say how tired they were When e1eryone had %one2 the Russian bri%ade decided to start ma#in% merry They rode the blac# limousines bac# to their downtown hotel2 too# off the formal suits2 and2 wearin% their PcasualQ Sac#ets2 dashed off in yellow ta/is to a club called PThe ;o/ Q Nutside the club there was a Sostlin% 3ueue of youn% frea#s The Russians sent their scout in throu%h the front door2 and2 after no more than ten minutes2 he emer%ed decisi1ely from the ser1ice door and led the entire %rou$ inside The $recision of this o$eration indicated a #nowled%e of ni%ht club life that was truly %lobal in scale The Russian bri%ade dissol1ed into the tobacco smo#e with that 3uestion-mar# hint of mariSuanaT The clubJs small sta%e $resented a s$ectacle of mild obscenity Some youn% %ay %uys were sin%in%2 $arodyin% the $arodists2 and e1ery now and then trans1estites dis$layed their substantial %enitalia *t was loud2 and there was a smell of chea$ beer The Americans were sittin% and watchin% the sta%e as if it had been the Aoscow Arts Theatre Nnly2 one %irl suddenly Sum$ed u$ off her seat2 raised her sweater and showed e1eryone her breastsTthe $ublic was somewhat restrained in e/$ressin% its youthful deli%ht *t soon became borin% The Russians %rabbed yellow ta/is and dashed bac# to the hotel They too# their smart$hones out of their $oc#ets Half an hour later some of !ew "or#Js Russian %irls arri1ed2 all tall and wearin% blac# Tired after a humdrum day in the city2 they were hun%ry for fun The %atherin% started to buGG 8leetin% $assions $ro1ed $o$ular with all $resent The !ew "or# Russian %irls lau%hed %ood-naturedly at

American men 2 whom they call Pnicetomeetyous Q As the %irls e/$lained2 they would say hello nicely DP!ice to meet youQE2 s$read their mouths in wide smiles2 and then not #now what to say for the rest of the e1enin% An American is li#e a well Dif not a dee$ oneE2 while a Russian is li#e a ri1er that has o1erflowed its ban#s The Russian bri%ade didnJt bother with chea$ beerTthey started tan#in% u$ on the twenty-year-old whis#y that had only Sust been released in a limited number of bottles2 a drin# with which any ordinary man would merely ha1e wetted his throat res$ectfully before raisin% his eyes hea1enward to e/$ress his $leasure and deli%ht Consumed in lar%e amounts2 the e/$ensi1e2 resurrected whis#y re1ealed itself to be an amber-yellow Suice2 a natural drin# that had bro#en free of o$$ression by the chea$ mar#et2 a be1era%e that had been waitin% twenty-fi1e years for the hour when it would $ounce on the Russian bri%ade The Aoscow ni%htlife that was bein% s$ontaneously or%aniGed ecli$sed the American s$ecial occasion Austerity was re$laced2 not by absolute $ermissi1eness2 but by un$redictability E1ery mo1ement was a reSection of the American fatalism that is $arado/ically called free will The ne/t day * dined in the com$any of my American friends Dincludin% Robert GreeneE *t was lunch< they each ate a salad2 dran# a %lass of wine2 and tossed their credit cards into the em$ty breadbas#et * held out a credit card2 too They $rotested< * was their %uest * than#ed them and went out into the city Wal#in% throu%h the sunny !ew "or# that * still lo1e today2 * thou%ht about the small2 $re%nant woman who had assembled our %rou$ around CeGanneJs a$$les and suddenly felt * wanted to tell her my story * met her and we sat drin#in% ca$$uccino in the o$en air beside the Auseum of Aodern Art

When * came to America for the first time2 * was in1ited to the !ew "or# studio of Radio :iberty2 and the first thin% they as#ed me in a li1e inter1iew was< PWhat do you li#e most of all about AmericaRQ * said2< PHermeer Q The Sournalists %a$ed at me TheyJd been e/$ectin% to hear ecstatic comments about freedom and su$ermar#ets P"ou ha1e some wonderful $aintin%s by Hermeer in your museums2Q * e/$lained tersely 8or some reason they thou%ht * must be moc#in% America When * told her this2 the small $re%nant woman2 with her li%ht2 almost %olden hair2 lau%hed PAnd who were those Russians of yoursRQ she as#ed me * shru%%ed and said< PEn1oys of the future Z Well2 how are thin%s with youRQ She screwed u$ her eyes

and re$lied breeGily< P8ine[Q

Chile A Stran%er amon% Amon% Them Alberto 8u%uet

!ow2 you hun% with me when all the others Turned away2 turned u$ their nose We li#ed the same music2 we li#ed the same bands We li#ed the same clothes TQP;obby Jean2Q by ;ruce S$rin%steen

4 Stran%e2 but when it comes to thinking about the USA, the first person that comes to mind is me. And Im not even American (eh North american, Estadounidense). No green card, no residence, no passport; just a J4 sometimes2 usually a ;4-;' ;ut as I write this, at a Kenyan Roast-scented Starbucks in Santiago de Chile, the city where I live and was born, the city where I write and set most of my work, I cant seem to be able to answer to knowhow we (we?, who?) see you. Them. Sorry, Us. Us? Who? How They See Us, thats the title, right?

I mean, you. Us, them, all, everyone. I get confused. Im really confused.

2. Note: When I write us (or Us if its in a title or its the beginning of a sentence) I feel as if Im writing U.S., (3yA Ees, ) the abbreviation or nick of USA, which, actually, should be written (or was written) as U.S. of A., or just U.S.A. Somewhere along the way, the dots disappeared. Does this happen to everyone? Just for the record: the U.S. is not the same as us. Another thing: why do people in the USA call the United States of America America. Why dont they call it the States?

3. Maybe the whole problemthis image/PR problem that you haveis, in the end, or at it s core, linguistic. Americans (okOK, you guys win, its hard to write United Statestians and North Americans, which is not really fair or true) by and large dont speak any other language and a fair amount of the rest of the world is able to speak or

understand English. You dont understand us and we understand (or try to understand or want to understand) you. You, me, them, us . . . Ironic: even the title of this collection of essays walks a thin red line. How They See Us. Typical self-centered, We-Are-The-World type of lingo. Not: How We See Them. At least, as a friend commented, its not titled Them. Them, like the killer, mutant ants from that fifties movie. Them as in us, the rest, the others. Maybe too scary. Another friend: Its a good title, since its actually about them, third-person plural. How They See Us, perfect. Perfect if you are in America. If you are or feel that you are in the center of the world. But they are, says a another. Do you think we would do a book about how they see us? A film critic friend adds: they dont see us, period. I think: I dont even want to know how they see us.

4.

It always ends up with the annoying idea that Americans see the rest of the world as them (those people, those mexicansMexicans) and wethe otherssee Americans as . . . as them as well. Ellos. Esos americanos. Sometimes them is a way to situate them in another league or universe. They are at the top, the biggest/most powerful country of the world. Other times, most of the time, such as in these harsh times, them is a put-down. As in those putos americanos. Those fucking, ugly. . . . And yet. . . . And yet, its not that simple and; its all so so so complicated. Puta la huea complicada, puta la huea enredada, puta la huea pajera. Perhaps George W. Bushs lethal legacy was to be able to untangle a very tangled, intricate, incestuous and co-dependent, unspoken, hush-hush relationship between you and us. To invent an axis and be able to make the rest of the world take sides. Our side. But its hard, even for the most venal, anti-Americanist, to escape the claws of American culture. You always can find a Coke can even in the darkest basement full of leaphlets leaflets and molotov Molotov cocktails.

5.

Im writing this is in English. Trying. I like English, like it a lot. Like books in English, like songs, movies, HBO series. English used to be my language. It was my mother tongue. My first one. Let me be brief and brief you since Im going to tell you soon a story about U.S. hatred, anti-imperialism, the works; to tell this story, I need to fill inlay down some context. This is the context: I was conceived in the USA, born in Chile, came back as an infant, ate Gerber, Wonder Bread, Count Chocula, Chef Boyardee. I watched The Brady Bunch, The Partridge Family, Mister. Rodgers. I grew up in suburbia, California, L.A., San Fernando Valley, Encino. I didnt live in a Latino barrio or ghetto. All my friends were Jews. We didnt speak Spanish. I didnt. My parents spoke to us in Spanish. Then we went back. They took me back. To Chile. To Pinochets Chile. Black- and- White, post post9/-11 (the first 9/11, the day of Pinochets coup in 1973) Chile. I had to learn Spanish, had to turn myself into a Chilean, a Latin americanAmerican. I had to learn to hate the USA. To not be a gringo. I couldnt. I wouldnt. I didnt know how.

6. Its very hard to escape American culture and quite impossible not to not surrender to (or at least take a stance on) to Americas biggest invention: pop culture. A couple of months ago, in a class I taught on 21st-century Latin American Literature at UCLA, one of the insights we established was how permeated and, in a way, linked it all is. As a student inquired:, is pop culture Latin American or Japanese or French, or just an academic disguise to conceal that all the culture and media is American, from its genesis, and, whatever may happen, its DNA is, like it or not, Redred, -Wwhite, and Blueblue? Betty la Fea, she said, is Colombian; Ugly Betty and Salma Hayeck are Americans. Personally, Ive always ended up feeling excited/exhilarated/attracted (even repulsed or saturated) by American culture. Wim Wenders said it once, way before Germany reunited: the USA colonized our unconscious. It sure did mine.

7. Maybe its not such a bad idea: to call this essay Them.. Or, perhaps, A Stranger Among Them. Because, to be a gringo (green-go), to be an American, is always to be somebody else. Depending on the times, sometimes you can be a gringo de mierda, gringo culeado, gringo maraco. Or just gringo.

Call me gringo. They called me gringo. From the start: el gringo. The American. It could of have been worse, a lot worse. Most of my classmates nicknames were so degrading you couldnt use them in front of their mothers. But still, to be a gringo. . . . Its been a long time Ive not beensince I was called a gringo. Since college. Once I published my first book I was called something else, something I dont always like. Im now referred to as Fuguet. Hey, Fuguet. Fuguet dijo esto, piensa esto. Me carga Fuguet, me encanta Fuguet. Id like to be called Alberto. I hate being called just Fuguet. Its like gringo, just more specific.

8. Like a rich kid in a public school, to be a gringo, to be an American, is, generally, a good thing. A cool thing. You can take advantage of being this creature from the other space. To be an American before the internetInternet, before information became available, before globalization, had its advantages. Actually, to be in junior and high school in the mid-

and late seventies was, in fact, a shield. In a way, the USA was protecting me. Jimmy Carter was my secret super hero, and all the music on the radio, all the shows on TV, all the movies on the screen, were proof that paradisemy paradise, my paradise lost existed. Then came Reagan.

9. By and large my family supported Pinochet. Many people did. They supported or couldnt care less or were afraid or lazy. This happened years ago, but if everybody had a strong hold against him, as the political myth says, he wouldnt have lasted so long. When I wasAs a school kid, Pinochet was, in my sheltered life, a white noise, a backdrop. End of story. One adjusts quickly: the curfew, those who couldnt come back in, those who suddenly disappeared. But all this was something I learned later. To be truthful, I cant say I suffered what I didnt suffer. During high school, I had highschool problems. Pinochet was in power, but disco ruled. Disco was, in my sheltered adolescent world, the enemy. Then came college. University. The University of Chile, the public university, the place where students from all places of the social, political, and economic order gathered for a brief time. I entered Journalism; it was part of the Mao-ist- inclined Humanities Faculty. The Journalism School wasnt on the Humanities Campus;, it was left to its own devices, close to downtown Santiago, in an abandoned but renovated torture house that had been used by the DINA (Pinochets secret police).

This is where I studied; the culture, the language, the clothes, were definitely communistCommunist. PC: el Partido Comunista, or, since everybody was young, la JOTA, the JAY, was the one who decided who, what, and where and how things could and should be carried out. The JOTA was the nickname for the JJ CCJuventudes Comunistas, the Communist Youth. They were many and they all held secret identities and met in secret places, though at Journalism School it was no secret. While the whole country was ruled by the strong fist of Pinochet, there, in that school, Communisim was king. I guess these seventeen- to twenty-three-year-old kids who dreamt dreamed of Poland and Nicaragua and Cuba didnt really want to establish a communist Communist regime, but a couple of unwanted communist Communist babies appeared that had deadhero names such as Salvador, Victor, or just invented names such as Amaranta, which is a dark shade of Russian Redred. What united all these kids, those who where in the Jota and those who where JotaFriendly, was a common wish to expell Pinochet. Since this happened in the early eighties, to tumble Pinochet was more than wishful thinking, so the real bond, what linked all the fractions, was an unmittinglyunmitigated, unrepentant hatred toward all things Americans. From ketchup, music, and movies to foreign policy. I always understood that a government, or part of it, did not represent a country or stood stand for it or had have to be confused with its people or culture. An administration lasts four or eight years. Maybe more. When Pinochet insisted that the

world hated Chile, that they were contra Chile, I knew it was not true: they were against him, his policies, his rule. At the Escuela de Periodismo this was not understood. Reagan was not the problem. America was. Americans were the real problem: they were ones that voted for Reagan, they saw those movies, ate that food. America, America, the land where liberty is a statue, as the famous Nicanor Parra poem goes. America: Vietnam, Guatemala, Iran, the PhillipinesPhilippines, Chile. Pinochet, it was understood, was one of Americas gifts to the world. This was the end of the Cold War and there I was in this small journalism school in Santiago de Chile. The war was burning and you had to take sides. I didnt want to. Then came the invasion of the small CarribeanCaribbean island of Grenada.

10. I should have foreseen it. This anti-American spirit. The idea that all that was touched by or /related with to the USA was tarnished with the original sin. Americans were dumb, fat, obsessed with baseball, cowboys, malls, and gaint giant sodas. Americans were racists, liked to kill each other, and liked to invade. All real culture was European. One had to go see Godard or Fassbinder, not Steven SpeilburgSpielberg or George Lucas-- or even Woody Allen, which was considered too American for the JOTAs taste.

I once threw a party at my house. It was during my big Bruce Springsteen phase. Born in the USA. I understood it was an ironic title. But a friend from those days told me it was not ironic enough. Those jeans, that tT-shirt, that flag, that sound. Perhaps Springsteen was criticizing the USA, but he also was also the USA. (Even Joan Baez is, in the end, so American in her anti-American way.) When half of my schoolmates left my house in disgust due to the music (even though half of it was British) I learned a real lesson: it wasnt so much a political thing, it was an ethic and esthetic thing. It was a cultivated, much nurtured rejection. We were (are) not them, I think the train of thought goes. We dont didnt have the power but we have had the moral strength. They felt superior, empowered, enlightened, in that rejection. Superior and saintly. They were able to renounce those worldly, American temptations. I couldnt. The day after the United States invaded Grenada, in 1983, I got up and, without actually knowing what had happened, or what or why Grenada was important, went to the Escuela de Periodismo. At lunch, I saw there was a bonfire in the courtyards, along with leaflets, signs, and a great big false American flag made out of a white sheet, written over with black spray paint: muerte a los americanos. Death to all Americans. I remember our strong, braided cCommuinist leader. Perhaps she wasnt a comandantecommandant, just a leftist leader. But she did lead. She was an intense young woman who dressed like a combination of Frida Kahlo, Rigoberta Menchu, and a

Bollywood extra. Her eyes boiled anger and resentment, and when her eyes locked with mine I knew I was in trouble. I knew this was a turning point. Look, gringo, mira . . . mira lo que han hecho. Gringos culeados, fucking gringos. Suddenly a big, anxious mob, high on anti-imperialism, began insulting me. Me. I was Reagan, I was the Marines, I was the USA, I had invaded little Grenada. Gringo culeado, gringo de mierda. I knew what they wanted me to do, what I had to do. Was I a real gringo, a CIA agent, or one of them? Was I for the invasion, for Reagan? To listen to Springsteen and have a crush on Diane Keaton and read Rolling Stone and Salinger and Bukowski had a price. Even if all these people were not the enemy, they worked for him. I had to take a stand. I had to make them understand that I was pro-American but not that American. So I did it. I did what was necessary to calm things down, to show that I was just a stupid kid with bad taste and bad judgement but and that I wasnt was a real, hard-core American. I was one of them. I could be trusted. So I took the soiled fake flag and threw it to the fire.

While it burned, I felt the applause, the cheers, the backpats. Buena, gringo. Puta el gringo buena onda. Then I turned around and walked home. I wasnt proudI was disgustedwith what I had done. And worse, I was still a gringo. Just a good gringo, a gringo that burns false, badly painted, ten-stripped American flags. Us versus them. Them? Us? At the end it was just me. Me and my American hurt, my American scars, my American collective shame I had to bear because of my past, because of my tastes, because I didnt like the same music, the same bands, the same clothes.

*ran 7reams of a Re1olution ;aby Larah Ghahramani

;ombs and roc#ets rained down on *ranian cities all throu%h my childhood *n Tehran and 0ermanshah2 where * %rew u$2 * remember the bombs e/$lodin% with a s$linterin% sound so loud that * would ha1e been deafened if * hadnJt $ressed my hands ti%htly o1er my ears Almost as hard on my ears as the bombs themsel1es was the scream of the airraid alarm When the siren sounded2 * #new that * had to run to my mother2 and my mother #new that she had to %et me and my brothers and sisters and me down to the shelter within seconds *n the later years of the *ran-*ra3 War D4=)(-.4=))E2 my family had its own air-raid shelter2 but earlier on we shared one with $eo$le from the nei%hborhood While the bombs e/$loded o1erhead2 old men and women sat with their li$s mo1in% soundlessly as they counted $rayer beads There was not much con1ersation down in the shelters2 Sust a lot of shoutin% as mothers rounded u$ their #ids ;ut one con1ersation * do recall made a dee$ im$ression on me *t went li#e this< P*tJs not Saddam weJre fi%htin% *tJs America Q P;rother2 itJs the truth Q PAmericans %i1e the *ra3is bombs and roc#ets *tJs America2 belie1e me Q P* #now it2 brother Q

Children need heroes2 but they also need 1illains U$ until *Jd o1erheard this con1ersation2 the %reat 1illain in my %allery of %ood $eo$le and bad $eo$le had been

Saddam Hussein * thou%ht of him as a monster with hu%e2 batterin% fists His a$$etite for e1il was so %reat that it had to be fed on blood each day He would not rest until e1ery *ranian2 myself and all the dear members of my family included2 were either dead or ensla1ed And how could Saddam ha1e esca$ed my hatredR The %o1ernment e/horted all *ranians to $ray for SaddamJs death His $icture featured on %iant billboards2 loo#in% not 1ery li#e the sali1atin% %iant of my ni%htmares2 but hideous enou%h with his li$s curled into a sneer ;ut now came this stran%e new idea Saddam was merely the ser1ant of an e1en %reater monster called America Astonishin%[ *Jd barely heard of America before this time2 althou%h * #new that it was a country a lon% way off across the blue $arts of the atlas *Jd seen at school

*t is fascinatin% to me to thin# bac# now to that first mention of America How ready * was to acce$t this country *Jd barely heard of as the source of all the misery and hardshi$ around me[ +erha$s that o1erheard con1ersation came at a moment when my ima%ination was cra1in% more com$le/ity +erha$s2 without realiGin%2 * had e/hausted my dis%ust with Saddam and cra1ed a more mysterious foe And then2 of course2 the status of this new enemy was reinforced in my mind by the %o1ernmentJs fresh billboards de$ictin% the s#inny2 to$-hatted fi%ure * came to #now as Uncle Sam with his arm around a shorter2 diminished Saddam Whate1er was %oin% on in my mind to $re$are me for hatin% distant America e1en more than nearby *ra32 it was also %oin% on in the minds of millions of other *ranian schoolchildren ;y 4=)>2 America was the enemy2 our enemy2 and we hated America with all the $assion and intensity that small children reser1e for the wic#ed * e1en made myself

belie1e that it was the mysterious2 male1olent Americans who were res$onsible for ta#in% the cartoons off the tele1ision The Americans had somehow %ained control of the set Nut of sheer s$ite2 they denied me the enSoyment of watchin% animated fi%ures bouncin% around on the screen *t was actually the %o1ernment that had $ulled the cartoons2 considerin% them too fri1olous for a nation busy honorin% the PmartyrsQ of the war2 but * only came to #now that only later * would sit watchin% the din%hy fare offered in $lace of the belo1ed cartoons and mutter to myself2 PStu$id Americans[Q *t was the same when * watched my mum mom fishin% for cou$ons in her handba%2 stru%%lin% to #ee$ her $lace in the 3ueue durin% the years of food rationin% Why were we eatin% such bland foodR Why did we ha1e to buy e1en rice with cou$onsR PStu$id Americans[Q The war widows my mother and * came across in the streets when we were sho$$in%Tyou could always tell a fresh widow by her haunted eyesTowed their wretched state to the wic#ed Americans

The *ran-*ra3 war D#nown tendentiously at the time of the fi%htin%2 and today2 as the P*ra3-im$osed warQE concluded Sust before my ei%hth birthday The fi%htin% was as sa1a%e as in any war e1er fou%ht *ra3 introduced %as bombardment2 used for the first time since World War *2 and was able to rely on American state-of-the-art aerial wea$onry una1ailable to any other ally of the United States2 with the e/ce$tion of *srael *n this same war2 *ran did some inno1atin% of its own2 demonstratin% the crude effecti1eness of clearin% minefields by marchin% soldiers o1er them The most reliable estimate of casualties on the *ranian side is 5((2(((fi1e hundred thousand deaths2 includin% ci1ilians casualties Althou%h a lon%-standin% enmity between Saddam and the

*ranian state %rew out of what was seen as the o$$ression of *ra3i Shiites by SaddamJs fa1oured Sunni elite D*ran bein%2 of course2 o1erwhelmin%ly ShiiteE2 *ranians saw the armin% of *ra3 by America as $aybac# for the Tehran Embassy hosta%e crisis of 4=>=. 4=)( Saddam2 hun%ry for both territory and %lory in 4=>=2 seiGed on the instability in 0homeiniJs newly declared *slamic Re$ublic as an o$$ortunity to attac# Nnce the war was o1er2 all *ranians2 includin% school children such as myself2 were e/$ected to reser1e their s$ecial contem$t for the role $layed by the United States in the conflict Saddam was not 3uite for%i1en2 but he was re$resented more as a mis%uided brother-in-the-faith than a cold-blooded $redator Althou%h my childhood hatred of America came alon% suddenly2 a %reat many *ranians far older then than * had a lon%-standin% contem$t for the United States These *ranians had %rown u$ under the re%ime of Shah Aohammad ReGa +ahla1i2 an a1id su$$orter of the United States who was in turn a1idly su$$orted by the United States They did not remember the re%ime of the Shah with fondness His state security a%ency2 SAHA02 had maintained a rei%n of terror o1er *ran for decades before the ShahJs e/ile in 4=>= He was seen as a stoo%e2 a $atsy2 a man so besotted by the West and Western culture that he for%ot how to lo1e and $rotect his own country He sold *ranian oil to Euro$e and the U0 for $eanuts2 and $urchased wea$ons from the United States at hu%ely inflated $rices When * started hi%h school2 the role $layed by the United States in *ranian $olitics under the Shah was stron%ly em$hasiGed in history classes * canJt e1en say that those in the *ranian re%ime char%ed with fashionin% the hi%h- school curriculum and its contents had to bend the truth much to $roduce the desired effect *n 4=5?2 the C*A had or%aniGed the cou$ that de$osed the nationalist +rime Ainister Aohammad Aossade3

The Shah2 who had left *ran while Aossade3 was rousin% nationalist sentiments amon%stamon% the $o$ulace2 demandin% a fair $rice for *ranian oil2 was reinstalled on the +eacoc# Throne by the C*A The Shah ne1er for%ot to whom he owed his $osition Nur history te/tboo#s included the analysis of Euro$ean and American Sournalists and academics in corroboration of the re%imeJs ar%ument2 so there was little reason to feel sce$ticals#e$tical Ay entire %eneration of students2 born after the trium$h of the *slamic Re1olution of 4=>=2 went to hi%h school with a foundation of %rie1ances a%ainst the United States laid down durin% the *ran-*ra3 warWarU it was on this foundation that we build built our disdain

7urin% the decade followin% the end of the *ran-*ra3 war2 hatin% America became more com$licated2 and re3uired %reater concentration :ife %radually became less of an ordeal ;y 4=='2 $eo$le * #new were tra1ellin% abroad to 7ubai and Tur#ey2 e1en to Euro$e They returned with American-made Seans and snea#ers2 and $osters of the e/traordinarily beautiful and amaGin% Aichael Jac#son They also brou%ht bac# 1ideo ta$es2 records2 C7Js2 nearly all of them featurin% American $erformers *t is im$ossible to deny that American $o$ular culture is irresistible Ay %eneration of Re1olution ;abies2 in our early teens as of 4=='2 were in most res$ects as wholesomely shallow as any %eneration of teena%ers in the West2 and we swooned A $air of :ee Seans was as co1eted as anythin% on earth amon% the #ids * #new at that time We couldnJt wear the Seans out and about2 but we could show them off behind the closed doors of our homes * would ima%ine that struttin% about in :ees was an e/$erience 1ery li#e D* would ima%ineE enterin% $aradise alon% a $ath of rose-$etals to the chorusin% of an%els *tJs common$lace to say that

middle-class $eo$le all o1er the world own u$ to conflictin% emotions o1er America The crudeness of American forei%n $olicy since the Second World War %radually drained away the %oodwill that the United States built u$ o1er more than a centuryU howe1er2 only those with es$ecially rarefied taste wanted to do without the lo1ely nonsense that America $ro1ided :o1ely nonsense you could wear2 eat2 1iew2 listen to2 dri1e2 fill your #itchen with ;ut * ha1e to say that for my %eneration of *ranians2 there was no conflict With a certain amount of reflection2 we could distin%uish between what we li#ed about America and what we loathed * would %uess that this is the same for $eo$le from most other countries We were ne1er in a $osition of ha1in% to hate oursel1es for lo1in% :ees and Aichael Jac#son while we said scathin% thin%s about what the Americans were doin% in +alestine The $leasure we too# in ownin% American thin%s was not a %uilty $leasure * donJt thin# it would be out of line to say that * and other *ranians of my %eneration had come to understand2 by our early teens2 that America accommodated both $eo$le of terrible ill will and $eo$le who occu$ied themsel1es by turnin% out $etty trifles that e1erybody lo1ed Nur disdain for America was not ideolo%icalU we didnJt thin# 1ery lon% or 1ery hard about commercial im$erialism

We had also %rown more aware of the mi/ture of %ood2 bad2 and u%ly in our own country Amon%stAmon% the $atrons of the *ranian re%imeTthose who owed their em$loyment to the $eo$le in $owerTand away from the maSor cities2 youn% men and women of my %eneration $erha$s found little to com$lain about and a %reat deal to admire in the ri%id ideolo%y of 0homeini and his successors ;ut in the cities2 %irls li#e me and boys of the

same a%e were maddened by the re%imeJs nosiness * found myself rollin% my eyes and whis$erin% swear words a hundred times a wee# as first one and then another of the re%imeJs stoo%es %ot in my face Hideous boys of the ;asaS militia would hurry u$ to me in the street to chec# that * wasnJt wearin% li$stic# or ;lush-Nn Nr a car that * was tra1ellin% tra1elin% in with my friends would be $ulled o1er at a roadbloc# so that these same #ids could sniff our breath to ma#e sure that we hadnJt been drin#in% alcohol We ran a %auntlet of humiliations e1ery time we left our homes * recall a woman sto$$in% me on the sidewal# and hissin% at me that * was dishonorin% the blood of her son martyred in the war by allowin% my head scarf to ride bac#2 re1ealin% an inch of frin%e Aore si%nificant than our e/as$eration with these2 $erha$s2 $etty2 restrictions on our freedom was the increasin%ly %reater e/ce$tion we too# to the arrests of citiGens who had s$o#en out a%ainst the curtailment of basic liberties2 such as freedom of dissent The $eo$le arrestedTteachers2 Sournalists2 academicsTwere $erfectly $olite dissenters2 after all2 and as a matter of fact2 * was no firebrand myself2 nor were my friends ;y the time my %eneration of urban middle-class Re1olution ;abies reached our late teens2 we were fed u$ with the re%ime and had concluded that only maniacs and morons e1er held the reins of $ower2 in *ran or anywhere else

*n my first year of uni1ersity in Tehran2 * Soined u$ with many thousands of students all o1er *ran to a%itate for $olitical reform Nur demands were mild enou%h< teachers should be free to e/ercise %enuine disinterest in the classroom2 instead of bein% re3uired to $romote the %o1ernmentJs a%endaU we also demanded that arrested dissenters should be freed * didnJt realiGe then what * ha1e now come to understand< that ideolo%ues cannot

contem$late com$romise of any sort2 since com$romise is seenT3uite ri%htlyTas a diminishment of authority * was snatched from the street one afternoon by state security a%ents2 detained at E1in +rison in north Tehran2 and o1er a $eriod of wee#s2 made to re%ret that *Jd e1er been born The interro%ations and torture were unrelentin% and went far beyond anythin% * had ima%ined durin% the months of $rotest on the streets2 when with foolish bra1ado2 * had belie1ed myself ca$able of standin% u$ to whate1er could be inflicted on me in the e1ent of arrest * was freed only after * had si%ned a document in which * PconfessedQ to $ractically e1erythin% that had %one wron% in the world in my lifetime *n the years followin% my release2 it became more and more e1ident to my family that2 subdued thou%h * was2 * would one day sli$ u$2 allow my ra%e to %ain control of me2 and shout somethin% des$erate in the streets When that ha$$ened2 * would be re-arrested2 and $erha$s not esca$e with my life this time So it was arran%ed that * would lea1e *ran2 and * did :ea1in% your nati1e land on a holiday mi%ht be thrillin%2 but lea1in% for %ood ma#es you feel as if the thousand fine strands that bind your bein% ha1e been se1ered with a sin%le slash * was e1entually able to ma#e a new home for myself thousands of miles from *ran2 but * ha1e had to acce$t that * will li1e my life with a $art of me %i1en o1er to a sorrow that cannot be soothed *ran is my homeland We are only e1er %ranted one homeland2 only one o$$ortunity to lo1e a $lace with the same $assion that we lo1e the %reatest $oetry :oo#in% at *ran from the outside2 * see as clearly as e1er all the nonsense that fills the heads of the $eo$le there who hold $ower ;ut that is not what boils my blood Re%imes

come and %o2 madmen e1entually lea1e the sta%e and fail to return What remains fore1er is *ran * become somethin% li#e a mad $erson myself when * see how 1ul%arly *ran is caricatured in the West This broad land with thousands of years of history2 a land of %reat 1ariety and %reat so$histication is characteriGed as some sort of desert hellhole $eo$led entirely by homicidal cretins When Hillary Clinton bra%s of AmericaJs ability to PobliterateQ *ran2 my blood boils *t is not Sust the a$$allin% e/$edience of her boasts that infuriates me2 but the i%norance of the %allery to which she is $layin% Americans ha1e been influenced to see *ran as * used to see Saddam Hussein< a 1ile monster with hu%e batterin% fists ;ut * was se1en years old when * conSured that monster

As an adult2 * understand America in a way that would2 * thin#2 be common amon%stamon% Western middle-class citiGens outside the United States< as a monster2 yes2 but a stran%ely $ied monster2 ca$able of re1ealin%2 when the sta%e li%htin% is ri%ht2 %reat charm * admire AmericaJs institutions2 and wish with all my heart that my own country could boast of a %enuinely disinterested Sudiciary2 for instanceU a truly free $ressU an uncorru$ted franchise ;ut what u$sets meTmore than u$sets me2 what is abhorrent to meTis the un%o1ernable need of many Americans to thin# well of themsel1es in e1ery circumstance *tJs a $reSudice that causes %reat harm How many ima%es of Hietnamese $easants sorrowin% beside burnin% 1illa%es did it ta#e before a slender maSority of Americans ceased to thin# that successi1e administrations were increasin% the sum of human ha$$iness with a $ro%ram of incinerationR Americans ha1e come to re$resent to meTcertainly to most *ranians2 and

$robably to many millions of other world citiGensTa $eo$le ca$able of for%i1in% themsel1es at the 1ery moment of inflictin% death and sufferin% on innocent $eo$leU instant self-absolution This is 3uite an unusual sort of wic#edness2 last witnessed2 * thin#2 when Tur#s were murderin% Armenians a century a%o and absol1in% themsel1es by e/$lainin% that it was for the ArmeniansJ own %ood2 or2 more recently2 when the !aGis com$osed in ad1ance their Sustification for mass murder of uns$ea#able 1ileness When Hillary Clinton s$ea#s of obliteratin% my homeland2 or when John AcCain corru$ts a charmin% ditty and sin%s2 P;omb bomb bomb2 bomb bomb *ranQ they are tal#in% of the deaths of millions of $eo$le *s there the sli%htest indication in their words and manner that a threat of this sort is itself an act of sa1a%eryR And is there the sli%htest doubt that the words that would absol1e them of this act2 if it became more than a threat2 are already scri$tedR * ha1e more reason than most to detest the moti1es and methods of certain fi%ures in the *ranian re%ime2 so my dis%ust is worth listenin% to Ay anti-Americanism2 if it is to be called that2 be%an in infantile caricature2 but it was a caricature that $owerful $eo$le in America seem cheerfully determined to render accurate

+a#istan 8la%%in% Aulticulturalism< How American *nsularity Aorally Justifies *tself UGma Aslam 0han

*n the fall of '((52 waitin% in the main hall of Grand Central Station in !ew "or# City2 * %lanced u$ at the ceilin% dotted with stars An enormous American fla% dan%led from the artificial s#y2 1eilin% the constellations *t seemed an a$t finale to my two-month 1isit to the re%ion< in Connecticut almost e1ery yard had a fla%2 and it was not uncommomn to see three or more +ublic s$aces were had also been bombarded with the ima%e Whether * wal#ed to the mar#et or rode the bus to the library2 the way was $lastered with fla%s !ow here * was2 %aGin% u$ at a model of our shared uni1erse2 but all * could see was the Star-S$an%led ;anner * said as much to my American friend waitin% with me for the train She a$$eared not to see the fla% Dnor the smaller ones all aroundE2 and re$lied indi%nantly2 P* belie1e in li1e and let li1e Q ;y then2 o1er two years into the in1asion of *ra32 the United States had dro$$ed tens of thousands of cluster bombs on the country2 containin% millions of submunitions Human Ri%hts Watch had consistently warned that %round-launched cluster munitions were bein% used in areas hea1ily $o$ulated by ci1ilians The *ra3i death toll was estimated at o1er 5((2(((more than fi1e hundred thousandU u$ to two million *ra3is were belie1ed homeless 8or an American to refuse to see why a non-American considers the fla% a symbol of Pli1e and let dieQ is more than an o1ersi%ht *t is a reSection of any $arallels between us and them *t is a denial of a shared uni1erse

7urin% that summer2 my con1ersations about the richest country in the world bombin% the $oorest2 Af%hanistanU or bombin% one of the most secular countries in the *slamic world2 *ra3U or funnelin% nearly two billion dollars annually to +a#istanJs military re%ime to fi%ht the Pwar on terrorQ all ended with similar $at dismissals2 li#e brushin% away a $es#y mos3uito A$art from bein% called Pso self-ri%hteous2Q and bein% told Pli1e and let li1eQ or Pthan#s for the insi%ht2Q * encountered another way of swattin% the bu% of Pinsi%htQ further out of earshot< my com$anions would first condemn the ;ush administration Deasily doneE They would then follow this with a comment that increasin%ly sounds to me li#e an American national anthem< PWell2 weJre all 1ictims Q This is what * was really bein% told by men and women2 heterose/uals and homose/uals2 blac#s and whites2 old and youn%2 Christians and Jews2 all educated $rofessionals with an annual income rou%hly forty times that of the non-industrialiGed world that li1es in terror of bein% tar%eted by U S wrath< %.ve $een there1 This fla% is a %reat con1ersation sto$$er *t is the fla% to end all fla%s *t means % am e/ce$tional because % suffered and % sur1i1ed ;ut when e1ery American subscribes to what can only be called a cult of 1ictimhood2 where is e/ce$tionR Where is di1ersityR To my mind2 U S forei%n $olicy aside2 it is this that most alienates nonAmericans from Americans< no matter how wealthy2 steadily em$loyed2 ensconced in comfortable nei%hborhoods2 well -fed2 healthy2 and well -educated they areU no matter how la1ish their lifestyleTcoolly consumin% far more than their share of the worldJs natural resources with com$lete im$unityU no matter how much they ha1e2 most Americans thin# of themsel1es as de$ri1ed The reason is always Phistory2Q but the

relationshi$ with history is rarely a corres$ondence with somethin% beyond oneself *t is rarely one of connectedness< few of the *rish-Americans who com$lain of P!o *rish !eed A$$lyQ si%ns ha1e been turned away from Sobs themsel1esU few li1in% Gree# -Americans had to flee the Tur#sU e1en fewer Catholic -Americans ha1e suffered +rotestant $ersecutionU +olish -Americans ha1e lon% since bid adieu to Stalin These communities donJt $ro1ide the only e/am$les< there are countless others This is not to say that in America the $layin% field is le1el 8ar from it !or is it to dis$ara%e historical traumas *t is to $oint out that many of the $eo$le who most 1ociferously recallin% these and other historical wron%s most 1ociferously ha1e ne1er li1ed throu%h them2 and in fact enSoy2 by %lobal standards2 e/tremely affluent and coddled li1es +ast inSustices are is often cited by this 1ast American socio-economic American brac#et as a Sustification for blamelessness in the $resent *ne1itably2 citations are s$un around usin% $o$-$sycholo%ical terms such as Ppersecution2Q Paddiction2Q PrecoveryQ2 and Predemption Q *nstead of connectedness and debate2 the relationshi$ with history is more often one of isolation and entitlement Entitlement to more affluence2 more thera$y2 more dru%s2 more addictions2 more redem$tion2 more isolationTand more entitlement *n times of war and international censure2 1ictimhood is AmericaJs immunity from blame *t is a moral missile- defense shield

Art2 li#e history2 is a commitment to somethin% beyond oneself *t allows us to be2 in John ;er%erJs words2 Pmore dee$ly inserted into e/istence than the course of a sin%le life

would ha1e us belie1e Q Surely2 in order to be more dee$ly inserted into e/istence2 our defenses must be shed Since the '((? *ra3 War2 with the %rowin% international furor a%ainst the ille%al detention and torture of $risoners in *ra32 Af%hanistan2 +a#istan2 and GuantFnamo ;ay2 and with the un$o$ularity of threats to attac# *ran and e1en +a#istan DAmericaJs ally for all si/ty years of its lifeE2 the American em$ireJs moral missile- defense shield has been somewhat chi$$ed "ou would thin# that art would aid in this $rocess "ou would thin# that the #inds of factual and fictional stories comin% from the $art of the world bein% YPbombed to the middle a%es2QJ or close to it2 would2 throu%h di%nity and insi%ht2 in1enti1eness and an ability to e1o#e wonder2 chi$ harder at the shell This is not ha$$enin% *n fact2 the stories from $redominantly *slamic countries that $ro1e most $o$ular with westerners Westerners are desi%ned to ma#e the defense shield e1en more im$enetrable Ta#e2 for instance2 the hysteria with which PYlife narrati1esQJ by PYAuslim womenQJ are bein% consumed The titles are mouth-waterin%< My 'or$idden 'ace by :atifa DAf%han womanJs Ptrue storyQEU *hoke on your Your Lies by *nci " DTur#ishGerman woman is forced to marry a man in Tur#eyEU Married $y 'orce by :eila DAoroccan-8rench %irl is2 who #new2 married by forceEU Princess by Jean Sasson Dunnameableunnamable Saudi $rincess re1eals herselfE These PauthenticQ memoirs all come $ac#a%ed in the same co1er< a woman %aGin% out in terror from behind a bur3a of soft lilac or e/treme $ure blac# This is the most ea%erly consumed ima%e of the *slamic world2 more $o$ular e1en than the ima%e of the bearded terrorist 8or the ima%e of woman-in-bur3a si%nifies both< the terrorist and the 1ictim *t reinforces fear of them and

redeems trust in us *t %i1es war a moral Sustification< the emanci$ation of the Auslim woman After all2 when bombs fall on 1eiled women2 the 1eils fall off !e1er mind that there are o1er more than fi1e hundred million Auslim women in the world today Dalmost twice the number of AmericansE2 from cultures as di1erse as the *1ory Coast and *ndonesia2 s$ea#in% thousands of different lan%ua%es2 dressed in e1erythin% from s#irts to saris to saron%s2 in colors more 1ibrant than a coral reef2 and with histories Sust as multicultural than as the #aleidosco$e Americans claim only for themsel1es Such a woman may not e1en %rou$ herself alon% any racial2 reli%ious2 or %ender lines2 $referrin% a more secular2 uni1ersal identity Dfor instance2 humanE *n arro%ant disre%ard to of the com$le/ layers of her identity2 she is only e1er de$icted as the 1eiled icon from Saudi Arabia or Af%hanistan The icon does not reflect her *t $redicts her *t ta%s her2 turns her into a #nown $roduct There is a warnin% on her label< nothin% new inside And there is a $romise< $ee# behind the bur3a and find deliciously sordid details of abuse and ra$e2 all Preal Q !eedless to say2 these boo#s are not read for artistic techni3ue *n fact2 it has been su%%ested to me on numerous occasions in numerous countries Dfrom the United States to +ortu%al to2 sadly2 my own2 +a#istanE that real women writers from my $art of the world Dread< AuslimE cannot afford to wor# on style The real ones are so $reoccu$ied with esca$in% the drud%ery of their li1es that they can barely %et a few words down2 let alone concern themsel1es with how they are written * be% to differ< a writerJs lifewor# is de1elo$in% and stayin% true to her aesthetic2 $eriod *f she has to fi%ht to do itTand in +a#istan2 she will ha1e to fi%ht< to studyU to s$ea#U to ha1e $ri1acyU to afford $ri1acyU to $ut her wor# first2 e1en o1er her familyU to see into doors that are closed to her for

$olitical2 social2 economic2 and ma#e-belie1e reli%ious reasonsU the list %oes onTthen she has to fi%ht to do it ;ut Princess and My 'or$idden 'ace are read with as much fer1or in the East as in the West They Sust as fre3uently dec# the boo#sho$s of :ahore and 7ubai as Antwer$ and Tucson So hereJs the additional rub< ha1in% reduced all Auslim women to the one dimension of the 1eiled icon2 the western mind assumes the authority to s$ea# for them as a %rou$ and #now what they want Dour freedomE2 while the eastern ima%ination also buys it[ Western-dominated ima%es of the East are increasin%ly absorbed by the eastern ima%ination2 which feeds them bac# to the West Thus the %lobal reader is also $romisedTalon% with the thrill of slummin%Tan o$$ortunity to $artici$ate in the hac#neyed $ortrayal2 belie1in% Dand * ha1e actually heard this saidE that with each boo# sale2 the Auslim woman comes closer to emanci$ation and2 that ultimate $romise2 recovery :ife narrati1es about Auslim women $ro1ide an e1en better way of shru%%in% off the shamefulness of war< in addition to ha1in% his or her $osition of ad1anta%e affirmed2 the consumer %ets to $lay the sa1ior and thus feels 1indicated A $articularly %houlish e/am$le of this form of %rou$ emanci$ation thera$y occurred a few months before =I442 when E1e Ensler in1ited Loya2 a re$resentati1e of the Re1olutionary Association of the Women of Af%hanistan DRAWAE2 to Aadison S3uare Garden in !ew "or# The e1ent was EnslerJs $erformance of her $lay The Vagina Monologues Tic#ets were ^42((( $er head After the $lay2 N$rah Winfrey read EnslerJs $oem2 PUnder the ;ur3a Q 8or dramatic effect2 Loya was made to a$$ear under a shuttlecoc# bur3a N$rah recited< P*ma%ine a hu%e dar# $iece of cloth I hun% o1er your

entire body I li#e you were a shameful statue

ZQ All the li%hts were switched off but

for one This fell on Loya2 who2 $er her orders2 wal#ed slowly u$ the sta%e Then2 at last2 N$rah lifted the $urBa off The crowd lea$ed to their feet2 a$$laudin% merrily 4)2(((Ei%hteen thousand wealthy Americans Dincludin% those of eastern descentE %ot to fantasiGe about bein% P$ersecuted Q They %ot to $lay the liberator WeJre all 1ictims and sur1i1ors2 ri%htR And as reward2 Loya %ot to s$ea# about the brutality of life under the TalibanTfor a full two minutes D8or details of LoyaJs s$ectacular ascent from hell to hea1en2 see The Nation2 Aarch ?I52 I'((4 E RAWA is a well-#nown and well-res$ected or%aniGation all o1er the world Genuine res$ect for the coura%e with which all Af%han women daily battle the %ruesome reality of li1in% under the Taliban would ha1e in1ol1ed LoyaJs addressin% the crowd without ha1in% to ma#e a s$ectacle of herself !o one would ha1e $resumed to re$resent or liberate her4 * ha1e to belie1e that this is what some men and women in the audience Dan audience that was $redominantly femaleE would ha1e wanted They did not as# for the s$ectacle They were there that day for EnslerJs $layU Loya was a sideshow *f her American hosts wanted to ta#e an honest $art in her story2 and if they wanted the audience to do the same2 then they would ha1e lowered their defenses by s$ea#in% of AmericaJs role in creatin% the Taliban E1en today2 few Americans are willin% to ac#nowled%e that the Taliban were born in the 1acuum that was left after the *slamic Jihad2 funded by the United States2
4

*n Gillian Whitloc#Js boo# Soft eaponsC Auto$iography in Transit DChica%o< The Uni1ersity of Chica%o +ress2 '((>E2 Loya is 3uoted as describin% the e1ent thus< P* had been as#ed to wear my bur3a2 and the li%ht streamed throu%h the mesh in front of my face and brou%ht tears to my eyes Z * had to climb some ste$s2 but because of the bur3a and the tears in my eyes2 * had to be hel$ed u$ the stairs Slowly2 1ery slowly N$rah lifted the bur3a off me and let it fall to the sta%e Q While some may ar%ue that Loya does not ma#e e/$licit that she felt humiliated2 it is clear that she was told to wear the bur3a for the $ur$ose of bein% liberated by a western Western woman

fou%ht the So1iet Union with western arms from 4=>= until .4=)= 7urin% this $eriod2 P*slamistsQ were the %ood %uys< Ronald Rea%an com$ared them to AmericaJs foundin% fathers They won $raise from the U S media2 academics2 and ordinary Americans2 or at least from those who had heard of Af%hanistan or *slam at all *nstead of ma#in% Loya $arade in a bur3a2 her hosts could ha1e e/$ressed sorrow that she and other Af%hans would not ha1e had to li1e under the Taliban Dand continue to li1e under themE had the United States not abandoned Af%hanistan after it hel$ed PwinQ the Cold War This would ha1e been shared e0perience This would ha1e been closer to $oetry *nstead2 Ensler2 who is Jewish2 and Winfrey2 who is blac#2 bein% minority women themsel1es2 felt entitled to co-o$t LoyaJs stru%%le2 humiliatin% her in the bar%ain To my mind2 they came closer to enactin% the Taliban than enactin% fantasies of $ain and rescue Ste$ into the $ast for a moment and ima%ine the re1erse2 for * #now of no better way to communicate the offense< Can anyone $icture Ensler or Winfrey arri1in% in Af%hanistan dec#ed in AuschwitG uniforms or sla1e shac#les2 in order for Af%han women to P1isualiGeQ their $ain and e/$ress sym$athy by $ullin% off the clothes or releasin% the chainsR The 1ery ima%e is re$u%nant Then why is the ima%e of an Af%han woman bein% made to $arade in her chains not e3ually dis%racefulR Why not acce$t that $eo$le e1erywhere ha1e e3ual di%nityR P:i1e and let li1eQ is indeed a fine $hiloso$hyTbut it does not mean much if you com$el someone to eat from your hand Nne wonders whatJs ne/t Will an Abu Ghraib $risoner be led into a !ew "or# arena with wei%hts dan%lin% from his testicles so Americans can see what itJs li#e before Jay :eno unsaddles himR

LoyaJs un1eilin% in !ew "or# came in the wa#e of her autobio%ra$hy2 Doya.s Story Since =I442 her boo#2 li#e so many other Ptrue storiesQ from the *slamic world2 has flown off the shel1es Thou%h her story is 1ital2 it has been turned into $ro$a%anda A$art from Sustifyin% the on%oin% wars2 it hel$s the West for%et its lon% and often u%ly $resence in the re%ion Wor#s of fiction are fulfillin% a similar $ur$ose Ta#e2 for instance2 0haled HosseiniJs hu%ely successful The @ite #unner Here the West is shown liberatin% the East when an Af%han -American returns to Af%hanistan to sa1e the son of his childhood ser1ant Gi1en the decades of war that Af%hans ha1e endured2 often while the world loo#ed away2 it is a shame that HosseiniJs liberator did not come from within *nstead2 the liberator is an American minority2 affirmin% AmericaJs multicultural self-ima%e The boo# ma#es no mention of the U S role in creatin% the Taliban or reinforcin% its cause in the $ost-=I44 world of the storyJs be%innin% and end *n HosseiniJs second no1el2 A Thousand Splendid Suns5 a 1iolent man marries and abuses first one youn% %irl2 then another *t too is set durin% the So1iet occu$ation of Af%hanistan and the countryJs subse3uent TalibanisationTalibaniGation Nnce a%ain it s#irts the U S occu$ation Nnce a%ain the women ins$ire $ity and horror rather than em$athy and remorse They ser1e to lubricate reinforce AmericaJs moral missile- defense shield Whether in autobio%ra$hy or in fiction2 the ima%e of the $assi1e Auslim woman nicely brid%es the twin im$ressions that America has of the world that lies somewhere out there2 somewhere east and south of Greece Seen throu%h one lens2 Auslims are dan%erous and must be ruled Throu%h the other2 they are $itiful and must be sa1ed The ima%e of the $assi1e Auslim woman also feeds into the twin im$ressions that America

has of itself< We are 1ictimsU wWe are self-liberated *t is in this ima%e that both world1iews are affirmed and united Writers and artists from the *slamic world and the Third World that $resent different world1iewsTones in which women and men are not easily definedU ones in which no race2 reli%ion2 or nation is $ortrayed as more on the side of freedom than any otherTare seldom read or heard 8or dissent to be heard2 it must come from within the United States2 or at least from within !orth America and or Euro$e Would2 say2 !oam Choms#y or Geor%e Aonbiot enSoy the same worldwide readershi$ if they he were from Af%hanistan2 *ra32 or *ranR ThereJs no doubt that we sorely need the Choms#ies and Aonbiots of the West2 but the fact remains that they are read far more than anti-im$erialist 1oices from the East2 who are either i%nored or dismissed as reactionariesTe1en by their own countriesT unless they emi%rate immi%rate to the West2 thus affirmin% western multiculturalism and tolerance * would ar%ue that this is es$ecially true for women Unless she %oes LoyaJs way and lets herself be Psa1ed2Q a woman from the East who li1es in the East is unli#ely to be heard o1er the multicultural trum$etin% of the West2 $articularly if she is Auslim !or is she li#ely to be heard at home2 o1er the $olitical and social turmoil around her2 $articularly if she is unreal enou%h to 1alue style as much as content Which raises a final $oint A writerJs im$ulse is that of a child< to e/$lore the world2 to mo1e beyond doors that are closed2 re%ardless of who closes them Will there come a time when writers from the East are read not to see Phow they see us2 in the WestQ but Phow they see $eyond usQR A free East will be $ossible only when the eastern

Eastern ima%ination sto$s relyin% on westernWestern-dominated2 %lobal literary trends2 and starts to feed itself

!ow for a thorou%hly enSoyable e/am$le of dissent from within the United States Dne1er mind2 for a moment2 that we mi%ht not ha1e heard about it if it camehad come from where * li1eE< *n the :etters section of the Se$tember '((' issue of +arper.s Maga!ine2 in res$onse to an article by the +alestinian-American writer Edward Said2 a reader bemoaned the Pcultural sta%nation of the Arab world Q As $roof2 he cited the followin% from a United !ations 7e1elo$ment +ro%ram re$ort< PThe entire Arab world2 with a $o$ulation of ')( million2 translates only about ??( boo#s $er year Q Two months later2 a witty letter counter- ar%ued that2 since the number of translations was bein% hailed as the indicator of a cultureJs dynamism2 the followin% statistic is also noteworthy< PHere in the United States2 at the cosmo$olitan heart of the uni1erse2 with a $o$ulation of ')5 million and a $ublishin% industry that churns out well o1er 4((2((( boo#s $er year2 we $ublishT well2 what do you #nowTabout ??( boo#s in translation $er year Q The statistic be%s the 3uestion< 7oes the United States dis$ara%e non-western Western cultures because it fears confrontin% a fri%htenin%ly authentic e3ualityR *s /eno$hobia in fact not a fear of differences but of similaritiesR To ste$ outside the moral missile- defense shield is to see oneself as2 after all2 not much freer2 safer2 more tolerant2 or more multicultural than them *n !o1ember '((>2 The 9uardian re$orted that the Arab world was finally $ayin% attention to its shoddy translation record2 throu%h by initiatin% 0alima2 an Abu 7habi-.

based translation $roSect Amon% the P%reat wor#s of world literatureQ on its list was The @ite #unner The article mentioned a ;ritish author ac#nowled%in% the influence of the Arab ci1iliGation on the subse3uent Euro$ean Renaissance2 but no one mentioned the cost to education and culture brou%ht about by the ;ritish and AmericanU0-US in1asion of *ra32 such as the %uttin% of ;a%hdadJs libraries Close to a million $ublications in Arabic2 8arsi2 Tur#ish2 and 0urdish2 as well as in En%lish2 8rench2 S$anish2 *talian2 and German2 includin% rare manuscri$ts and ancient te/ts2 ha1e been lost The Central :ibrary of ;a%hdad Uni1ersity is still in ashes Nffers to hel$ rebuild it ha1e not come from the U0 or USA but from Ja$an 0alimaJs $lan to translate 5(( fi1e hundred titles a year into Arabic by '(4( was called Ya cause for %reat celebrationJ2 but no one mentioned how many %reat wor#s of world literature the United States $lans on translatin% into En%lish and $ublishin% by '(4( Any %uessesR

8rance A :esson from America AndrMa Aa#ine Translated from the 8rench by Geoffrey Strachan

There are only two $eo$les now Russia is still barbarous2 but it is %reat youn% nation is America

Z The other

Z The future of the world lies there2 between these two

%reat worlds Nne day they will collide and then we shall see stru%%les of which the $ast can %i1e us no idea Z

TSainte-;eu1e2< *ahiers de EF>G

When one is an American decision-ma#er one turns to the +resident of the United States as to the Su$reme +resident of a world em$ire Z

TSMbastien 8umaroli2< TempHte Sous un *rIne

"ehind the curtain8urtain A few years after the end of the Second World War2 Hitler was dethroned *n the Russian ima%ination the demonic fi%ure of the 8bhrer was re$laced by that of the American2 our chief enemy from now on Two $arallel incarnations of the des$icable "an#ee remain amon% my earliest childhood memories< he could be fat or thin The first would be dressed in a tu/edo2 burstin% at the seams from his monstrous belly2 and chewin% on a la1ish ci%arU he was ne1er without a ba% from which %old coins or dollar bills s$illed forth American ca$italism incarnate The other one2 easily reco%niGable as Uncle Sam in

his to$ hat2 was as lean as a s#eleton beneath his tattered tailcoat and had this odd habit of brandishin% an atomic bomb2 holdin% it by its tailfins The fat man would end u$ hurled to the %round by wor#ers with fists hea1y from $hysical labor The thin man2 the a$$allin% warmon%er2 was held in chec# by a roc#li#e soldier of the Red Army +ro$a%anda $osters2 of course2 Tcaricatures $asted u$ all the way alon% the iron *ron cCurtain whichthat2 in those days2 cut the world into two Ha$$y times[ A blessed era of seein% thin%s in blac# and white< the wall between East and West was $lastered on each side with %rimacin% monsters A Red2 with a #nife %ri$$ed between enormous teethU an American im$erialist with his bomb "es2 it was all reassurin%ly clear cutclear-cut ;ut was that sim$listic $erce$tion we had of the United States in those days such a false oneR They told us about American racism2 and2 in truth2 the instances of racial discrimination were rifeU they were not all in1ented by the editorial writers of Pravda1 +o1erty2 unem$loymentR E1en the most ardent defenders of the American way of life could not deny the reality The ideolo%ues who #e$t watch o1er Russian brains were ne1er at a loss to $roduce historically accurate e1idence that would demonstrate the harm the American em$ire had done to the world< The e/termination of !ati1e American *ndians2 sla1ery2 Hiroshima2 Hietnam2 economic dictatorshi$2 the dubious methods of the C*A Z Aeanwhile on the other side of the iron *ron curtainCurtain2 in the West2 the o$inion ma#ers had an e3ual su$erabundance of ar%uments< the horror of the lon% decades of Stalinism2 the e/termination industry of the Gula% and its tens of millions of 1ictims2 the lac# of the most elementary $olitical freedoms2 and the e/$ortin% of this totalitarian system to Eastern Euro$e2 to Asia2 to Africa Z The $olemical e/chan%es

between two %reat nations alon% these lines %uaranteed an a$$arent coherence to the $ostwar world Nne could almost ha1e a$$lauded this strate%ic $in%-$on% had it not %i1en rise to innumerable PlocalQ wars2 insanely e/cessi1e rearmament and2 abo1e all2 a climate in which Russians and Americans were condemned to hatin% one another across the *ron Curtain*ron Curtain2 without truly #nowin% one another *n the days of my youth2 one of the boo#s about the United States which that was most widely read was titled The *ity of the Yellow -evil1 The city in 3uestion was !ew "or# and the curiously colored de1il was sim$ly a meta$hor for %old2 for the dollar2 for the AmericansJ le%endary %reed for $rofit True or falseR To chec# it out we should would ha1e had to cross the *ron Curtain*ron Curtain2 $ast lines of watchtowers The Aoon itself2 than#s to "uri Ga%arin2 seemed more accessible to us than the American continent2 where fat ca$italists2 s#inny warmon%ers2 and other diabolical trash were on the $rowl

9aul ner to the rescue:escue; At this sta%e in my account2 %ood form su%%ests that * should %i1e the lie to this a$$allin% robot-$ortrait of the American2 switch to a lyric mode2 and tell you about the American literature whichthat2 li#e an intellectual antidote2 enabled the youn% Russian that * was to correct this unattracti1e ima%e of the United States Writers s$ea#in% fran#ly about their attitude to American ci1iliGation often $erform such a rhetorical about-face< P8aul#ner2 yes[ ;ush2 no[Q * shall a1oid this $loy 8irst of all2 as * ha1e already said2 the criticisms made of your country often seem well founded to me Also2 true national literature holds u$ the most $itiless mirror to a $eo$le with no wish to remain blind to their own shortcomin%s The %reats of American

literature are not subtle ima%e consultants for the White House but formidable obser1ers of the e1ils suffered now and in the $ast by their homeland 8inally let us note with re%ret that neither 8aul#ner2 nor Hemin%way2 nor Salin%er succeeded in a1ertin% the horror of that famous $hoto%ra$h< the s#y in Hietnam blac#ened by na$alm2 a na#ed child in tears2 disfi%ured by fear2 runnin% alon% a road Z The boo#s by them that did mana%e to fly o1er the iron curtain*ron Curtain ali%hted in our hands li#e weary birds2 too rare2 too $recious2 too fra%ile2 for us to demand of them that they should redress wron%s and rema#e the world * could allude to other oft- re$eated instances< American SaGG2 the cinema2 etc Z ;ut why lieR * ha1e ne1er been craGy about SaGG2 which musical correctness always insisted that we admire As for the cinema2 * used to $refer what fashion instructed us to des$ise< the action mo1ies which that did2 indeed2 seem to me 1ery American in the way they tended to $ortray head-on collisions between Good and E1il2 with and their unashamed stri1in% for $owerful 1isual effects !o2 what hel$ed me to resist the $ro$a%anda ima%es2 what made your country ali1e and human for me was much more humble A few obSects2 a few fra%ments2 * mi%ht say Aeteorites ori%inatin% from the un#nown and disturbin% $lanet2 more remote than the Aoon2 Tthat America was to us

Meteorites 7onJt lau%h[ The first of these is a sim$le tin can2 a lar%e tin$late container with writin% on it in En%lish2 such as one sometimes came across in houses in the So1iet Union A utilitarian obSect D$eo$le $ut flowers in them2 they stored rice or buc#wheat in themZE

A sentimental talisman as well< e1eryone #new that durin% the war it was in these containers that the Americans2 our allies in those days2 used to send us canned meat This detail mi%ht seem ludicrous2 but only if you were to for%et that the city of :enin%rad alone lost more than a million of its inhabitants2 wi$ed out by famine As time went by2 these em$ty cans re1ealed a truth to us that resisted the brainwashin%< America2 that E1il Em$ire crammed with bombs2 could also be our friend[ A 1ery disconcertin% truth for ideolo%ues on both sides of the curtain Z So disconcertin%2 by the way2 and so rarely referred to in official history2 that durin% my youth it too# me a lon% time to identify this other American meteorite< a A $hoto%ra$h disco1ered amon% the boo#s belon%in% to the old lady who had ta#en the $lace of my mother *t showed some airmen %rou$ed around a lar%e troo$- trans$ort $lane2 of a ty$e unli#e any So1iet military aircraft The men2 too2 had a sur$risin% loo# about them * could reco%niGe the clothes worn by the Russian $ilots well enou%h2 but these others2 who were theyR Smilin% o$en faces2 a uniform that was li%hter2 more ele%ant Where had they come from2 these e/traterrestrial bein%sR The old lady let me in on the secret They were American airmen deli1erin% military aircraft to their Russian ally These machines had to be flown to the Eastern 8ront all the way across Alas#a2 then across the ;erin% Strait and across the endless wastes of Siberia This route2 a distance of some four thousand miles2 was #nown as the PAlsib Q !o history te/tboo#s mentioned it The memory of that air route2 which was su$erhumanly challen%in% and called for heroism daily2 had disa$$eared beneath the $osters with which the $ro$a%anda bosses tirelessly $lastered the stic#y wall that #e$t our two worlds a$art

Ay 1iew of your country2 as you will ha1e %athered2 is a 3uite a subSecti1e one * belon% to that %eneration of Russians who were affected 1ery $hysically by the carna%e of the last war< amon% the twenty-fi1e million So1iet deaths attributable to the !aGi in1asion2 e1ery family lost someone Aany of us children #new our $arents only for a short $eriod of time2 since they died youn%2 ra1a%ed by the fi%htin%2 by illness2 by war wounds "es2 my $erce$tion is undoubtedly conditioned by that by%one a%e when the si%nificance of a food container Pmade in USAQ was not the commercial ad1ertisin% on the label< it meant the sur1i1al of a child2 a mother2 a soldier * ha1e many times since then had occasion to board a $lane and fly to the United States ;ut in my memory the Alsib route remains the fli%ht of my dreams because it tau%ht me what they could be li#e2 the men who li1ed on the other side of the *ron Curtain*ron Curtain To ma#e sure the Alsib meteorite was not for%otten2 * went to 1isit the site of that aerial route and de1oted a boo# to the $ilots who bra1ed those $olar re%ions *t was a $roSect for a writer or an archaeolo%ist< startin% from a few fra%ments2 in order to reconstruct an un#nown ci1iliGation

The myth Myth of 'merica Nne of the most Russian of characters in literature2 7ostoe1s#yJs *1an 0aramaGo12 intended to esca$e to America His only %oal2 li#e that of millions of human bein%s2 whether heroes of no1els or real $eo$le2 was freedom Almost a century after *1an 0aramaGo12 the So1iet di$lomat2 Hictor 0ra1chen#o would ta#e the same ris#2 much

more dan%erous by then that time than it had been in 7ostoe1s#yJs time The title of this defectorJs story2 % *hose 'reedom2 has become a hallowed e/$ression2 a motto2 a clichM 0ra1chen#o was esca$in% from the worst and lon%est- lastin% dictatorshi$ #nown to humanity :i#e all the dissidents who ris#ed crossin% the iron curtain*ron Curtain2 he #new that this Pchosen freedomQ could be the death of him *ndeed it was2 in a certain manner2 for himself and for his family He did not see# what was %enerally desired by $eo$le settin% sail for America o1er the centuries< social and $rofessional success2 wealth2 comfort andTwhy notR Trenown The fame he did achie1e was $ainful2 the material comfort 3uite relati1e2 the success all too fatal And yet the sim$le $ossibility of bein% able to s$ea# freely2 to esca$e from the dictatorshi$Js crushin% %ra1itational $ull2 seemed to be enou%h for him As we saw it from behind the iron curtain*ron Curtain2 what America symboliGed was this sudden wei%htlessness . Tto use a somewhat cosmic meta$hor but one that e/$resses 1ery well the sensation offered by this freedom we dreamed of< to brea# away from an alienated2 ensla1ed self and ta#e fli%ht to a radically new world2 a new self2 a self free to e/$ress itself2 to mo1e around2 to choose where to li1e and where to wor#2 or else not to wor# at all and to set out Pon the road Q *n reality the libertarian dream of America combined a %reat s$ectrum of as$irations within it Clear-headed schemes for $ersonal social betterment2 serious missions on the $art of searchers after truth-see#ers2 and e1en2 on occasion2 Su1enile fantasies of anarchic esca$ism ;ut the $oint of intersection for all these American dreams was always the same< freedom

This underlyin% basis for the myth of America2 for its new world2 has led to a messianic faith in democracy for which the United States claims to be the shinin% cham$ion u$on earth :et us not discuss the le%itimacy of thisU let us sim$ly reco%niGe how firm the American con1iction is that the torch of freedom is in %ood hands *t is here that the Russian 1iew2 my own amon%stamon% others2 may be instructi1e 8or the messianic faith of communism Communism s$rin%s from a rather similar con1iction< man#ind must be set free[ Thus on both sides of the *ron Curtain*ron Curtain societies ha1e arisen2 each claimin% a $ro$hetic2 e/em$lary character A full com$arati1e analysis of these two messianic faiths would call for a 1oluminous academic thesis *n my brief account all * can note is this< in that lon% and cruel contest which that was the Cold War2 So1iet messianism ended u$ the loser ;ut does that necessarily mean that the democratic militancy of the United States emer%ed as the winnerR

'n Outcast Messiah That was the 3uestion * as#ed myself se1eral years a%o2 when * saw the terrifyin% abyss o$ened u$ by Se$tember 44 An e1ent %one o1er a%ain and a%ain by so many intelli%ent minds who ha1e stri1en to e/$lain to us the reasonsTand the unreasonTfor hatred of America Their bafflement is lo%ical< here we ha1e a country which that claims to adherethat as$ires to the noblest of humanist 1aluesU one which that welcomes onto its soil $eo$le from all four corners of the earth2 and does e1erythin% $ossible to ensure that these new arri1als should inte%rate 3uic#ly2 find a Sob2 feel secureU a country which that s$ends immense sums to defend these democratic ideals throu%hout the worldU2 a

$ros$erous country in on the forefront of technical $ro%ress2 o$en to e1ery current of intellectual life2 tolerant toward all $olitical o$inions *n short2 a model democratic country[ And yetZ there are $laces in a %ood many $arts of the world where they burn its fla%2 its rulers are hated or ridiculed2 its $ower identified as that of the P%reat Satan2Q yes2 that Pyellow de1ilQ of the caricatures at the time of my childhood all o1er a%ain Who are the fanatical barbarians who dare thus to defy the Pa0 Americana2 the rule of the %reatest democracy in the worldR There is nothin% mysterious about this $arado/ The PbarbariansQ who made their odious terror attac#s in '((4 were sufficiently AmericaniGed to $ass unnoticed 8or them2 America was not an un#nown and eni%matic land reSected throu%h i%norance They reSected it because they #new it only too well And the intensity of their hatred can be %au%ed by the resolution with which these terrorists went to their deaths A $sycholo%ist with time to $onder mi%ht conclude that the 1ery thin% these youn% men2 a$$arently well inte%rated into western Western society2 were see#in% to destroy was this American essence in themsel1es To #ill it by #illin% themsel1es And this hy$othetical $sycholo%ist mi%ht $ossibly be ri%ht

"lowing in the wind#ind As one tries to understand the intensity of this hatred2 it becomes clear Sust how hard it is to say what America is This country is fore1er under attac# for bein% what it is notU2 $eo$le assail ideolo%ical bo%eys which that no Americans would e1er not reco%niGe as their own :i#e all %reat ci1iliGations2 America is a mass of contradictions2 has many faces2 is resistant to all do%matic assertions When it is 1ilified2 one may $icture it as a

monstrous bo%ey2 a scarecrow buffeted by 1iolent bursts of wind and one whose sha$e and %rimaces are constantly chan%in% :et us ta#e a loo# at this dance in the wind The United States is a formidable economic $ower2 but it is also an o1erheated en%ine2 sha#en by a series of terrible crises This country $ossesses armed forces e3ui$$ed with mar1els of technolo%y2 but these troo$s are disabled when confronted by warriors from another era brandishin% antedilu1ian blunderbusses Din Somalia and2 *ra3ZE *t $roclaims res$ect for human ri%hts2 it and treats human di%nity as somethin% sacred but tolerates scenes of abominable torture2 in1ol1in% by American military $ersonnel The %reat humanistic credos $rofessed by the rulers of America do not e/clude the use of the famous Pwaterboardin%Q techni3ue2 reco%nised reco%niGed by the C*A2 the horrible $ractice to which Geor%e W ;ush has %i1en the %reen li%ht And the celebration of freedom that we li#e so much about America e/ists side by side with the co1ert intellectual sla1ery of $olitical correctness Aore than once * ha1e found myself $er$le/ed by the $arado/ical nature of America And often2 moreo1er2 in loo#in% beyond the bo%eys raised by antiAmericanism2 * ha1e disco1ered a com$letely different reality PAmerica2Q they lament in +aris2 Pis totally unrece$ti1e to Euro$ean culture Q The o$$osite has always been demonstrated to me by the record o1er lon% years of my American $ublishers2 Jeannette and 7ic# Sea1er PThe Americans ha1e little interest in the history of our country2Q the 8rench intellectuals com$lain "et one of the best- informed e/$erts on contem$orary 8rench history is American < 7eGaulle and +Mtain2 8laubert and Camus2 Rothschild and Aichelin ha1e all been brou%ht 1i1idly to life in a series of $rodi%iously welldocumented boo#s by Herbett Herbert :ottman

7es$ite an a1alanche of boo#s about the United States constantly a$$earin% flowin% into 8rance2 the ambi%uity remains We still ha1e to choose between the old clichMs of the Cold War< the P%reat SatanQ for some2 the shinin% cham$ion of democracy for others To my American friends2 astonished by the schiGo$hrenia of such dual $erce$tions2 * recommend a re-readin% of 7ostoe1s#yJs Notes from the underground3nderground1 *ts hero ad1ances this hy$othesis< tomorrow humanity may well contri1e to create a $aradise on earth2 a $eaceful and tolerant society2 res$ectful and $ros$erous Dnot so 1ery distant2 let us add2 from the %lobal re%ime dreamed of by the shinin% "an#ee cham$ionZE And yet e1en in this $erfect world2 7ostoe1s#y ima%ines2 there will always be an im$lacable #illSoy to launch a %reat #ic# a%ainst this uni1ersal harmony PSim$ly to show you *Jm free[Q will be how he e/$lains this %esture ;eyond all $olitical2 reli%ious2 or cultural considerations2 this $arable of the %reat #ic# directed a%ainst the $aradise on earth enables one to understand many thin%s in the $sycholo%y of those who do not lo1e America "Tyes2 $o$ulations who2 instead of tossin% roses at the U S Army tan#s2 di% out their old blunderbusses and %o off into the hills to fi%ht the G * Js ;elie1e me2 dear American friends2 there is no malicious $leasure underlyin% my words :on% a%o2 as a youn% So1iet soldier who belie1ed he was brin%in% $aradise to the Af%hans2 * was amaGed2 li#e you2 that our tan#s were not strewn with roses as we dro1e throu%h the ruined 1illa%es ;ut abo1e all2 * belie1e 7ostoe1s#y was ri%ht 8or if you want to see# beyond slo%ans and stereoty$es2 you ha1e to %o bac# to the human soul< then we can be%in to

understand the a$$arently illo%ical2 unreasonable2 and 1iolent actions of those who refuse the benefits of our messianic wisdom

' forgotten 9orgotten photograph.hotograph Ay $erce$tion of America is e/tremely fra%mentary2 deri1ed $rinci$ally from some tri$s there2 some boo#s read As for $resent- day America2 how can one Sud%e itR So submer%ed is it2 at one moment beneath Sournalistic 1erbia%e and at the ne/t beneath learned commentaries dissectin% the country for all the world li#e a mammoth du% out of the $ermafrost "es2 America2 a mosaic of fra%ments "et one of the fra%ments * carry within me faithfully mirrors the whole sco$e of the $anel America2 in all its richness2 with all its contrasts * am s$ea#in% a%ain of that old $hoto%ra$h * saw in my childhood< a %reat 7ou%las aircraft2 the win%s all co1ered in ice2 a %rou$ of airmen2 their clothes dusted with snow * ha1e a clear recollection of the American $ilotsJ smilin% faces Z

These were not men who had come to %i1e the Russians lessons in democracy These Americans were not there to chan%e the $olitical character of the USSR2 nor to o1erthrow the dictatorshi$ that $re1ailed there2 one beside which a Saddam Hussein would $ass for Snow White They had come to hel$ a $eo$le in their fi%ht a%ainst the !aGi horror Without ma#in% any show of their su$eriority2 they %a1e us all they had< their coura%e2 their e/$ertise as $ilots2 their determination2 and2 on occasion2 amid the arctic wastes2 their li1es

They were in no way tem$ted to act li#e condescendin% benefactors2 li#e um$ires monitorin% the ascent toward democracy 8or the Russians2 their mere fraternal $resence became the best lesson in humanity The So1iet airmen who rubbed shoulders with them learned a %reat deal< Yso2 those a$$allin% American im$erialists could also be these %uys with o$en smiles and unfailin% coura%e J *t was $ossible to li1e li#e them without flinchin% at e1ery word you s$o#e in case it led to your s$endin% years in the Gula% *t was $ossible to ha1e a %ood lau%h to%ether2 e/chan%e So#es2 listen to the stories told by these enemies of yesterday2 whose li1es suddenly seemed so close2 so humanly close The s3uadron of 7ou%las and Aircobra aircraft would ta#e off from Alas#a2 headin% toward Siberia2 and from their coc#$its the Russian $ilots would see a cluster of men in the middle of an e/$anse of snow wa1in% their arms in farewell !o $ro$a%anda could erase that 1ision of America That lesson from America When it falls to me to comment on the $art the United States has to $lay in the 1ast concert of the nations2 * li#e to call that old $hoto%ra$h to mind 8or this2 * belie1e2 is how2 amid all the discordant sounds2 a $iano tuner ensures that the true note he is see#in% rin%s out loud and clear

Canada How * see See America as an *ra3i-Canadian :eilah !adir

America is a $air of hea1y blac# boots dan%lin% out of a low-flyin% army helico$ter2 a machine %un coc#ed down at me as * huddle in my ni%ht%own in my cot on the roof of my ;a%hdad house America is three thousand cruise missiles landin% on my city America is a tan# tread on the fra%ile remains of the ancient city of ;abylon America is my front door #ic#ed in America is a curfew that ma#es it im$ossible for my %reat-uncle to %et to a hos$ital at ni%htU he dies of a heart attac# at home America is my teena%e dau%hter2 a 1irtual $risoner in our home year after year2 unable to %o to school America is a car bomb e/$lodin% in front of my father as he sto$s in ;a%hdad traffic2 lea1in% blood and flesh dri$$in% from his arm America is my cri$$led brother2 a crutch where his left le% used to be America is white $hos$horus2 a chemical wea$on America is tiny $ieces of metal2 mysterious debris from a bomb2 collectin% in the bac# %arden of my house America is a %rou$ of youn% soldiers %oin% to church amon% *ra3i Christians2 as#in% me about the $retty %irls they see there America is wa1in% at me from a tan# America is the concrete blast wall se$aratin% me from friends in the ne/t nei%hborhood America is a note threatenin% to #idna$ my children America is a shattered Sumerian 1ase2 a burnin% library America is my widowed sister and her fatherless children America is a hos$ital without medicine2 a house without runnin% water2 the dee$ dar# of a $ower failure America is loneliness without a tele$hone as e/$losions Sar the ni%ht America is adolescent soldiers bristlin% with wea$ons yellin% at

me at a chec#$oint America is the bomb that shatters the stained- %lass window of my church America is an o1erflowin% mor%ue2 a cemetery with no room left to bury my %reat-uncle America is Abu Ghraib $rison reo$ened as an American $rison America is a soldier #illin% *ra3i demonstrators who are $rotestin% because the army has turned their elementary school into an army base America is the Green Lone Dforbidden to most *ra3isE2 once Saddam HusseinJs $alace and now a $aradise of hos$itals2 electricity2 water2 swimmin% $ools2 cafMs2 and air-conditionin% America is my %reat-aunt cho$$in% down the oran%e trees in her %arden to use as firewood America is her middle-class nei%hbour di%%in% a well America is a land where 1oters ha1e the freedom to 1ote a%ainst a war2 but donJt America has made me *ra3i * see America throu%h *ra3i eyes ;ut it wasnJt always so * %rew u$ in Cal%ary2 Alberta2 Sust a few hours dri1e from the United States * am Canadian2 born in Canada2 raised $artly in :ondon2 En%land2 by an *ra3i father and a ;ritish mother Until fi1e years a%o2 America was beni%n to me *Jd been to :os An%eles2 !ew "or#2 Washin%ton 7 C2 Chica%o2 +ortland2 Hermont2 !ew Ham$shire2 Seattle 2 * felt $ractically American myselfU2 * didnJt see much distinction between Canadians and Americans When !ew "or# and Washin%ton 7 C2 were attac#ed on Se$tember 442 '((42 * was terrified for my %ood friends li1in% in both cities2 as * couldnJt %et throu%h on the $hone lines * was relie1ed when they contacted me a while later sayin% that they had not been seriously affected Two years later2 * had the same feelin%s as America was %oin% to war on in *ra3U * was afraid for $eo$le * #new li1in% in ;a%hdad ;ut !ew "or# has

returned to normality2 and fi1e years later2 *ra3 has not * could ma#e those an/ious $hone calls e1ery day Until this war2 the *ra3i side of my family was silent2 muted2 their li1es im$ossible to #now The handful of times *Jd met my %rand$arents was in the se1enties when they dro1e from *ra3 to En%land in their Hol#swa%en beetle for the summer holidays After that2 silence They died under Saddam HusseinJs re%ime Ay fatherJs three sisters now all li1e in :ondon Two of them were on 1acation from ;a%hdad when *ra3 in1aded 0uwait in 4==(2 and they ha1e ne1er returned Ay %reat-aunt :ina was with them2 but she went bac# early and was tra$$ed in ;a%hdad when the Gulf War started a few months later 8rom then on2 She she loo#ed after my %rand$arentJsJ house2 where my father %rew u$2 from then on *n Canada2 my Arabic roots were $ushin% shoots into my bein%2 but ne1er flourishin% to the surface of my life *n '((?2 when * finally as#ed my father why heJd ne1er tau%ht me Arabic or told me stories of *ra3 or our family2 he merely said2 PThere was ne1er e1er anythin% %ood to say about *ra32 so why tal# about itRQ All my life2 he was mysterious and taciturn on the subSect2 sha#in% his head at news of the de$ri1ations of the sanctions or the farcical horrors of Saddam HusseinJs re%ime He often 3uoted Churchill2 sayin% that democracy was not a $erfect system2 but it was the best system we had in this im$erfect world He ne1er com$lained or railed a%ainst the circumstances in *ra3 that made it im$ossible for him to see his $arents when they were ill or to attend their funerals He was %rateful to be in the Pci1iliGedQ West He belie1ed in the United States2 felt $roud of the Western stance on human ri%hts2 the Gene1a Con1ention2 the rule of law As a family2 we rarely 3uestioned AmericaJs role on the world sta%e

The way * saw *ra3 was sim$le The country was in the %ri$ of an e1il dictator who started wars a%ainst in1aded his nei%hbors2 ille%ally in1aded other countries2 tortured dissidents2 o$$ressed his $eo$le with terror2 and had dra%%ed my fatherJs once $ros$erous homeland into 1iolence2 $o1erty2 and barbarism America was the beacon that sa1ed countries from me%alomaniac leaders and only went to war in self-defense2 did not condone torture2 did not in1ade other countries ille%ally *n my eyes2 America stood on2 and for2 the moral hi%h %round ;ut * ne1er su$$orted a war to de$ose Saddam * felt that with the first bomb dro$$ed2 America would lose its moral hi%h %round Under occu$ation2 *ra3 has under%one o1er more than fi1e years of un$recedented 1iolence2 almost all directed a%ainst ci1ilians At least 65(2((( innocent *ra3is are dead2 and countless more are $ermanently inSured in a country of '5 twenty-fi1e million That means nearly one in forty *ra3is ha1e died because of this war Nn a1era%e2 one member of e1ery e/tended family is dead *t is sta%%erin% that *ra3 could be worse off than before the in1asion2 which followed twenty-three years of war and de$ra1ationde$ri1ation ;ut ;a%hdad is now a city of se%re%ated nei%hborhoods se$arated by massi1e concrete blast walls Two million ci1ilians ha1e fled as refu%ees and li1e $recariously in Syria and Jordan without $ro$er status or income2 and another two million ha1e been internally dis$laced *ra3 as it was fi1e years a%o2 hardly a $aradise2 has been destroyed2 and nothin% has yet re$laced it All this because of AmericaJs in1asion ;ut e1en before Se$tember 442 '((42 3uestions were formin% in me2 doubt cree$in% in The Gulf War2 and then the draconian U! sanctions that followed2 first %a1e me $ause How could a country be forbidden to im$ort $encils2 scientific Sournals2 and

medical te/tboo#sR Why were middle-class *ra3is bein% forced to sell their boo#s for foodR Ay doubts were confirmed the ni%ht the United States insisted on $reem$ti1ely in1adin% *ra3 The $olitical became $ersonal Nur family was no lon%er on the sidelines watchin% the horrors of the ni%htly news from the comfort of our couchU the USA was $re$arin% to bombard our own family2 my fatherJs childhood home We had been shielded from these same feelin%s durin% the Gulf War because Saddam Hussein was the a%%ressor when he in1aded 0uwait ;ut this time2 it was uswe2 of the West2 that was who were the in1ader And * #new $eo$le who were %oin% to be under those bombs * was s$lit in two< blood of both the 1ictim and the $er$etrator flowed in my 1eins And that mirrored a dichotomy in my world 1iew Ay *ra3i friendsJ and relati1esJ 1oices were %rowin% louder and louder and their stories were at odds with what * heard by means of the Western news media * heard the narrati1e in stereo *n one ear2 li#e as for all other Westerners2 * saw and heard news headlines blarin% throu%h blared the news$a$ers2 radio $ro%rams2 and tele1ision screensshows *n the other ear2 whis$ers came from afar2 about how the war was really bein% fou%ht and ruinin% my familyJs relati1esJ already des$erate li1es When the war be%an2 * %ot much of my news 1ia my cousin 0arim2 an *ra3i Christian2 a middle-a%ed en%ineer with a wife and two children whom * had ne1er met or e1en s$o#en to before He told me that under Saddam Hussein2 America had been banned from *ra3 *ra3is were isolated2 with no access to international media2 the *nternet2 or cell $hones and no way of #nowin% anythin% about the United States 0arim was continually told that America was e1il ;ut he #new that free s$eech didnJt e/ist in *ra3 and that

dictators lied2 so he did not belie1e what he was told ;ut once America $atrolled the streets of ;a%hdad2 he had the chance to witness American $ower firsthand And throu%h him2 * saw the face that America showed the world when it tra1elled abroad * watched throu%h *ra3i eyes as they were in1aded by the most $owerful army on earth 0arim told me of American bombs sha#in% his house li#e an earth3ua#e2 of American tan#s crushin% ci1ilian cars under their treads2 of American soldiers shootin% innocent $eo$le2 of my %reat-aunt %uardin% our house alone as the war ra%ed around her without the comforts of electricity2 runnin% water2 or the tele$hone * tried to deci$her what the U S army was doin% and what that meant for my family * ho$ed with them as they waited des$erately2 a%ainst all reason2 for the democracy that all the 1iolence was su$$osed to brin% And as * listened to their stories2 * stru%%led to ma#e sense of our narrati1e2 the one which that always diminishes the crimes we commit and am$lifies the crimes carried out by others *n the chaos of information comin% from the tele1ision2 there was no coherent story The e1ents after the in1asion ended u$ bein% nonsensical and abstract for the Western listener2 who then went numb and turned off *tJs as if they couldnJt see the American army occu$yin% the countryU2 they couldnJt see that the cause of the 1iolence was the American in1asion And so they can say in com$lete faith2 PWe canJt lea1e now2 because thin# of what will ha$$en if we lea1eRQ As if the Americans are the last %lue #ee$in% the country from fallin% a$art2 instead of the a%%ressors that bro#e the country in the first $lace A Canadian friend once said to me that when she heard Aiddle- Eastern news she found herself thin#in% that the $eo$le deser1ed what was ha$$enin% to them *t was the only way she could ma#e sense of the news2 the way she distanced herself from

the horror2 Tto thin# that there must be a reason it was ha$$enin% to those other $eo$le and not to us ;ut we ha1e to loo# dee$er2 Tthin%s do ma#e senseU if they donJt2 itJs because we are not loo#in% at the situation in the ri%ht way Just before the in1asion2 one of my fatherJs Canadian friends tried to read out some Arabic $hrases that the American soldiers had been %i1en to say to *ra3is Ay father couldnJt understand a word he said Ay father tried to ima%ine an American soldier tellin% an *ra3i to sto$ at a chec#$oint2 the *ra3i not understandin% and then the soldier thin#in% the *ra3i was $ur$osely i%norin% him The results of this misunderstandin% are fatal As it ha$$ened2 the first story 0arim told me was of a family he #new who were comin% home from a 1isit to their elderly $arents on the day that the U S army entered ;a%hdad Aany $eo$le didnJt #now that the Americans were in the city2 as Saddam HusseinJs re%ime was still denyin% it PSuddenly they saw an American tan# u$ the road2Q 0arim wrote to me2 Pand without warnin%2 the tan# be%an to shoot at the car with the hu%e tan# machine %un *nstantly the father and their three children were #illed Ay friendJs dau%hter sur1i1ed and lea$t out of the car2 wa1in% at the soldiers to sto$ Q The soldiers started shootin% at her PShe ran throu%h the shootin% and found a house *t was a miracle she sur1i1ed She was ta#en bac# to her fatherJs home Her clothes were soa#ed in blood She was li#e someone who had lost her mind A few days later2 her brothers went to the $lace where the catastro$he had ta#en $lace2 but the Americans wouldnJt let them near the site After fi1e days2 they were allowed to ta#e the bodies2 which the Americans had buried 3uic#ly2 usin% only a sho1el to di% the shallow %ra1es When her

brothers as#ed the Americans2 PWhy did you #ill this familyRQ the answer was sim$le PWe are sorry2 it was an accident Q America chan%ed for my father2 too A successful businessman2 heJd 1isited the United States many times Then2 in !o1ember '((?2 on a tri$ to Te/as to 1isit friends2 he was ta#en aside and 3uestioned by the customs officials WhyR ;ecause he was born in *ra32 e1en thou%h he told them that he left there in 4=6( and had ne1er returned P7o you ha1e alle%iance to *ra3RQ they as#ed He re$lied2 P*f by that you mean do * feel connected to the country because * was born there and my $arents li1ed out their li1es there2 then yes *f you mean to as# whether * am %oin% to return there to fi%ht you2 then the answer is no Q They let him throu%h2 but he was li1id and hasnJt returned to the USA since WasnJt *ra3 su$$osed to be a friend of America2 rescued by America2 on the same side as AmericaR WasnJt that what the $oliticians were tellin% usR The 3uestion of alle%iance im$lied that *ra3is e1erywhere were not to be trusted<2 *ra3is mi%ht be the enemy *t im$lied he was $otentially a criminal because of his ancestry *n the fi1e years of the occu$ation2 my cousin 0arim has $ersonally e/$erienced e/tortion2 dan%erous run-ins with soldiers2 threats from militias2 and literally doGens of car bombs e/$lodin% terrifyin%ly close to his house and office And he sur1i1ed the three wee#s of the actual in1asion in '((? DPthe most miserable days of my lifeQ he calls themE When his businesses were threatened2 he was forced to close them Soon his entire family was li1in% under 1irtual house arrest2 rarely 1enturin% beyond the %arden wall for fear of death E1en the Nld TestamentJs lon%-sufferin% but faithful Job had his limitations *t too# fi1e years for 0arim to brea#2 but when2 li#e Job2 the threats menaced his $hysical

self2 he could withstand them no lon%er When the dan%er of #idna$$in% literally #noc#ed on his front door in the form of a man heJd been warned to be afraid of2 he #new the time had come to flee This was the last blow to his family2 who had sur1i1ed the crescendo of 1iolence caused by the absence of law and order This anarchy2 the u%ly side of the AmericanJs cherished freedom2 has destroyed all remnants of ci1il society and ordinary life Nn Se$tember 4'2 '((>2 0arim and his wife2 teena%e son2 and dau%hter2 each clutchin% a sin%le suitcase2 %ot into a ta/i and headed towards the Syrian border They left behind four em$ty houses they and our e/tended family owned in ;a%hdad Nne of them was the house my father %rew u$ in2 that he inherited when his $arents died Since the Gulf warWar2 my %reat-aunt :ina had been the houseJs custodian and %uardian When she died2 two years after the '((? in1asion2 our cousins had ta#entoo# o1er that role Ay father as#ed 0arim to fill an e/tra suitcase with any of our family documents or $hotos he could $ut his hands on ;ut there were rumours that Syrian border %uards were sus$icious of any written documents2 so 0arim couldnJt brin% anythin% They left behind $ri1ate $ossessions collected o1er si/ decades< my aunts clothes were left han%in% in the closetsU family $hoto%ra$h albums made by my %randfather when he was unable to see his family stayed in their drawersU letters written home by my father after he left in 4=6( to study in En%land2 and e1en a family news$a$er he wrote when he was a bored schoolboy one lon% hot summer stayed in their bo/es ;ut on a whim2 as he too# his last hurried loo# throu%h our house2 0arim %rabbed an oil $aintin% The $ainter2 Ammu DuncleE *brahim as he was #nown to us2 was li#e a brother to my %randfather and is my fatherJs namesa#e !ow ninety-fi1e2 Ammu *brahim li1es in

northern :ebanon This $aintin% is of Safita in Syria2 the Christian hillto$ town co1ered in oli1e %ro1es where my %randfather 0halil was born Dhe mo1ed to *ra3 in his twentiesE2 and where my father went on summer holiday as a boy 0halilJs house still stands in Safita2 thou%h it too was lost to our family2 durin% the :ebanese ci1il war As our family fled *ra3 fore1er2 the ima%e of Safita2 another lost $art of our herita%e2 was the only item they sal1a%ed The ta/i bro#e down in the desert and they were sto$$ed and 3uestioned by American soldiers2 but finally made it into Syria All this occurred in the wee# that +resident ;ush was hailin% the success of the so-called Psur%eQ and sayin% that ;a%hdad was becomin% safer Nur cousins ha1e settled tem$orarily near 7amascus 0arim describes the town and its churches as burstin% with *ra3i Christians Christians made u$ about fi1e $ercent of the *ra3i $o$ulation under Saddam HusseinJs re%ime2 but they ha1e been fleein% in dro1es since the in1asion * can sum u$ how * feel about America now 1ery sim$ly * used to blame Saddam Hussein2 a hideous dictator and tyrant2 for destroyin% *ra3 and ma#in% it im$ossible for me to claim my birthri%ht to one half of my linea%e and #now the country of my fatherJs ori%in !ow Geor%e W ;ush has achie1ed what Saddam Hussein ne1er didU he has destroyed *ra3 so thorou%hly that the ties to our homeland ha1e been irretrie1ably se1ered 8rom the days when my %rand$arents and %reat-aunts and -uncles s$ent the summers with us2 * ha1e dreamt of one day 1isitin% *ra3 * ima%ined seein% the city where my father was born2 * saw myself enterin% the house my father %rew u$ in2 and meetin% my e/tended family We ho$ed that when Saddam Hussein died2 his re%ime would die with him and *ra3 would reco1er and we could return ;ut the o$$osite has occurred

;ecause of America2 *ra3 as my father #new it2 as my aunts #new it2 as my cousins #new it2 is %one fore1er We ha1e lost *ra32 lost our house2 our city2 our roots2 our herita%e And my cousins ha1e lost their home and their country2 their family and their friends Aeanwhile bac# in the West2 it is the year of an American election ;ut none of the candidates for $resident are sayin% much about the war *n fact2 John AcCain has been 3uoted sayin% that it wouldnJt matter to him if it went on for a hundred years Nur only 1a%ue ho$e is ;arac# Nbama2 who at least calls it a war that should ne1er ha1e been fou%ht The media has mo1ed on2 the Psur%eQ is bein% touted as a success2 we watch feel%ood stories about how the refu%ees are startin% to return to *ra3 ;ut 0arim tells me that ;a%hdad is Sust as 1iolent2 nothin% has chan%ed2 and he is terrified for his brothers and their families who li1e near Sadr City He is de$ressed watchin% the Arabic news in Syria2 which shows the daily #illin% of *ra3is that our media doesnJt bother with anymore * attend dinner $arties in Canada2 my an%er brewin% as * listen 3uietly while men e/$lain the $roblem with *slam2 with terrorism2 with the Aiddle East2 why we need to be fi%htin% in Af%hanistan and *ra32 why they need our hel$2 the $ro%ress we are ma#in%2 the lon% battle ahead * thin# to myself2 Ythis This is the way we discuss the world in !orth AmericaU2 itJs all abstract and %eo$olitical J +rices are worth $ayin%2 as lon% as we are not as#ed to $ay them $ersonally Some $eo$le e1en state that *ra3is should be than#ful that the Americans sa1ed them from Saddam !o one e1er as#s me what * thin#2 e1en thou%h they #now *Jm *ra3i2 and * wonder why they donJt thin# * would ha1e insi%ht into a land they #now nothin% of2 a $eo$le theyJ1e ne1er s$o#en to They $refer the e/$erts of the news$a$ers and tele1ision news * could s$ea# u$2 but * am bloc#ed * am aware of the

chasm that se$arates what * #now and thin# from what they want to belie1e * donJt #now how to be%in2 how to e/$lain the scale of the destruction2 which is so massi1e and of which we are really all so blissfully i%norantTa And cul$able Today * recei1ed an email from Code+in#2 a %rou$ of American acti1ists who are $assionately dedicated to endin% the war in *ra3 The U S Con%ress is about to authoriGe another 4>) billion dollars for the war * wonder how many $eo$leJs deaths will be bou%ht with this money * wonder what the Con%ressmen con%ressmen and -women feel they are buyin% And * wonder why Americans ha1e failed to draw any connection between amon% war s$endin%2 the $rice of oil2 and the tan#in% economy And do they #now that this money is borrowed money2 this war is bein% run runnin% on debt2 not ta/es2 and so it is actually the ne/t %eneration that will $ay the billR Why arenJt they re1oltin%2 marchin% on Washin%ton2 demandin% that Con%ress sto$s s$endin% their hardearned ta/es on $ourin% money into a war that has only made more $eo$le around the world des$ise AmericaR ;ut there was hardly a whim$er of $rotest on the fifth anni1ersary of the war * can only conclude that Americans donJt care what is done in their name *n January last year2 * s$o#e to 0arim and as#ed him how he felt about Saddam HusseinJs death2 ima%es of which were fillin% our TH screens He lau%hed2 sayin% that *ra3is were startin% to feel nostal%ic for the %ood old Pre%ime daysQ as he called them Aany of them wished Saddam Hussein was bac# in $ower because at least under him they had security2 Sobs2 and basic life necessities2 and e1en a few comforts When * told my father what 0arim had said2 he said2 PWell well2 Geor%e ;ush must be $retty bad if he can lose a $o$ularity contest with Saddam Hussein Q

*taly Returnin% from E/ile Gianni Riotta

Ay 7adJs life was etched when the Americans liberated Sicily in 4=@? He should ha1e been way u$ !orth2 in :e%horn2 at the !a1al Academy2 his starched white uniform im$eccably $ressed ;ut he %ot sic# and returned home on a short lea1e While his friends and fellow cadets went to their deaths2 buried at sea in their submarines2 he had to find a Sob and sa1e his family from star1ation in a desolate2 bombed-out +alermo With the Sicilian ca$ital in their hands2 the Allies had liberated the most $owerful Euro$ean radio station south of !a$les The famed U S +sycholo%ical Warfare ;ranch D+W;E2 the famed +W;2 would use the station to broadcast news to frantic listeners in !aGi-occu$ied *taly They would entertain the crowds in Sicily with the first radio soa$ o$eras2 P#omantic Lives of the 9reat MusiciansQ< Toni%ht2 PAoGart[ How Amadeus com$osed2 How he lo1ed[Q Radio +alermo also had a more discreet tas#< - it broadcast coded messa%es for the newly formed +artisan %rou$s in !orthern northern *taly

Russian-born Ser%eant Aisha 0amenetG#i was the boss Educated in Rome2 he was forced to lea1e *taly and mo1e to !ew "or# with his Jewish family after AussoliniJs racial laws in 4=?) and mo1ed to !ew "or# 0amenetG#i fired with %usto all the 8ascist re$orters and hired new $eo$le2 includin% . Tan anthro$olo%ical bombshell in 4=@? Sicily[ . Tyoun%2 brilliant women A cousin . Te1erythin% in +alermo2 bac# then and

now2 starts with a street-smart cousin tellin% you all about it - Ttold my dad2 PTotc2 %li Americani are loo#in% for announcers with an im$eccable $ronunciation to read the war bulletins "ou were trained as an actor at the colle%e theater2 ri%htR Go try your luc# Q 7ad went to the station because he needed money for food 0amenetG#i as#ed a few 3uestions< the !a1y had an anti-8ascist aura about it and our cousin was a Socialist Ta %ood thin% to be if you were fi%htin% a war a%ainst Aussolini Ay dad was hired and did his share on the ri%ht side of the Good War2 readin% secret messa%es for the +artisans< PGio1anni ha i baffi lun%hi :e cilie%ie sono mature Q DPJohn has lon% whis#ers

ZThe cherries are ri$e QE ThereJs a blac#-and-white $icture that shows him smilin% in front of a %iant mi#e< Listen world5 listen to usJ He soon found out that the re$orters were ma#in% better money than the announcers were E1en more tantaliGin%2 they had access to the crucial 0 rations2 the food that #e$t the U S Army in fi%htin% formU one ration2 with its little tins of canned meat2 cheese2 and fruit2 was enou%h to #ee$ an entire family from star1ation The *taliansJ rations were more mea%er - Ta loaf of stale bread - T while the blac# mar#et2 the dreaded ;orsa !era2 was controlled by the Aafia So Totc Riotta too# a chance2 went to the Sar%e2 and $leaded2 PCould * be a re$orterRQ P"ou %ot any e/$erienceRQ Aisha as#ed PWe had a ma%aGine in colle%eU * contributed a cou$le of theater re1iews Q PGood man *Jll train you for a wee# *n the meantime youJll %et a re$orterJs $aychec# Q And the 0 rations2 of course That ni%ht 7ad2 Aom2 my Grandma Adele and Aunt Sara2 alon% with a rowdy $halan/ of star1in% cousins2 had the first $arty since the war bro#e out in 4=@(2 free at last to be ha$$y 7ad borrowed a recordin% of Glenn AillerJs %n the Mood from the station and $layed it on my AomJs %ramo$hone DShe

wasnJt my Aom2 then2 of course2 but his sweet-si/teen %irlfriend E The old %arden in 1ia Aarco +olo ?42 fra%rant with the tro$ical $lants my %reat-%randfather Tommaso had smu%%led from the Caribbean a %eneration before2 detonated with the se/y2 o$enin% se/y sa/o$hone section2 followed by Te/ ;ene#e and Al 0lin#Js com$etin% trum$ets and trombones The windows all around the %arden $o$$ed o$en2 someone brou%ht some wine2 and the $arty roared till dawn The war was finally o1er :ater2 7ad li#ed to reminisce about 0amenetGiJs trainin% sessions The Sar%e would casually $ut his feet u$ on the im$osin% walnut des#2 $ilfered from some deserted Casa del 8ascio2 the fascistsJ barrac#s A colonel would sometimes rush into the studio bar#in% orders Ay dad would stiffen in an aw#ward salute2 but the Sar%e didnJt flinch P* am in char%e around here2Q he would remind the colonel Totc would remain im$ressed all his life PThe American Army was casual and rela/ed2 #ha#i $ants barely $ressed Aussolini had forced e1en the #ids and the housewi1es into a totalitarian system2 ma#in% them march in formations e1ery Saturday The Americans were winnin% the war but their Army army was a ci1ilian Armyarmy2 more a fi%htin% summer cam$ than a #illin% machine Q TotcJs democratic education had Sust be%un He %lued to%ether his first news $ro%ram2 wor#in% the wires with scissors and $encil P*t was a tou%h Sob2Q 7ad would remember P!orth of !a$les2 $eo$le would be han%ed if cau%ht by the Gesta$o listenin% to Radio +alermo "ouJ1e %ot to %i1e a %reat show to such a bra1e audience So ima%ine my sur$rise when * hand the first bulletin to 0amenetG#i2 he reads it thorou%hly and shoots bac#2 Y7oes not wor#2 Totc *tJs too %ood for us "ou need somethin% ne%ati1e for the Allies to close the broadcast Go bac# to the wires2 find an o$eration that went

8U;AR \military Sar%on for 8uc#ed U$ ;eyond All Reco%nition]2 you #now what that means2 ri%htR 0ee$ an eye out for a shi$ we lost2 a town where we are retreatin%2 a cou$le of downed $lanes *talians are fed u$ with the 7uce $ro$a%anda<2 Hictory fore1er[ *f you #ee$ sayin% all is well2 the sun shines all the time2 they wonJt belie1e you Totc2 belie1e me< truth is the best $ro$a%anda JQ Aisha 0amenetG#i $assed away in 4==5 Some years before2 he had chan%ed his name to U%o Stille in remembrance of a friend #illed by the !aGis and later became the editor of *orriere della Sera2 *talyJs best daily news$a$er He hired my dad in 4=@? and me in 4=)> Same casual style2 same attitude< when as#ed by one of his re$orters2 P7irettore2 what is our $osition on the Socialist +arty con%ressRQ Aisha re$lied sim$ly2 PWe %i1e all the news Q *t was im$ossible not to lo1e the Americans in my 7adJs stories They were all had the ele%ant ele%ance li#e of Gre%ory +ec#2 had the decency of S$encer Tracy2 and the dedication of a character in a 8ran# Ca$ra mo1ie They seemed always to treasure the truth We later became radical students and marched in +alermoJs old baro3ue 3uarters demandin% $eace in Hietnam2 yet we remained staunchly $ro-American We san% PWe Shall N1ercomeQ and $rotested when our brothers were shot at 0ent State 7ylan was our soundtrac#2 Robert Jordan our moral model2 +aul Goodman the only writer who really #new how we felt2 %rowin% u$ absurd *n our confused desire for chan%e2 we idealiGed Aalcolm ,Js stren%th2 Re1erend 0in%Js com$assion2 and ;obby 0ennedyJs moral coura%e *n school2 the e/iled Gree# students would tell us how Washin%ton was su$$ortin% the military Sunta in their country2 the 1ery cradle of democracy Robert

Jordan dies died fi%htin% a%ainst 8ranco in Hemin%wayJs master$iece2 yet the %eo$olitical strate%y of the Cold War made +resident Eisenhower for%et about the $ast 8rancoJs isolation ended in 4=5?2 when S$ain and the United States cosi%ned the +act of Aadrid2 which $ro1ided S$ain with badly needed loans in return for American military bases 8arewell %nglKs2 Adios adios Robert Jordan "et2 it didnJt matter to us *n +ra%ue a $laywri%ht named Hacla1 Ha1el sur1i1ed Stalinism on a diet of beat $oetry2 roc# J-nJ -roll2 and :ennonU we sur1i1ed conformism and the dreaded one-dimensional world de$recated by Herbert Aarcuse by recitin% Arlo GuthrieJs lullaby2 You can get anything you want at Alice.s restaurant2 the way a Tibetan mon# would hum his $rayers America now s$onsored dictatorshi$s all o1er the world The historian John :ewis Gaddis tal#s of the Cold War as the :on% +eace2 and $eace it was for us2 in Euro$e The adSecti1e cold had traditionally o1erwhelmed the substanti1e war . Tfor us2 the war of ideas2 emotions2 identities2 cultures Washin%ton was often hy$ocritical2 denouncin% the T Re/ re/ in the 0remlin2 while feedin% its own T Re/ re/ in :atin America or Asia The antidote to nihilism2 the sense of loss that e1entually dro1e so many in my %eneration into the arms of the radical Red ;ri%ade2 came from America !ot from the center of $ower this time2 but from the frin%e< P* saw the best minds of my %eneration destroyed by madness ZQ America was the madness2 America was the reason * was thus educated in the ways of contradiction2 a brutal trainin% that allowed me to sur1i1e one of the tou%hest Sobs around in the early '4st century< bein% a $ro-American writer in Euro$e When my friend Charles 0u$chan2 tryin% to Sum$start a seminar in Germany ri%ht after =I442 as#ed his +h7 students< PN02 do any of you thin# we Americans deser1ed the attac# at the World Trade CenterRQ he e/$ected maybe one

$erson would $ut a hand u$ All the Teutonic hands in the room went u$ *n !a$les2 ri%ht before the *ra3 war2 three students cornered me in a dar# alley< PSo you are Riotta2 il filoamericano Q Aiddle a%e had not mellowed my Sicilian fuc#-you attitude P* am not $ro-American2 * actually am an American So the fuc# whatRQ * was indeed an American After many years wor#in% in !ew "or# and two American #ids * had sworn alle%iance to my new country in the %loomy 8ederal ;uildin% in downtown Aanhattan *t was July '((42 the Twin Towers still %leamin% in the s#y Time was runnin% out for themU the 8ates were ready to cut the threads of thousands of their tenantsJ li1es +ow they see us5 why they hate us< the classic American an%st was2 and is2 my an%st too Nn his colle%e a$$lication2 my son Aichele dwelled on dual identity< Pwhile in Euro$e2Q he wrote2 P* feel li#e an American AmbassadorU when at home * s$end my time tryin% to e/$lain the rest of the world to my friends Q Tou%h Sob2 Aichelino +resident ;ushJs U! Ambassador John ;olton2 durin% a $osh seminar in Henice2 so dee$ly offended the mostly sym$athetic audience that an elderly2 di%nified Euro$ean di$lomat started to cry AishaJs motto was re1ersed< $ro$a%anda had become the only a1ailable truth At a lunch on beautiful :a%o Aa%%iore featurin% some of the sa11iest Euro$ean entre$reneurs2 a brash youn% neo-con s$ea#er lectured on the 1irtues of the mar#et to hed%e-funders who would ma#e more money before dessert than the Gealous s$ea#er would before Christmas America was not listenin% anymore 7ad used to $raise a nation able to listen to its enemies !ow the %iant seemed deaf e1en to the 1oices of friends * did not %i1e u$ * went to *ra3 to co1er the war and wrote about the bombin% of the U! buildin% bein% bombed2 the #illin% of Ambassador Ser%io Hieira 7e Aello #illed2

and thwartin% of the U! thwartedU * testified at the House of Con%ress on June 4>2 '((?2 about the deterioration of relations between America and its Euro$ean allies DPTHE The 8UTURE 8uture N8 of TRA!SAT:A!T*C Transatlantic RE:AT*N!SRelations< A H*EW Hiew 8RNA from EURN+EEuro$e QE * was intimidated and ner1ous *t was the %rotes3uely dar# hour of 8reedom fries8ries A ridiculous cafeteria-style food fi%ht ra%ed between Washin%ton and ;russels2 $retendin% to be a trans-Atlantic debate *t was %loomy2 it was idiotic2 and it was dan%erous * felt li#e my son2 always abroad at home2 e/iled in the old country2 estran%ed in my new country When it was my turn to s$ea#2 in the im$osin% ebony-$aneled room2 * tried yet a%ain to brid%e the Nceanocean2 readin% my lines to the s#e$tical Con%ressmencon%ressmen< The recent animosity between Euro$e and the United States is not rooted in a different set of 1alues Americans are not from Aars2 and Euro$eans are not from Henus Da Goddess2 * must say2 to be treated with full res$ect< after a close readin% of Gree# mytholo%y2 her warli#e record is not bad at all and includes the foundation of mi%hty Rome throu%h her cham$ion AeneasE Since 4=@52 Euro$eans ha1e fou%ht in Hietnam2 the SueG2 Al%eria2 Cy$rusU the Gree#s fou%ht a%ainst Tur#eyU the +ortu%uese were in An%ola2 the ;rits in the 8al#lands And if you thin# of the ;al#ans2 youJll note that those $resumed $eaceful Euro$eans countries were busy wa%in% war at the first o$$ortunity War was banned only from the continental territories of the foundin% members of the Euro$ean Community2 than#s to the American nuclear umbrella and the wisdom of leaders * am thin#in% of $residents Roose1elt2 Truman2 Eisenhower2 and 0ennedy in

America and Churchill2 Adenauer2 7e Gas$eri2 Schumann2 and Aonnet in Euro$e Contrary to what many o$-ed articles su%%est2 Euro$e and the United States do share a code of 1alues What di1ides them is a matter of interests There indeed is a clash of ci1iliGation but is not between us and them2 as $rofessor Samuel Huntin%ton su%%ests *t is the fi%ht between the forces of tolerance and the le%ions of intolerance2 a battle that di1ides America2 the EU2 the Third World2 all the established reli%ions2 academies2 and the world of ideas Aany $assin% interests can di1ide Euro$e and America ;ut if we fail to see that in this small $lanet the forces of democracy cannot fail to Soin hands and stand to%ether2 that loss of 1ision2 more than any statistics about G!+2 inflation2 %rowth2 will $ut in dan%er the future of our children

* had ruminated o1er those lines since Se$tember 442 '((4 * had left Aanhattan late on Se$tember 4(2 '((42 on a business tri$ after ta#in% my dau%hter Anita to her first day of #inder%arten * watched the $lanes crash on TH2 and reacted as a father and an editor2 intertwinin% the two identities to ma#e the ti%htro$e * was wal#in% on a little steadier Throu%h Canada on2 a chartered $lane to Aontreal2 and then a harrowin% lon% dri1e home to Aanhattan2 as desolate as the +alermo of my fatherJs war stories 8or a lon% time2 * felt the %uilt of not ha1in% been in my hometown at its dar#est hour The sweet %uy chattin% with me at the school bus sto$ on Se$tember 4(2 while2 our my dau%hters and his dau%hter clutchin% clutched hands2 died on =I44 Where was *R

"et little by little2 after the war in Af%hanistan2 after my ni%ht with the Ran%ers $atrollin% blac#ed-out Sadr City in ;a%hdad2 after the '((@ $residential cam$ai%n when yet a%ain a fran# debate was obstructed by the elaborate lies of the Swift ;oat 1ideos2 * be%an to thin# it had been a %ood thin% * wasnJt in !ew "or# when history struc# The ra%e that * felt after the de1astation at the World Trade Center and the +enta%on had obliterated 7ad and AishaJs lesson * was in too much $ain to listen to any distant 1oice2 friend or foe Whoe1er was not $art of my $ain was a stran%er2 an enemy * still res$ond with fury when some deluded fanatic says to me that America Pdeser1ed =I44 Q "et * now see that isolation creates diffidence2and hubris %enerates distrust2 and arro%ance breeds i%norance * often thin# of ;obby 0ennedyJs fa1orite 3uote from Aeschylus< DAgamemnon 4>=-.4)?E< 7ro$2 dro$Tin our slee$2 u$on the heart

sorrow falls2 memoryJs $ain2

and to us2 thou%h a%ainst our 1ery will2

e1en in our own des$ite2

comes wisdom2

by the awful %race of God

*n the days followin% his brother Jac#Js assassination2 ;obby 0ennedy found the 3uote in a wonderful and lon%-for%otten boo#2 The 9reek ay2 by the %reat classicist Edith

Hamilton He 3uoted the 1erses forty years a%o2 the day after Aartin :uther 0in%Js assassination2 recitin% the $assa%e by heart Dand mis3uotin% Pdes$iteQJ as Pdes$airQE Aeschylus was a 1eteran of the strate%ic battle of Aarathon and fou%ht the way Gree#s used to fi%ht2 side by side with his brother Cyne%eirus He #new what the culture wars were before they had a name ;ut it was after =I44U2 no one was listenin%2 each side blinded by its own $ro$a%anda Le Monde -iplomatiBue described America as the new e1il em$ire2 while in America the rabid tal#- show hosts described Euro$e as the A/is of Weasels Hate had wonU2 the Atlantic had become a to/ic $ond Then the '(() +residential $residential cam$ai%n started *n the United States the fi%ht was about Nbama and Hillary2 and could AcCain e1entually lure in the conser1ati1e 1otersR *n Euro$e2 the bluest of the blue 7emocratic states2 it was a different cam$ai%n Euro$eans lo1ed Nbama for $uttin% it neatly< PWhy in1ade *ra3 and not !orth 0orea or ;urmaR Why inter1ene in ;osnia and not 7arfurR Are our %oals in *ran re%ime chan%e2 the dismantlin% of *ranian nuclear ca$ability2 the $re1ention of nuclear $roliferation2 or all threeR Nur allies - Tand for that matter our enemies - Tcertainly donJt #now what those answers are Aore im$ortant2 neither do the American $eo$le Q Nf course there was a lot of Romantic romantic infatuation with the ener%y of Nbama ;ut it was the worldly and s#e$tical ma%aGine The /conomist2 not one of the boosterish newswee#lies2 that s$lashed on its co1er with $hoto%ra$hs of the two candidates2 Nbama and John AcCain2 under the headline PAmerica at its *ts ;est Q A war

hero who s$onsored reconciliation with Hietnam a%ainst a blac# American who still had relati1es li1in% in African 1illa%es What mo1ie are we watchin%2 a 8ran# Ca$ra se3uel in '(()R This was my 7adJs lesson - TPthere is not a sin%le $roblem in the world that can be sol1ed without America2 but America alone cannot sol1e any $roblemQ - T transformed into a %lobal debate America was bac# Ay e/ile was o1er

*srael The :and of the :on% Submarine Sandwich Tom Se%e1

The first thin% * #new about America was that it had tremendous $eanut butter That was than#s to Aunt ClaraJs $ac#a%es She was the sister of my %randfather on my motherJs side2 and emi%rated in the 4='(s from Germany to America * ne1er met her2 but in the 4=5(s2 when times were hard in Jerusalem2 she sent us care $ac#a%es Ay $arents came to +alestine as refu%ees from !aGi Germany Ay father was #illed in the 4=@) war in Jerusalem Ay mother was left alone with two children and had a hard time ma#in% a li1in% Aunt ClaraJs $ac#a%es were a real hel$Taside from $eanut butter2 they contained lots of other %ood thin%s *n Germany2 my $arents had been students at a famous art school2 the ;auhaus2 and li#e many of their friends2 they were Communists At some $oint durin% the 4=5(s2 my mother dra%%ed me to some street in Jerusalem for an anti-im$erialist demonstration * remember shoutin% P8oster-7ulles Go Home[Q at the to$ of my lun%s2 without ha1in% a clue who he was They told me he was a bad man2 so it was difficult for me to belie1e that he came from the same country as Aunt ClaraJs $eanut butter Recently2 when di%%in% throu%h an ancient leather suitcase full of family $a$ers2 * disco1ered that2 after my fatherJs death2 Aunt Clara sent us all the documents we needed to emi%rate immi%rate to America Ay mother ne1er told me this She is no lon%er ali1e2 so * canJt as# her why she stayed in *srael Ay %uess is that she mi%ht not ha1e wanted to li1e in America for ideolo%ical reasons Would * ha1e rather ha1e %rown u$ in AmericaR *Jm not sure

Either way2 my motherJs ideolo%y did not #ee$ me from harborin% my own American dream That was than#s to other thin%s Aunt Clara sent2 li#e models of American farm houses and an amaGin% de1ice that too# me to Aanhattan lon% before * e1en #new what a tele1ision set was *t was called a Hiew-Aaster2 a #ind of binoculars into which you inserted cardboard circles withwheels of color slides that each $roduced a three-dimensional ima%e Thus2 as a boy2 * ascended to the to$ of the Em$ire State ;uildin%2 crossed the ;roo#lyn ;rid%e2 and sailed to the Statue of :iberty When * first arri1ed in !ew "or#2 in 4=>42 at the a%e of '62 * felt as if * were re1isitin% my childhood haunts Then Aunt Clara bou%ht us a subscri$tion to National 9eographic * donJt #now what im$ressed me moreTthe %iant Se3uoias in California2 the Grand Canyon 1istas and s$ace missions co1ered by the ma%aGine2 or the certificate that arri1ed in a lar%e2 dar# yellow en1elo$e with the subscri$tion *t was so official2 so formal * was inordinately $roud to belon% to the !ational Geo%ra$hic Society National 9eographic encoura%ed me to learn to read En%lish2 and also o$ened many other lands before me ;ut the whole world always loo#ed to me li#e $art of America Ay best friend was Tom Sawyer Ay American dream was hardly e/ce$tional We all %rew u$ in America True2 *srael2 durin% its early years2 was %o1erned by a social-democratic $arty headed by 7a1id ;en-Gurion2 who called himself a socialist Some of the $arties in his coalition %o1ernments identified with the Pworld $eace cam$Q led by the So1iet Union This was more than a $olitical and ideolo%ical stanceTit was also a cultural identity 0ibbutGni#s san% Russian son%s as if they the son%s were *sraeli A leader of one of those $arties referred to the U S S R as his Psecond homeland Q

The United States did not ta#e *sraelJs $re1ailin% socialist sentiment li%htly To counter it2 America %ranted *srael a %enerous loan2 which amon% other thin%s hel$ed to shore u$ ;en-GurionJs leadershi$ The U SA also set u$ a s$ecial fund to influence *sraeli culture This or%aniGation distributed Hollywood Westerns westerns and El1is +resley recordsU $eo$le who wanted to feel li#e as thou%h they #new the truth read Time ma%aGine These efforts were not really necessary After the 0orean War2 small countries had little choice but to affiliate with either the Eastern or Western bloc2 and ;en-Gurion led *srael into the West Nne of his reasons was the need and the o$$ortunity to obtain the assistance of AmericaJs Jews The Arab countries won the su$$ort of the So1iet Union2 which $ersecuted its own Jewish citiGens ;en-GurionJs $osition thus seemed correct2 and e1en thou%h EisenhowerJs America did not immediately stand by *srael2 most *sraelis *sraelisTes$ecially youn% *sraelisTsaw themsel1es as $art of the world led by America Es$ecially youn% *sraelis *nstead of #ha#i shorts and sandals2 we be%an han%in% out in Seans and snea#ers There was nothin% more fun than nec#in% in 7adJs car with Connie 8rancis son%s $layin% on the radio To those :oo#in% loo#in% bac#2 what stands out is how little hostility America e1o#ed2 e1en amon% intellectuals who identified with the socialist left2 e1en those who had %rown u$ on #ibbutGim *ntellectuals in other countries were much more anta%onistic At the be%innin% of the 4=6(s2 a $lay called % Like Mike was sta%ed in Tel A1i1 Written by Aharon Ae%%ed2 it was about an *sraeli mother who did e1erythin% she could to hunt down a Jewish boy from America to marry her dau%hter Ae%%ed2 then a leftist2 wanted to ma#e fun of how *sraelis abne%ated themsel1es in the face of e1erythin% that came

from the United States ;ut o1er the years2 the $lay underwent the same AmericaniGation as *sraeli society as a whole *n its film and musical- comedy 1ersions2 it was Sust cheerful2 while the ideolo%ical satire that had been the trademar# of the ori%inal 1ersion entirely 1anished The dee$er they $lun%ed into the American s$here of influence2 the more *sraelis be%an to include America as $art of their collecti1e identity Aost *sraelis 1iew their country as one of the most dramatic success stories of the twentieth centuryU many see *sraelJs success as $art of AmericaJs achie1ement A $o$ular myth has it that *srael won its inde$endence in a heroic stru%%le a%ainst ;ritish rule2 Sust li#e America +eo$le from all o1er the world settled in *srael2 and Sust li#e as in America they were su$$osed to Sum$ into the meltin% $ot and emer%e with a new national identity Just li#e in America2 they were su$$osed to head out to the frontier as $ioneers and ma#e it bloom The story of the first *sraelis is a story of %reat ho$e and faith that e1erythin% could only be better *t was the same fundamental assum$tion that $owered the American dream At the same time2 *srael committed itself to the $rinci$les of liberal democracy ;en-Gurion instructed his forei%n minister that Pthe state of *srael is not $assi1e and neutral in the worldJs %reat debates< in the ideolo%ical debate it is democratic and antiCommunist Q Therefore2 relations between *srael and America could be based on what were endlessly termed their Pshared 1alues Q ;en-Gurion2 fantasiGed fantasiGin% that *srael would Soin !ATN2 and forced *sraelis to reconcile with West Germany Aost *sraelis 1iewed the Hietnam War as a test of the United StatesJUSAJs willin%ness to $rotect its small allies2 so they su$$orted the war ;efore launchin% the Si/-7ay War of 4=6>2 *srael waited until it recei1ed a %reen li%ht from Washin%ton

Subse3uently2 o$$osition to the Hietnam War intensified in the U SA 2 and *sraelis internaliGed this chan%e AmericaJs anti-war $rotests manifested themsel1es in *srael as $rotests a%ainst the o$$ression of the +alestinians AmericaJs ci1il- ri%hts stru%%le turned2 in *srael2 into a battle to end discrimination a%ainst Jews who came from *slamic countriesU some of these Jews or%aniGed a mo1ement that they called the ;lac# +anthers *n the 4=>(s2 a mo1ement called +eace !ow a$$eared Se1eral of its leaders had been born in the United States2 while others were %raduates of American uni1ersities ;e%innin% in the 4=)(s2 most *sraelis be%an li1in% an American lifestyle2 continuin% a $rocess that had be%un in the 4=6(s *sraelJs first su$ermar#et o$ened in Tel A1i1 in the summer of 4=5)U the s$rin% of 4=6( saw the first commercial radio broadcasts *n the meantime2 the first s#yscra$ers were built in Tel A1i12 one of which was the Hilton hotel *mmediately after2 the Si/-7ay War tele1ision broadcasts commenced2 and that same year the first bottles of Coca-Cola a$$eared in *sraeli stores *n contrast with *sraelJs foundin% ideolo%y2 most *sraelis do not wor# in a%riculture They li1e in cities or2 in many cases2 in bedroom suburbs +eo$le dri1e to wor# in their cars2 s$end most of their time in air-conditioned offices2 in front of com$uters2 e/chan%in% e-mail and surfin% the internet*nternet bilin%ually2 in Hebrew and in En%lish They %o out for a 3uic# lunch and2 unli#e their $arents2 eat their main meal of the day in the e1enin% They say PhiQ when they arri1e and PbyeQ when they %o2 rather than Pshalom2Q as they once did They can now buy their children National 9eographicJs Hebrew edition

S$endin% a few years in America2 for study or wor#2 has become an acce$ted and sometimes re3uisite $art of the bio%ra$hy of the *sraelis who com$rise the elite in e1ery field2 includin% industry2 the military2 science2 $olitics2 and the media *sraeli hi%h-tech com$anies as$ire and fre3uently succeed in raisin% ca$ital on American stoc# e/chan%es The countryJs most $rominent economic news$a$er has an En%lish nameTThe Marker1 *sraelis follow the American news Sust as they do local newsU they can cite American interest rates and !;A scoresU they follow the $residential elections as if they were contests for $rime minister of *srael When * first arri1ed in America2 to $ursue my doctorate at ;oston Uni1ersity2 * felt as if * were at the center of the world and2 as one mi%ht e/$ect2 * suffered an acute case of culture shoc# E1erythin% seemed so $owerful and so hu%e !ot only were the buildin%s hi%her and the submarine sandwiches lon%er than any buildin% or sandwich * had e1er seen before2 but e1en the $eo$le were taller than in *srael :i#e many *sraelis2 * had a tendency to ridicule Americans for their shallowness *n our arro%ance2 we told oursel1es that we *sraelis came from a more Sust society Nne e1enin%2 at the entrance to TiffanyJs in !ew "or#2 * s$otted the first homeless man * had e1er seenU Hebrew did not e1en ha1e a word for such a $erson This habit of

condescension e1entually %a1e way to %reat admiration *n the Har1ard :ibraryJs readin% room2 * belie1ed that * was in the best uni1ersity library in the world2 and at concerts of the ;oston Sym$hony2 * felt that * was hearin% the best orchestra in the world The New York Times was2 and remains2 in my o$inion2 the best news$a$er in the world ;ut the most $rofound e/$erience * had durin% that $eriod in America was not my uni1ersity studies *nstead2 it was followin% the daily $ro%ress of the Water%ate scandal *

was infinitely im$ressed * sat in front of the TH for hours2 watchin% the stron%est country in the world e/amine itself mercilessly2 fearlessly2 and im$artially2 in the s$irit of its Constitution and of the foundations of democratic rule Water%ate affected an entire %eneration of *sraelis who followed it as * did2 and if * had to define America in a sin%le word2 it would not be Aicrosoft2 not e1en Woody AllenTit would be Water%ate *sraeli democracy owes to America its coura%e to $erse1ere in a hostile2 fanatical2 and beni%hted en1ironment Water%ate tau%ht us the im$ortance of %o1ernmental trans$arency The *sraeli Su$reme Court has fortified its $osition at the ins$iration of the American Su$reme Court2 and has bestowed on *sraeli society the fundamental 1alues of freedom and ci1il ri%hts that were for%ed in America *ndi1idualism came from America2 as did the 1alue of tolerance< :i#e American society2 *sraeli society is not free of discrimination and inSustice2 but2 under the influence of America2 *sraelis ha1e learned to treat women and minorities more fairly2 and to res$ect the Nther in a multicultural society En1ironmental awareness also came from America The fact that so many millions of Americans were offered the o$$ortunity to choose between a woman and a blac# candidate for the 7emocratic $residential nomination demonstrates2 for me2 American societyJs commendable ability to translate into $olitical reality what was only a short time a%o sim$ly P$olitically correct Q !ot e1erythin% that has come from America is %ood2 and not e1erythin% American %ets e/tolled in *srael An im$ortant *sraeli Sournalist who s$ent se1eral years in the United States2 !ahum ;arnea2 wrote of Aichael Aoore< His film2 'ahrenheit L1MEE2 is an unhealthy mi/ture of facts2 lies2 and dema%o%y He has won fame in Euro$e only because the current fad

in Euro$e is to hate ;ush2 with or without connection to the facts He has made a s$lash in the United States for a similar reason Nnly a few Sournalists of antli#e dili%ence ha1e bothered to chec# out the truth of the factual statements in the film They found lots of holes As one mi%ht e/$ect2 Aichael Aoore is already here in *srael Aichael Aoore is here because we ado$t e1erythin% that comes from America2 %ood or bad He is here because $eo$le are runnin% away from the bother that real Sournalism in1ol1es :i#ewise2 enthusiasm about AmericaJs economic system has translated itself into a loss of the social solidarity that was once one of *sraelJs trademar#s The $ri1atiGation of social ser1ices2 a de1elo$ment influenced by the economic theories of Ailton 8riedman2 has e/acerbated economic dis$arity As *srael has become more American2 *sraelis ha1e also learned to mar1el at AmericaJs %reat failures How could it not ha1e #nown how to defend itself a%ainst the terrorists who obliterated the World Trade CenterR How could a s$ace shuttle li#e the Columbia ha1e crashedR How could Americans ha1e treated a disaster-$la%ued city li#e !ew Nrleans as they ha1eR How could they ha1e elected Dand re-electedE a man li#e ;ushR How did they fail in *ra3R Aore and more *sraelis are be%innin% to sense that the United States is in decline They inter$ret the rise of China and *ndia and the recession in the U SA as historical e1idence of that decline2 Sust as the Communist and ;ritish em$ires declined before it2 and countless other em$ires before them *sraelis trac# the dollarJs descent assiduously

As it continues to wea#en2 AmericaJs 1aluationTthat is2 its $resti%eThas also de$reciatedde$reciates as well E1en so2 most *sraelis see American su$$ort of their country - Tincludin% billions of dollars of military and economic aid . Tas a/iomatic They are aware that2 to a lar%e e/tent2 they li1e at the e/$ense of the American ta/$ayerU they assume that it is in the interests of the United States to fund them Some %rou$s in America ha1e2 o1er the years2 lent su$$ort to the *sraeli $eace mo1ementU others ha1e funded *sraelJs settlements in the occu$ied territories2 and lar%e sums are $oured into *srael in order to inculcate neoconser1ati1e discourse ;ut when Americans tal# about Psu$$ort for *sraelQ in America2 they mean that they will not im$ose a $olicy different from that determined by the *sraeli %o1ernment &%srael( means2 without e/ce$tion2 Pthe %sraeli government Q Gi1en all we ha1e recei1ed from America o1er the years2 %i1en all we ha1e learned from it2 it seems to me that we ha1e %ood reason to $oint out that America has missed a historic o$$ortunity America should ha1e done more to $re1ent us from ma#in% the mista#es we ha1e made2 es$ecially followin% the Si/- 7ay War Transcri$ts of *sraeli cabinet meetin%s2 classified until recently2 indicate that had the United States insisted that *srael not anne/ East Jerusalem after its con3uest in 4=6>2 then *srael would ha1e refrained from doin% so That anne/ation has shown itself to be a $rinci$al obstacle to $eace between *srael and the +alestinians2 $erha$s a $ermanently insurmountable one Had the United States forced *srael to resettle se1eral thousand +alestinian refu%ees from the GaGa Stri$ in the West ;an#2 the +alestinian $roblem would be immeasurably less acute today ;ut *srael wanted to #ee$ the West ;an# o$en for Jewish settlement About a 3uarter million *sraelis now li1e in East Jerusalem and the West ;an# The United

States ostensibly o$$osed the settlement enter$rise2 but in $ractice it turned a blind eye2 all in the s$irit of Psu$$ort for *srael Q A%ainst this bac#%roundGi1en this conte/t2 the *sraeli media reacted to Geor%e W ;ushJs 1isits to *srael at the be%innin% of his final year in office in a way that would hardly ha1e been concei1able durin% the 1isits of other $residents ;ushJs declaration that the century-old conflict o1er *sraelI+alestine would end within the year in a $eace treaty between the two $eo$les was %reeted with ridicule The end of the year - T7ecember ?42 '(()2 Tcame was to fall on a Wednesday2 some *sraelis $ointed out Would the conflict2 they as#ed2 end before lunch or afterR *sraelis fre3uently as# themsel1es whether or not the ne/t $resident would will be $ro-*sraeli ;ut then they say to themsel1es that it doesnJt really matter E1ery American $resident is $ro-*srael So2 on *sraelJs si/tieth *nde$endence 7ay last Aay2 its citiGens demonstrated $atriotism not only to *srael but to America At maSor intersections2 children haw#ed $lastic fla%s for dri1ers to attach to their windows A decade earlier2 on the fiftieth *nde$endence 7ay2 the children sold American fla%s in addition to *sraeli ones Such was the $innacle of *sraeli identification with America Ten years after their first a$$earance2 howe1er2 they are not e/actly the same fla%s !ow they are im$orted from China

*ndia *n +raise of the 7elin3uent Hero2 Nr or How Hollywood Creates Terrorists Sunny Sin%h

Aany years a%o2 when the world was su$$osedly a better2 more innocent $lace2 * watched a $irated HHS co$y of #am$o %%%2 a trite but internationally successful film dedicated to Pthe %allant $eo$le of Af%hanistan Q * still remember the scene where an admirin% Stallone hears the PrebelsQ e/$lain their fi%ht as a Pholy warQ a%ainst ille%al and brutal occu$ation Nne friendTfrom a Aiddle Eastern country lon% since en%ulfed by flames of warTe/citedly $ointed out that Rambo was hel$in%2 and bein% hel$ed by2 the fidayeeT *slamic martyrIwarriorsTa word that few of us had heard before PThatJs why he is a hero[Q he declared e/citedly2 o1er and o1er a%ain in the followin% wee#s *n the ensuin% years2 * ha1e encountered Rambo heroically decimatin% o$$osition on flic#erin% tele1ision screens in $laces as far afield as +eru1ian Sun%les2 the African bush2 and Aiddle Eastern souks James ;ond2 Terminator2 and Roc#y all remain fa1ourite idols of America- PhatersQ as 1aried as Sudanese militiamen2 Af%han warlords2 and HeGbollah fi%hters Go out further farther into the Sun%le or the desert and you will find old %rainy co$ies of classic Hollywood war films in the oddest of $laces

P"ou desire what you see2Q is the cry$tic clue handed by 7r Hannibal :ecter to A%ent Clarice Starlin% in the 4==4 thriller The Silence of the Lam$s Gi1en the information-rich contem$orary culture that consistently bombards us with ima%es2 sounds2 and ideas2 we often o1erloo# the ways that our desires are formed and transformed2 often to reflect2

refract2 and re$eat ancient stories of lo1e2 Sealousy2 en1y2 and hate *n a world with a surfeit of mass media2 we i%nore 7r :ecterJs warnin% at our own $erilU if we desire what we see2 then we desire what we see most often< commodities2 heroes2 and ideals :i#e the American military2 the American film and tele1ision industry also far outclasses the rest of the world in terms of sheer siGe2 bud%et2 and reach This is also why it is Hollywood that creates the ima%e of America that most of the world acce$ts Aore im$ortantly2 Hollywood also hands the world the ideolo%ical lessons and 1alues that often dri1e attac#s and e/$ose America to accusations of hy$ocrisy Auch of the world sees what Hollywood has lon% shown itTthat what we desire can be achie1ed by indi1idual effort2 if necessary by 1iolence2 and that our delin3uency shall be %lorious Dand in turn2 desirableE if it can only be sufficiently heroic And ma#e no mista#eU the Hollywood hero has lon% been a delin3uent :i1in% by his own rules2 and thesewhich often $it him a%ainst the state and society2 the American hero2 in much of the world2 is still the lone cowboyTHenry 8onda on a horse2 Syl1ester Stallone in a See$2 or Will Smith in a s$acecraftTwho rides in to challen%e and o1erthrow an o$$ressi1e2 tyrannical em$ireauthority Aore im$ortantly2 accordin% to HollywoodJs own rules2 this lone cowboy is a delin3uent outside the rule of law and2 the mores of society2 dri1en only by his own terrible2 1iolent ethos and reliant only on his own ability to wield the %un E1ery American hero the world lo1es to watch and cheerTfrom Arnold SchwarGene%%erJs character of in Terminator = to ;ruce WillisJs of in -ie +ardTis someone Sust one shade beyond le%ality and beyond the control of a heartless2 if not corru$t2 state And than#s to HollywoodJs o1erwhelmin% reach2 this hy$er-macho2 inde$endent2 wal#-the-ed%e2

American hero is also the role model for emulation by millions who would li#e a share of the freedom and Sustice that Hollywood tells us is our ri%ht as human bein%s

8rom GaGa to northern !i%eria2 and from the ban#s of the AmaGon to ;ombay2 storytellin% in the '4st millennium century is done with the mo1in% ima%eTcelluloid2 tele1ision2 and di%ital cameras are ubi3uitous across the %lobe And they throw u$ interestin% $ossibilities to enSoy2 admire2 desire2 and imitate E1en in forei%n mar#ets that dominated by Hollywood dominates2 the ima%es refer to and build u$on earlier archety$es2 endlessly recreatin%2 distortin%2 and transformin% ideals and models to fit contem$orary realities and $ossible futures Thus2 the ima%es $roduced and $ac#a%ed by Hollywood as $ara%ons of the PAmerican dreamQ are endlessly recycled and reinter$reted by 1iewers to match their own realities and e/$eriencesToften with wildly di1er%ent results This is why HollywoodJs %lobal reach2 cou$led with the 1ariety of ways cinema is inter$reted2 ma#es for a $otentially e/$losi1e mi/ 8or nearly a century2 as the worldJs $re-eminent entertainment industry2 Hollywood has not only sold American culture but also American $roducts around the world 7atin% bac# to As early as the 4='(s2 sa11y mar#etin% $rofessionals be%an introducin% their $roducts onto the mo1ie sets 7e$artment stores mar#eted co$ies of clothes worn by stars in the films while car manufacturers scrambled to ha1e their fourwheelers showcased on celluloid Soon enou%h2 Hollywood was sellin% the best of American ty$ewriters2 :e1iJs Seans2 and toasters to the whole world Alon% the way2 the industry also be%an sellin% assault rifles2 Stin%er missiles2 8-46s2 and A$ache helico$ters

Who could resist the $ower of American wea$onry2 es$ecially when wielded with the in1incible mi%ht of a Hollywood action heroR Alon%side the $roducts2 $erha$s unwittin%ly2 and for Sust as lon%2 Hollywood has also been sellin% a set of %lamorously $ac#a%ed cultural 1alues *n innumerable cinematic tales starrin% the classic Hollywood delin3uent- hero2 these 1alues are easily identified by their intrinsic distrust of socio-$olitical institutions and officials2 the $ri1ile%in% of the indi1idual Sud%ement o1er the status 3uo2 and finally2 the utility of 1iolent force in achie1in% %oals2 e1en if it means %oin% beyond the $ale of law Aore im$ortantly2 howe1er2 this heroJs muscles ri$$le in dissent a%ainst an o$$ressi1e2 destructi1e state 8rom Hollywood we #now that Pe1ilQ em$ires e/$and their mi%ht by o$$ressin% and destroyin% PinnocentQ $o$ulations *n the %lobally successful Star ars series2 the Pe1ilQ

em$ire is mar#ed by its ability to destroy entire $lanets from %reat distances and with utter im$unity *n the 4==6 sci-fi thriller %ndependence -ay2 the enemy aliens are mar#ed bydemonstrate their ability to not only surround earth with innumerable fi%hter crafts but also to cause immense dama%e from a %reat distance *ndeed2 the war machinery is itself most often the mar#er of Pe1il2Q itself2 with tan#s rollin% in lar%e numbers to terrify and destroy innumerable ci1ilians until2 of course2 a lone hero D$erha$s2 aided by a ra%-ta% armyE arri1es on the scene *s it any sur$rise2 then2 thatTand far too often in the world beyond cinema Tit is AmericaJs massi1e war machinery that stands in for the Pe1il em$ireQR After all2 to an illiterate Af%han $easant2 Russian helico$ters are little different from American A$aches while they send down showers of death that can not be countered by small hand-held wea$ons *s it any sur$rise that when the a1era%e non-American sees s$rawlin% military

com$le/es manned by men with little cultural sensiti1ity but dri1in% armoured Hummers and armed with far too much fire$ower2 they see the $erfect Hollywood embodiment of e1ilR *snJt it Hollywood that tau%ht the world that PheroesQ learn the local lan%ua%e2 tal# to children2 are #ind to women2 and res$ect anotherJs cultureR After all2 Hollywood tau%ht us that P%oodQ *ndiana Jones has Arab friends and doesnJt disres$ect or attem$t to ra$e local women That $articular offence offense is left for those from Pe1ilQ em$ires *n films ran%in% from westerns to sci-fiJs to war2 Hollywood has tau%ht us that it was only Pe1ilQ em$ires that held ca$ti1es and tortured $risoners 8or years2 we #new that Clint Eastwood2 Harrison 8ord2 and Syl1ester Stallone stood for truth and Sustice e1en as they were tortured by bad %uys wearin% indistin%uishable uniforms and runnin% din%y $rison com$le/es in dusty2 far-off lands !ow2 of course2 it is the Americans who run similar $rison com$le/es that administer electric shoc#s and beatin%s2 or #ill inmates at random Schindler.s List $erha$sR Therefore2 should it be*s it then such a sur$rise that the *ra3is2 Af%hans2 :ebanese2 Somalians2 or HeneGuelans now identify America as the cruel em$ire that must be fou%ht and defeatedR Hollywood tau%ht us the difference between %ood and e1il for years The only $roblem is that;ut now AmericaTdrun# on its military and economic stren%thTis the e1il em$ire Why should America be sur$rised that the world does what Hollywood has tau%ht us to doR After all2 it was AmericaJs film industry that tau%ht us that indi1idual desire2 moti1ation2 and Sud%ement2 Tculminatin% in 1iolence 1iolenceTwas an a$$ro$riate2 e1en ideal2 res$onse a%ainst to the corru$t2 decadent2 tyrannical and stateauthority Whether throu%h Clint Eastwood in The Pale #ider or Robert 7e !iro in

9odfather %% or Syl1ester Stallone with the su$$orti1e 2ihadis in #am$o %%%2 Hollywood tau%ht us that the only way to react was to ta#e u$ wea$ons a%ainst inSustice Action films are HollywoodJs most $o$ular e/$ort %enre2 as these rely the least on lin%uistic communication They films $ro1ide Sustification for such destabiliGin% 1iolence by the delin3uent hero2 $ri1ile%in% the 1iew from the criminal2 albeit indi1idualistic2 mar%ins a%ainst the $owers of a state that ar%ues for a mono$oly on 1iolence as a form of maintainin% P$eace Q !ot sur$risin%ly2 it is a rec#less James 7ean in A #e$el ithout a

*ause or a ri%hteous Aarlon ;rando in Mutiny on the )ounty or a tech-whiG-on-the-run Tom Cruise in Minority #eport who features as heroes Across the decades2 films declare that indi1idual action2 e1en thou%h 1iolent2 is a$$ro$riate2 necessary2 and desirable *n Hollywood or the real world2 stories turn on $oints of 1iew2 ma#in% one manJs hero into anotherJs 1illain This holds true for the Hollywood hero who may be cloa#ed in ri%hteousness while his actions are essentially a 3uest to o1erthrow a current state structure2 and then its re$lacement by another one His 3uest for $ower leads him to $ro1ide constant $ro1ocation2 intrusion2 attac#2 and ambush of the %o1ernmentJs forces *n each instance of a$$arent ambush of the heroic $arty2 we need only shift our focus to realise realiGe that it is the Hollywood hero who inserts himself and his $arty into stable territories and forces a destabiliGation throu%h acts of 1iolence Such an idealiGation of delin3uent 1iolence of course raises the 3uestion< %i1en that the most s$ectacular attac#s a%ainst and in the WestT=I442 as well as2 the Aadrid and :ondon train bombin%sTha1e been conducted by youn% men who were familiar with and a$$arently well assimilated into the $o$ular culture of our times2 can HollywoodJs idealiGation of the delin3uent hero be a factor informin% their beha1iourR *s

that such a sur$rise What other conclusion can be drawn when a tech-sa11y cyber-2ihadi chooses the codename of %rha$i-((> Dterrorist ((>E in tribute to his hero2 James ;ondR When youn% fi%hters in Af%hanistan shyly admit to admirin% #am$o and Terminator2 or when +arry Potter sells millions of co$ies and tic#ets beyond the western Western world2 should we not 3uestion whether these ideals embodied by the delin3uent hero are now Puni1ersalQ and not culturally s$ecific to AmericaR After all2 the Hollywood hero tau%ht us that 1iolence was Sustifiable a%ainst a terrible o$$ressi1e state He also tau%ht us that only $eo$le on his sideTthe mar%inalisedmar%inaliGed2 the $owerless2 the o$$ressedTare innocent Those with massi1e wea$onry2 innumerable tan#s and fi%hter $lanes2 are neither innocent nor worthy of consideration com$assion when the facin% home-made Aoloto1s and small arms %o into action Why is it a sur$rise then that those whose homes are bombed from the American mile-hi%h su$ersonic club are not $articularly sym$athetic about the =I44 casualtiesR *snJt WasnJt it Hollywood that tau%ht us that only those close to the hero are im$ortantR That only those who s$ea# his lan%ua%e2 lo1e him or are lo1ed by him2 are to be mourned All other ci1ilian casualties are merely faceless2 nameless Pcollateral dama%e Q Why should Americans be shoc#ed when that same standard is a$$lied by much of the Aiddle East to the =I44 deadR *s it so ridiculous to re-ima%ine Somalians fi%htin% American Aarines in similar wea#-but-heroic termsR While a $ost-traumatic )lack +awk -own D'(('E ima%ined Americans as 1ictims of a numerically su$erior Somalian militia2 audiences in e1en a $ro-American society li#e *ndia cheered at the moment when the technolo%ically su$erior U S ;lac# Haw# was brou%ht down by small arms The world #newTfrom innumerable

earlier Hollywood filmsTthat %uys in bi% helico$ters with hea1y wea$onry are always bad After all2 thatJs what we had learned from Hollywood macho men datin% bac# to John Wayne and Jimmy Ca%ney and from more recent incarnations li#e of Will Smith and Tom Cruise Nne of the bi%%est Hollywood bloc#busters of the $ast decade2 +eter Jac#sonJs The Lord of the #ings2 based on the trilo%y of no1els by J R R Tol#iein2 $ro1ides enou%h e/am$les of the $roblems of such idealiGation of delin3uent 1iolence We need loo# no further but tothan the hiSac#ers of the four $lanes of =I442 men trained and educated in Western Euro$e and America who ho$ed they could stri#e at the heart of what they belie1ed was the Pe1ilQ em$ire Q That motley %rou$ from Saudi ArabiaTaA closer human e3ui1alent of to what Tol#einTol#ien described as an Punobtrusi1e but 1ery ancient $eo$le2Q than the motley %rou$ drawn from Saudi Arabia could not be ima%ined 7id the hiSac#ers of =I44 also see themsel1es as a Plittle $eo$leQ too wea# to %o a%ainst the em$ire but still determined to see the attac# throu%hR 7id they belie1e that they must continue a%ainst all odds because that is what P$eo$le in %reat stories doRQR 7id their coura%e falter at the thou%ht of ma#in% their way dee$ into Aordor2 and did a friend hel$ sustain their coura%eR We shall ne1er #now2U mostly because few in America are willin% or able to e/$lore the e/tremes of human challen%e with their ima%inations when it challen%es what has become the o1erwhelmin%ly one-sided narrati1e of that tra%ic e1ent ;ut one wonders whether others in the Aiddle East or Africa or :atin America also watch the e$ic trilo%y and ima%ine themsel1es as a Plittle $eo$leQ ta#in% on the mi%ht of an e1il em$ireR

Another of HollywoodJs fa1ourite heroic ty$es is that of the hero-in-dis%uise or the #in%-in-e/ile Contem$orary media ran%in% from )atman and other su$erhero sa%as all rely on our instincti1e sym$athy and interest for a the hero who must li1e in the shadows2 bidin% his time and wor#in% for PSustice and $eaceQ in the face of ridicule2 anonymity2 and o$$osition Ara%orn of The Lord of the #ings or and Spiderman are $o$ular contem$orary e/am$les of this ty$e *ndeed the latest Spiderman film e1en ta#es on the issues of e/cess 1iolence and subse3uent media 1ilification for the hero-indis%uise "et from a sli%htly different $ers$ecti1e2 this hero is once a%ain a 1iolent delin3uent fi%htin% for the o1erthrow of the current o$$ressi1e state and the restoration of a su$$osedly Sust realm Aore im$ortantly2 re%ardless of his a$$arent social standin% or indeed a%e2 it is this hero-in-dis%uise who #nows better than the o$$ressi1e brutal state[ And at the ri%ht time2 his truth and %lory shall be re1ealed2 while the state shall be undermined and humiliated in turn Hollywood doesnJt Sust $resent the hero-in-dis%uise in numerous comic-lin#ed $roducts but also $laces casts him or Iher as the Sust a1en%er or re$resentati1e in most films of the actionIwar %enres Arnold SchwarGene%%erJs career has been built on a series of films starrin% him as the lone sa1iour fi%htin% all oddsTand disbeliefTto brin% $eace and Sustice Harry +otter2 is snubbed by his friends2 1ilified by the media2 and $ursued by the %o1ernment2 but his heroism re3uires him to stand by his own Sud%ement He endures all his troubles until a%e and e/$erience enable him to finally confront and defeat the Pe1ilQ Holdemort A youn% +alestinian childTwal#in% $ast American- financed tan#sT finds a bit more than Sust fantasy in this tale

Aore $erilously2 the e/iled #in% returnin% to restore a Sust #in%dom is not so distant from ideals of the Mahdi2 the Phidden imamQ of the ShiJites2 or a return to the Cali$hate Aost AmericansTout of i%norance or hubrisTi%nored the fri%htenin% news cli$ of Aullah Nmar a$$earin% before his followers in +ro$het AohammadJs robes "et the messa%e im$licit in that act went out loud and clear across to the Taliban Similarly2 the *ranian $resident AhmadiniSadJs AhmadineSadJs re$eated reference to the Mahdi is meant to in1o#e the $ossibility of the 1ery imminent return of a hidden #in% who shall restore $ower and %lory to an a$$arently o$$ressed $eo$le *n the $ast decade of U S im$erial ad1entures2 this $articular ideal seems to ha1e %ained stren%th2 findin% e/$ression amon%stamon% militants and those who o$$ose the USA around the world Under !asrallahJs leadershi$2 the HiGbollah HeGbollah has mo1ed to occu$y the centrecenter -sta%e in the $ast few years !ot ine/$licably then2 while western Western $owers Dcast here as the Pe1il em$ireQE eye the HiGbollah HeGbollah as terrible o$$onents2 the :ebanese ha1e been recei1in% $roof of the %rou$Js ca$acity for PSusticeQ and P$eace Q The HiGbollah HeGbollah runs hos$itals2 schools2 Dand rebuilds homes and roads2 as it did after the '((6 U S -sanctioned *sraeli bombin%sEU2 and ci1ic ser1ices form the bul# of the or%aniGationJs acti1ities2 e1en as the western Western $ress 3ualifies the %rou$ as Pterrorists Q Wor#in% from the $osition of the hero-in-dis%uise2 !asrallah2 with hisJs ability to elude western forces and his PsacrificeQ of his own son to the cause2 aids reinforces his le%end amon%stamon% his constituents as does his PsacrificeQ of his own son to the cause These stren%then the %rou$Js $osition within :ebanon and hel$ them to recruit not only soldiers and acti1ists2 but also cheerleaders and silent su$$orters2 a strate%y that ser1ed them well in the '((6 conflict with *srael The or%anisation

or%aniGation has also constructed its military ima%e2 based once a%ain on the warrior-hero characteristics dis$layed by e$ic heroes of the same mould< stoicism2 coura%e2 and determination in the face of all odds ha1e mar#ed the HiGbollahJs HeGbollahJs mo1e from the shadows to its current $o$ular $osition as the PSustly anointed #in% Q Men in )lackR Nr is it SupermanR Nr sim$ly an a%in% 7on Corleone wee$in% for the death of his son while simultaneously orderin% 1en%eanceR A final Hollywood hero re3uires attention2 in $art because2 since =I442 he has become the %reatest bo%ey-man of our times< the suicide warriorImartyr 7es$ite all hysterical claims that somehow the suicide warrior is a s$ecifically Auslim cultural $henomenon2 there is am$le e1idence that Hollywood has s$ent o1er more than fi1e decades %lorifyin% the ideal as a desirable one Hollywood alone has $roduced heroic suicides Dendin% in death or successE in bloc#busters as 1aried as the Aliens %%% or Terminator %%2 and of course the current film ada$tations of the +arry Potter boo#s Earlier e/am$les would include war films ran%in% from Stalag EG and Von #yan.s /0press to The 9uns of Navarone and industry classics such as )utch *assidy and the Sundance @id Aany of these films may ha1e faded from American memory2 but $irated and %rainy tele1ision $rints of these continue to circulate in $arts of the world far remo1ed from American shores The suicide warriorImartyr is a com$le/ $henomenon2 as it relies on selfdestruction as an assertion of em$owerment This allows the $er$etrator to deal a $sycholo%ically Dand $ossibly militarilyE cri$$lin% blow to the enemyTan o$$ressi1e state andIor a ri1al $o$ulation The #ey to this archety$e is not the necessary destruction of the hero2 but the desire for self-destruction that moti1ates himIher +erha$s because of

the inherent $arado/ of this $henomenon2 the suicide warriorImartyr is $o$ular with $eo$le who see themsel1es as relati1ely $owerless Such a warriorImartyr not only achie1es a blow a%ainst a seemin%ly in1incible enemy but also ins$ires the rest of the $o$ulation to continued resistance2 thus fulfillin% the #ey aim of heroic action *n most narrati1es2 the suicide warriorImartyr is de$icted by twin strands2 one that ends in death and destruction2 and anotherT%enerally symbolic of a youn%er renewin% %enerationTthat ends in military success and life Harry +otter must %row to battle Holdemort $recisely because the self-sacrificin% death of his mother bestows him with a s$ecial $rotection *ndeed2 the final e$isode of this series $oses an interestin% challen%e to AmericaJs2 and HollywoodJs2 conce$tion of suicide warriors Dand bombersE as the youn% hero ta#es on what is2 in reality2 a suicide mission2 dyin% in the $rocess only to find redem$tion2 renewed life2 and in1incibility from his enemies Auch :on% before =I442 in the $o$ular Will Smith-.starrin% %ndependence -ay2 an a%in% alcoholic $ilotT$layed by Randy CuaidT$rone to delusion finally achie1es heroic redem$tion when he flies his craft #ami#aGe style into the belly of an alien s$acecraft2 thus findin% the only way to dama%e the enemy The act not only ins$ires other $eo$le on earth to do the same but also restores the lost res$ect and affection amon% his children The twin strands allow the narrati1e to retain an element of ho$e2 althou%h it is ine1itably the narrati1e of suicide cloa#ed as self-sacrifice that resonates more stron%ly Nne wonders whether the westerniGed WesterniGed Saudi $ilots steerin% the $lanes into the Twin Towers had found some encoura%ement from %ndependence -ay2 where heroic Americans must fly their crafts into the enemy to achie1e immense destructionR Nr had they %rown u$ with the ori%inal Star ars trilo%y that similarly %lorified the suicide

missions underta#en by the militarily and numerically wea#er PrebelsQ a%ainst the Pe1il em$ireQR

8or o1er a century2 Hollywood has $eddled a 3uintessentially American set of cultural 1alues to the world Within America2 this may ha1e been meant to $ro1ide a necessary national narrati1e to e/$lain2 1alue2 and e/em$lify certain facets and myths of history of the nation Howe1er2 once e/$orted beyond American borders2 these same 1alues ha1e $ro1ided the world with necessary lessons in dealin% with brutal totalitarianism Throu%h its %reatest bloc#busters2 Hollywood has tau%ht us that we need not acce$t tyranny2U that torture is wron%2 as and so is the occu$ation of forei%n lands *t is Hollywood that tau%ht us that e1il em$ires are always identified by dis$ro$ortionate $ower and indiscriminate use of military force And it is Hollywood that tau%ht us that that all we need to o1erthrow tyranny is one lone warrior willin% to ta#e on the institutions of o$$ressions with a Sudicious use of will $ower and ammunition Why Therefore2 why should America then be sur$rised that $eo$le beyond its shores2 li1in% in authoritarian military dictatorshi$s or monarchies2 with limited fire$ower2 little to li1e for2 and an immense sense of %rie1ance2 choose to emulate the Hollywood heroR *t may well be ar%ued that anti-American militants mounted on Toyota SUHs2 A0-56s slun% o1er their shoulders2 Reebo#s laced o1er their camoufla%e trousers2 $assion and determination simmerin% in their eyes2 and a willin%ness to ta#e on an irrational2 o$$ressi1e2 im$erial state2 are more PAmericanQ than those who care to fi%ht under the Stars and Stri$es They are definitely better embodiments of HollywoodJs all-

American hero than the leerin% uniformed %uards at Abu Ghraib or Washin%tonJs slimy apparatchiks who e/onerate torture with com$le/ le%alese

Germany *t Can Nnly Get ;etter Werner Sonne

A wal# down 0urfbrstendamm2 the main artery of the old West ;erlin2 almost ma#es an American feel at home Within a mile or so you can find four Starbuc#s2 the una1oidable Ac7onaldJs2 ;ur%er 0in%2 0entuc#y 8ried Chic#en and +iGGa Hut2 one hu%e :e1iJs outlet2 and one e1en bi%%er !i#etown sho$ Same thin% at +otsdamer +latG2 the heart of ;erlin2 with its many mo1ie theaters Two thirds of all mo1ies shown here .Tas in the rest of Germany . Tori%inate in the United States When 8ebruary rolls around2 itJds ;erlinale time2 which has e1ol1ed into one of the worldJds leadin% film festi1als2 and the red car$et is crowded with American star $ower2 cheered enthusiastically by thousands of German fans American lifestyle and2 American $o$ culture are here to stay "et2 the distance between the USA and Germany has ne1er been %reater in the $ast half century And the rift not only di1ides the two countriesU2 it s$lits the Germans2 too :etJds as# Claus2 who wor#s for a bi% American $harmaceutical com$any2 and Helmut2 a heart sur%eon who li1ed in California for two years2 facin% each other at a dinner table in ;erlin recently Helmut is u$set About the intellectuals in the U SA and the media2 es$ecially They are a com$lete failure2 he com$lains The *ra3 war2 Abu Ghraib2 GuantFnamo2 the constant 1iolations of human ri%hts by U S soldiers2 by the C*A2 how could they tolerate

this2 how is it $ossible that they did not $rotest more2 how could they i%nore this2 tell me2 howR Claus2 on the other hand2 ar%ues that we still share the same 1alues with Americans And after all2 we still owe them ShouldnJdt we be a bit more than#fulR ;ut Helmut is not ready to ma#e any concessions He has had it with these Americans The more he tal#s about it2 the more he %ets a%itated *t is clear what dri1es him2 itJs a lo1e lost2 his admiration for the U SA 2 for the American dream2 for the land of the free He is shattered2 a man dee$ly disa$$ointed and frustrated Helmut is not alone in his frustration He echoes a sentiment shared by millions of Germans who %rew u$ in war-ra1a%ed2 di1ided Germany belie1in% America was the role model< a wor#in% democracy with a dee$ lo1e for of freedom2 that stood u$ a%ainst the Communist threat and #e$t West ;erlin a free island with the airlift A whole %eneration of Germans2 the baby boomers of the late forties2 remembers the Americans as a %enerous $eo$le2 feedin% a star1in% nation with their CARE $ac#a%es John 8 0ennedy was their hero2 the man who said2< P *ch bin ein ;erlinerQ . TP*Jdm a ;erlinerQ . Tafter the Wall had been was built "es2 there was friction durin% the Hietnam War2 and Ronald Rea%an was not really trusted2 but o1erall2 the Americans2 so Germans felt2 stood by their friends when thin%s %ot hot And when the Wall came down2 it was American +resident Geor%e H W ;ush who did not hesitate for a minute to su$$ort German reunification in the face of reluctant Euro$ean allies li#e Great ;ritain and 8rance 8inally2 Germany was free2 a so1erei%n state at last ;i% brother ;rother America was no lon%er needed for $rotection a%ainst the hun%ry So1iet bear Still2 rRelations in

remained warm throu%hout the 4==(s remained warm +resident ;ill Clinton was really well li#ed2 and e1en when he led the way to sto$ atrocities in the ;al#ans with military means2 Germany followed 8or the first time since World War **2 German soldiers $artici$ated in a war with their fi%hter bombersfi%hter-bombers A small ste$ for Americans2 a %i%antic ste$ for Germans who could only be con1inced by their leaders in $arliament only with the battle cry P!o more AuschwitGQ . Tmeanin% that the %enocide in 0oso1o had to be sto$$ed at all costs2 e1en if a taboo had to be bro#en . Tthe ultimate taboo of $ost-war Germany< 7onJdt %o to war[ Germans were ready to defend themsel1es and their !ATN allies a%ainst outside threats on their own territory2 and they $ro1ided the lar%est army in Western Euro$e for this $ur$ose till the end of the Cold War . Tbut for this $ur$ose only Nnly if you understand the ma%nitude of the decision to de1iate from this $ath for the first time by Soinin% the military action in the ;al#ans can you a$$reciate the ne/t ste$2 which came after Se$tember 442 '((4 A 3uarter- million $eo$le con%re%ated in front of the ;randenbur% %ate to show their su$$ort for America !obody as#ed them to come Germans understood that a friend was under attac# and that hel$ was needed Chancellor Gerhard SchrKder $romised the United States Punlimited solidarityQ in the fi%ht a%ainst terrorism2 and he deli1ered A few months later2 thousands of German soldiers mo1ed to far-off Af%hanistan2 and they ha1e been there e1er since . Ta mo1e com$letely unthin#able only a few years a%o ;y German standards2 Chancellor SchrKder had ta#en his fellow citiGens e/tremely far with this commitment

;ut now U S $resident +resident Geor%e W ;ush wanted more And that is when thin%s started to %o 1ery wron% +resident ;ush2 in the eyes of the Germans2 committed the ultimate sin He went to war a%ain2 this time a%ainst an enemy who 3uite ob1iously had neither intention nor means to attac# the U SA in any way He went to war a%ainst *ra3 There were no wea$ons of mass destruction2 and Saddam Hussein had no intention of su$$ortin% the *slamic radicals of Al CaidaCaeda2 who ideolo%ically threatened his Sunni-dominated re%ime as much as many other more or less secular Arab %o1ernments Geor%e W ;ush must ha1e #nown this *ronically2 the ;undesnachrichtendienst D;!7E2 the German *ntelli%ence Ser1ice2 had a source Dcode-named Cur1eballE who had claimed that Hussein had chemical labs in truc#s with the $ur$ose of $roducin% chemical wea$ons ;ut the ;!7 had warned the Americans that they had doubts that about the reliability of this source was not reliable and that the C*A should had better chec# twice As it turned out2 they did nodt ;ush and his neo-cons wanted to once and for all crac# down once and for all on the states that constituted his Pa/is of e1il2Q and *ra3 was to be only the be%innin% in his effort to brin% U S -style -democracy to the rest of the world @2(((8our thousand miles east of Washin%ton2 German chancellor Gerhard SchrKder resisted this %oal *n his fi%ht for $olitical sur1i1al in his '((' election cam$ai%n2 SchrKder2 who had ris#ed a lot $olitically by sendin% troo$s to Af%hanistan to hel$ the U SA in the fi%ht a%ainst terrorism only months a%o2 now turned into an outs$o#en critic of ;ushJds war $lans This was 1ery $o$ular amon% German 1oters2 and

SchrKder was able to turn around his fra%ile $olitical fortune He won the elections by a slim mar%in of Sust 62(((si/ thousand 1otes2 with Geor%e W ;ush as his unwillin% hel$er !e1er in the almost si/ty6( years after WW ** had U S -German relations reached such a wlow ea# $oint Americans accused the Germans of bein% traitors and wim$s2 and Germans saw the Americans as rec#less war-mon%ers N1er the decades2 America had %otten used to the idea that its German allies would fall in line e1entually when it really counted ;ut this time2 SchrKder Soined ran#s with 8rance and Russia a%ainst Washin%tonJds *ra3 in1asion The White House was outra%ed Secretary of 7efense 7onald Rumsfeld2 his 1oice full of scorn2 called this alliance PNld Euro$e2Q alienatin% Germans e1en further The dama%e done bac# then is almost irre$arable . Tdes$ite the fact that both sides ha1e done their utmost to brin% wor#in% relations bac# to normal To the end of his term2 Geor%e W ;ush has stood for e1erythin% Germans des$ise The 1iolations of human ri%hts are $robably at the to$ of the list A%ain and a%ain2 this $resident had 1etoed efforts to outlaw torture in the fi%ht a%ainst terrorism2 e1en a%ainst the ad1ice of his own inner circle He is also $ercei1ed as a man with his fin%er at the tri%%er of his %un2 the $ro1erbial American cowboy who shoots first and as#s 3uestions later2 if he e1en bothers to as# 3uestions at all Aission accom$lished . Tthat was the ;ush claim after U S troo$s o1erran *ra3 ;ut Germans thin# that ;ushJds *ra3 ad1enture did more dama%e to the American re$utation around the %lobe than anythin% else2 hel$in% at the same time Al CaidaCaeda to find more and more fi%hters for its cause not Sust in the Arab world but in Auslim 3uarters all o1er Euro$e2 includin% Germany

Germans donJdt want war They ha1e learned their lesson After two disastrous World world Warswars2 Germans are at heart $acifists Therefore they are aller%ic to the constant war cries2 mainly emanatin% from Washin%ton 8irst Af%hanistan2 then *ra32 now *ranR Ta#e the e/am$le of Af%hanistan "es2 American soldiers are dyin% in the dan%erous south of that country The U S administration is constantly $ressurin% the Germans to do more than they do already Germans control the north of Af%hanistan with ?25(( troo$s2 and they are %ood at that They #ee$ it relati1ely stable2 with a mi/ture of mild military re$ression and a $ro%ram to rebuild the ci1ilian infrastructure An e/tended e/tensi1e2 lon%- term $oll amon% Af%hans has shown wide su$$ort for the German $resence About se1enty-fi1e>5 $ercent say they want the Germans to stay The number of attac#s in the north has doubled o1er the $ast year2 and German soldiers are dyin%2 too Still2 they are2 in relati1e terms2ly luc#y Attac#s in their sector constitute only three $ercent of the o1erall number of incidents U S American2 ;ritish2 Canadian2 and 7utch troo$s bear the brunt of the fi%ht a%ainst the Taliban Still< when it comes to sendin% more German combat troo$s toin the South2 leaders in ;erlin are reluctant to do more About )( ei%hty $ercent of Germans are a%ainst it2 and the German %o1ernment will ha1e a hard time to o1errulein% this $re1ailin% sentiment 8ormer chancellor Chancellor Helmut 0ohl summed it u$ when he once said< P8or a lon% time2 they ha1e accused us of %ettin% into our combat boots too fastU2 now they accuse us of not %ettin% into combat boots fast enou%h Q

*t is this American unilateralism that is the focal $oint of German criticism of the United States +olitics is always interest-dri1en2 Tthere is nothin% new about that The United States as a su$er$ower has beha1ed badly before2 and it will do so in the future "et2 in the eyes of most Germans2 Geor%e W ;ush has o1erdone it There is a yearnin% for chan%e in the United States2 not Sust inside the country but also o1er here2 on this side of the Atlantic 7ee$ in our hearts2 Germans want Americans to be their belo1ed role model a%ain2 someone to loo# u$ to . Tat the same time #nowin% 3uite well that the %ood old times of more or less blind trust will ne1er come bac# The old Atlanticists who too# %ood relations for %ranted for many decades are fadin% away Re-united Germany has matured A whole %eneration of youn% $eo$le sees no reason to de$end on ;i% ;rother America the way their $arents and %rand$arents did They want to s$end their 1acation in 8lorida or California as they do in S$ain or *taly2 in a $ractically borderless Euro$ean Union2 and not be bothered by ill-tem$ered immi%ration officers enforcin% e1er-increasin% security re3uirements at American air$orts And they donJdt want to e/$lain all the time to hostile Americans why Germans Germany did not Soin the United States in the *ra3 war *ntellectuals in Germany ho$e that Americans will stri1e to reco1er their lost ci1il liberties +eo$le in the U S 2 and that the citiGens of as the $ro1erbial Pcountry land of the free2Q so their e/$ectation %oes2 will e1entually ta#e bac# what the %o1ernment too# away from them They see the $endulum swin%in% bac# in this direction +rofessionals in ;erlin thin# tan#sthin#-tan#s and bureaucrats in %o1ernment offices also e/$ect a chan%e after the ;ush Administration administration ends ;ut they

ha1e no illusions< whoe1er con3uers the White House after Geor%e W ;ush will #ee$ the $ressure on with calls for more burden-sharin% in the %lobal fi%ht a%ainst terrorism2 in the Aiddle East and other $arts of the world Radical *slam is the common challen%e for many years to come2 as is the need to sto$ $roliferation of wea$ons of mass destruction ;ut the most im$ortant demand is that any future U S administration steer away from unilateralism *f the U SA wants more2 then it must do more to ta#e brin% its allies aboard *tJds as sim$le as that There is a lot of room for im$ro1ement2 TthatJds for sure ;ut the debate about common 1alues is not Sust em$ty tal# *t may sometimes feel hollow2 but a closer loo# confirms the ob1ious< the number of wor#in% democracies on this %lobe is limited2 and Germany and the U SA are certainly . Tand fortunately. Tin the same boat Germans are more than ready to %i1e the relationshi$ a second chance 8ormer Chancellor Helmut Schmidt summed it u$ nicely in a recent article< PEuro$eJds faith in the United States may be sha#en2 yet we wish to maintain the transatlantic $artnershi$ We want to be able to lo1e America a%ain2 but we ha1e become sce$ticals#e$tical2 because for the $ast ten years2 Washin%ton has turned to us only when is has needed troo$s or money Q Schmidt laments at the same time the wea#nesses of Euro$e He ma#es the decisi1e $oint< PThat is why we ho$e the new $resident will lead rationally and multilaterally . Tnot least2 we are con1inced of AmericaJds 1itality Q *tJds fair to say that most Germans fully a%ree with this assessment

;raGil The Rift

:uOs 8ernando HerOssimo

Translated by Janet Ain :ee

Nne day in July of 4==@2 * was on an air$lane between 7allas2 Te/as2 and San Jose2 California The woman sittin% ne/t to me told me that her dau%hter li1ed in 0ansas She as#ed me if that was 0ansas down there *t wasnJt E1en if she could see her dau%hter from the landsca$e2 she wouldnJt be able to see her Then she as#ed me if * #new why the culti1ated fields2 which we 1iewed from abo1e2 were round Would it ha1e somethin% to do with e/tra-terrestrialsR * answered that the sha$e of the land was the result of irri%ation Ha$$y with my #nowled%e of %eo%ra$hy2 not to mention a%ricultural techni3ues2 * waited for a second third 3uestion2 for another o$$ortunity to im$ress her ;ut her ne/t 3uestion stum$ed me She had seen me board the $lane with a %rou$ of $eo$le and as#ed me who we were and what we were doin% there E1en if * e/$lained that we were ;raGilian Sournalists en route to California to co1er the World Cu$2 * couldnJt e/$lain why a country brimmin% with $roblems li#e ours could send so many $eo$le to co1er an e1ent she didnJt e1en #now was ha$$enin% in her own country * chan%ed the subSect

;efore * left ;raGil2 * wrote a few short stories about what we could e/$ect to see in the United States * wrote2 for e/am$le2 that their Pbrea#fastQ e/$lained the Americans That the Americans were how they were because2 once awa#e2 they donJt sim$ly brea# their fast They ra1a%e it All American con3uests were due to the fact that its ci1iliGation was the first in history to eat e%%s2 bacon2 and $anca#es with syru$ in the mornin% The En%lish ate fried fish2 and thatJs why they had lost their American em$ire The !ati1e Americans ate chun#s of buffalo2 t The Ae/icans their mea%er tortillas with hot sauce !one of them could sto$ the force of whole mil# Aachine %uns hel$ed2 but the true 1ictors of the American West were the %reat brea#fasts The motto of the country2 * wrote2 could 1ery well be Pcalorie is destiny Q ;ut our arri1al in California would coincide with a much more serious lesson about American e/ce$tionalism *f few $eo$le2 such as my $lane com$anion2 #new that a tournament of a forei%n s$ort called PsoccerQ would was to start within a few days2 then the fact became e1en more insi%nificant in the li%ht of the dayJs bi% news< the s$ectacular $ursuit of N J Sim$son2 football and Hollywood star2 the $rime sus$ect in the murder of his e/-wife and her lo1er When we disembar#ed in San Jose2 the tele1ision showed Sim$son s$eedin% away in his e1eryman 8ord2 chased by the $olice and a$$lauded by blac#s where1er he $assed WhoJd be interested in the World Cu$ with a mo1ie li#e that unra1elin% in real timeR When you see California from the air2 you understand that the $olitical history of the state has to do2 in one way or the another2 with the stru%%le for water California is a $roduct of American entre$reneurial banditry< the land was ta#en from the Ae/icans and coloniGed with by ad1enturers2 but it is2 abo1e all2 a $roduct of irri%ation The re%ion we were a$$roachin%TSan Jose2 Santa Clara2 and :os Gatos all are all $art of the same area

Tis at the base of a $eninsula2 whose ti$ is San 8rancisco These are suburbs2 and many li1e and wor# in San 8rancisco2 but the re%ion de1elo$ed $rimarily with the emer%ence of the electronic mar#et Des$ecially that of com$uter technolo%yETand the contrast between the cityJs well-#e$t lawns and tree-lined streets with the charcoal mountains surroundin% it %i1es us a sense of the landJs con3uest by well-$lanned water distribution At first si%ht2 San Jose seems to embody what Henry Ailler meant when he called the United States the Pair-conditioned ni%htmare2Q Sust before he fled to Euro$e ;ut the sunny charms of the state o1ercome CaliforniaJs a$$arent soullessness2 and2 after all2 e1en Henry Ailler s$ent his last days on the +acific coast2 ha1in% surrendered to its amenities *tJs where all of us should %o to die ;ut we were there to co1er the World Cu$ Aost of the crew were busy installin% the e3ui$ment and %ettin% to #now the nei%hborhood and didnJt notice the $ursuit and e1entual arrest of N J Sim$sonTcertainly the most famous $erson to be char%ed with murder2 since the rumor that Jac# the Ri$$er2 who was rumored to be was a member of the Royal 8amily Sim$son was a hero to the blac#s2 but had not necessarily con3uered racial resentment He married a blonde and circulated in the world of white Hollywood celebrities with ease E1erythin%2 includin% his fli%ht from the $olice2 indicated that Sim$son was %uilty2 but the most stri#in% thin% about his trial was that here was a blac# man ma#in% the white manJs $olice run after him Nnce N J Sim$son was cau%ht and Sailed2 the $olls di1er%ed< The maSority of the white $o$ulation thou%ht that Sim$son was %uilty2 while most of the blac#s did not Their o$inions were di1ided alon% an a%e-old rift that had little to do with e1idence or ar%ument *tJs a rift that remains des$ite the numerous blac# 1ictories in American racial relations The American blac# e/$erience is

the 1ery o$$osite of what ;raGilian blac#s #new2 since they were ne1er subdued by a false sense of e3uality and ne1er doubted the racism in their society N J Sim$son was e/onerated2 but few $eo$le belie1e that he was innocent +erha$s he #illed his e/-wife and her boyfriend with the certainty that his celebrity would2 in some way2 $rotect him and clear him of sus$icion *n the United States2 celebrity in itself has become 1aluable2 the center %ra1ity of in its own moral uni1erse2 and its 1alue is defined by the mar#et !othin% is as $rofitable as celebrity in the United States2 re%ardless of whether itJs due to the disco1ery of a new 1accine or to the castration of oneJs unfaithful e/-husband ThereJs e1en a law a%ainst $eo$le sellin% the stories of their crimes in boo#s D+ow % -ismem$ered MommyE or news stories2 but nothin% hinders those who were in1ol1ed in a crime to ma#e money from the celebrity status %enerated by their e/$erience The cast of the Sim$son Trial became celebrities2 howe1er briefly E1en the district attorney su%%ested an actress to $lay her when the mo1ie of the trial came out And Sim$son2 the man who2 as athlete and actor2 had fulfilled the dream of many so effortlessly that we could ima%ine him his bein% safe from any conse3uences2 must ha1e felt a little li#e 8 Scott 8itG%eraldJs Gatsby2 when he realiGed that the American $romise of a free country where the best dreams of a man could be fulfilled2 without obstacles or class $reSudices2 was nothin% but a tra$ Celebrity %uaranteed Sim$son a first-rate defense team and his absolution2 but celebrity did not sus$end him abo1e %ood and e1il And althou%h he belie1ed he had crossed the rift of race fore1er2 his celebrity did not sto$ the trial from its transformation into a case of blac#s a%ainst whites Same as it e1er was

The United States s$ent a %ood $art of its history under the illusion that its citiGens were the offs$rin% of the Euro$ean Enli%htenmentTa $roduct not of crass mercantilism or u%ly im$erialism2 but of Euro$eJs best intentions E1er since the United States became a nation2 there has e/isted the notion of America as a social e/$eriment2 a distillationthe embodiment of democratic ideals that the old and decadent world could not li1e u$ to The American U S Constitution is was the first e/$licit contract that to ensured a society of e3uals in the history of the world2 and its si%nersTa lotmany of them readers of :oc#e2 Aontes3uieu2 etc T#new they were inau%uratin% a re$ublic with no1el as$irations The myths that ha1e sha$ed American self-esteem e1er sinceTthe land of o$$ortunity2 the %reat meltin% $ot2 the land of altruism in times of con3uest and tolerance in times of 1ictoryTori%inate from the ideal of America as a new start2 a re%enerated Euro$e2 absol1ed from the sins of history The idea sur1i1es e1en today in the illusion that America is a classless society Thomas Jefferson and the 8oundin% 8athers were rural aristocrats2 and the maSority of them had sla1es American blac#s owe their freedom to the economic war between amon% the a%ricultural South2 the industrialiGin% !orth2 and the $astoral West2 althou%h in the countryJs sentimental history2 the end of sla1ery is attributed 4((X to %oodwill That means that since from its inde$endence until its Sudicial battles for ci1il ri%hts in the 4=6(s2 the re$ublic li1ed2 with some discomfort but without much dama%e to its self-esteem2 with an o$$ressed race in its midst2 before and after the abolition *tJs a way to defend Jeffersonian ideals to say that the social e3uality of the African Americans were was attained by lawTthat is2 in theory that is societyT before it was enacted in the society *t is due towas by the uto$ian American tradition of 3uotas that white society was forced to absorb African Americans into $re1iously

se%re%ated schools *tJs also worth notin% that t*n fact2 the whole $redicament of a multiracial society is a !ew World e/$eriment2 of which Euro$e was i%norant until it started to recei1e immi%rants from its former colonies2 li#e ille%itimate children comin% to reclaim their inheritance Euro$eans had $re1iously only interacted with other races only as subSu%ators or as the dominant caste The $ro$hets of the Enli%htenment werenJt $reoccu$ied with the racial 3uestion2 only because it didnJt e/ist before the 4=th century Twith the e/ce$tion of the Jews2 and what set them a$art was not the color of their s#in The ima%inary nation that the 8oundin% 8athers established as based on a theory of a moral state lac#ed $recedents for the master-sla1e or noble-$lebeian relationshi$2 which im$lies im$ly the e/istence of a P$ureQ and Pim$ureQ race And the sur1i1al of the racial rift finally unmas#ed all the other American myths African Americans won their reco%nition and their fra%ile e3uality in American society li#e anyin the same way as other su$$ressed $eo$les in historyTthrou%h stru%%le After two hundred years of illusion2 the United States arri1ed at an e/treme 1ersion of the system that symboliGed the worst in Euro$ean class di1ision2 the institutionaliGed distinction in En%land between landed %entry and the $oorest of the $oor With its %hettos and suburbs2 abandoned city centers and residential sections simulatin% $astoral 1irtues2 the United States finds itself with a class-di1ided societyTSust as it was in the 4)th century Howe1er2 and howe1er of the se1enty or so Americans who met in +hiladel$hia to debate the first democratic constitution in history2 the %reat maSority were businessmen2 landowners2 and sla1e owners2 which did not interfere with their writin% the ;ill of Ri%hts2 fore1er definin% the e3ual ri%hts of all American citiGens and $ro1idin% the ins$iration for the Uni1ersal 7eclaration of the Ri%hts of Aen Almost 4>( years after

inalienable ri%hts were secured for Americans2 re%ardless of race2 the Su$reme Court somewhat belatedly confirmed that the ;ill of Ri%hts a$$lied to all races The notion that $eo$le ha1e the Pri%htQ to amass $ro$erty in a democratic society was not addressed in the American U S Constitution That document was carefully written to $rotect the rural aristocracy from whate1er mi%ht challen%e its di1ine ri%ht So that eE1en today2 thou%h the aristocracy has followed the En%lish landed %entry to irrele1ance2 no $olitical debate in the United States touches on the 3uestion of $ro$erty ;ut the assurance of e3uality in the ;ill of Ri%hts still $ersists2 li#e an unfulfilled $romise *n the end of The 9reat 9ats$y2 8itG%erald e1o#es the dream of the new country2 cau%ht in its best intentions and contradictions 8itG%erald describes the West west Coast coast as the Pfresh %reen breast of the new world Q *ts missin% trees Phad once $andered in whis$ers to the last and %reatest of all human dreamsU for a transitory enchanted moment man must ha1e held his breath in the $resence of this continent2 com$elled into an aesthetic contem$lation he neither understood nor desired2 face to face for the last time in history with somethin% commensurate to his ca$acity for wonder Q 8or 8itG%erald2 the Por%iastic futureQ that Gatsby $ursued and the $romises of the a%e had e1a$orated Pin that 1ast obscurity beyond the city2 where the dar# fields of the re$ublic rolled on under the ni%ht Q And the enchanted moment wouldnJt return * donJt #now if my $lane com$anion e1er found out that ;raGil won the World Cu$ in 4==@ She a$olo%iGed for #nowin% so little about ;raGilU but2 to redeem herself2 she said she really li#ed Julio *%lesias * hadnJt the coura%e to correct her and tell her that

Julio *%lesias isnJt ;raGilian2 that heJs S$anish * too could be com$letely wron% about her country

About the Contributors

8hris 'bani, born in !i%eria2 is the author of se1eral wor#s of $oetry and $rose2 includin% most recently the no1el The Virgin of 'lames D+en%uin2 '((>E and the no1ella Song for Night DA#ashic2 '((>E A $rofessor of creati1e writin% at the Uni1ersity of California2 Ri1erside2 he is the reci$ient of many awards2 amon% them the +E! USA 8reedom-to-Write Award and the +E! Hemin%way ;oo# +riGe

:icardo 'larc<n is the $resident of the !ational Assembly of the Re$ublic of Cuba 7urin% ;atistaJs re%ime2 he was the student leader in the '6 of July Ao1ement2 the rebel %rou$ led by Castro He %raduated from Ha1ana Uni1ersity with a de%ree in $hiloso$hy and literature2 and was CubaJs ambassador to the United !ations in !ew "or# for almost 45 years He became CubaJs forei%n minister before bein% elected to his current Sob as $resident of the Cuban $arliament

9ernando "=ez, director of HeneGuelaJs !ational :ibrary2 is a world authority on the history of libraries *n '((? he 1isited *ra3 as a member of the U ! committee in1esti%atin% the destruction of the countryJs libraries and museums A $riGe-winnin% essayist2 he is the author of numerous boo#s and contributes to $ublications in thirtytwo?' countries His most recent boo#2 A 3niversal +istory of the -estruction of )ooks DAtlas & Co 2 '(()E2 has been $ublished in twel1e4' countries

A +alestinian $oet born in 4=@@ in Ramallah2 Mourid "arghouti has $ublished 4' twel1e boo#s of $oetry2 the last of which is Midnight ;ar%houti was awarded the +alestine Award for +oetry D'(((E and the !a%uib AahfouG Aedal for :iterature for his memoir % Saw #amallah DAnchor2 '((?2 introduction by Edward SaidE2 which was translated into 4' twel1e lan%ua%es He has $artici$ated in many international $oetry festi1als and lectured in se1eral Arab and Euro$ean uni1ersities He now li1es in Cairo with his wife2 the E%y$tian no1elist Radwa Ashour2 and their son Tamim< www mouridbar%houti net

'bdel ader "enali was born in *%haGGaGen2 Aorocco2 and has li1ed in The !etherlands since 4=>= He is the author of se1eral no1els2 Tamon% them edding

$y the Sea2 The Long,awaitedAwaited2 May the Sun Shine Tomorrow2 and Ma0ime 'eldman and %U Tas well as the wor#s of non-fiction #eports from a )eseiged)esieged *ity Dthat city bein% ;eirut durin% the recent warE and The Marathon #unner ;enali has also written for the theatre theater and $ublished the story collection #eports from Maan!aad Town He is winner of the GeertSan :ubberhuiGen +riGe2 the :ibris +riGe and the +ri/ du +remier Roman Etran%er

8armen "oullosa, born and raised in Ae/ico City2 is a no1elist2 $oet2 and dramatist Her wor# has been translated into nine lan%ua%es She is the author of a doGen no1els2 amon% them Leaving Ta$asco DGro1e2 '((4E and They.re *ows5 e.re Pigs DGro1e2 4==>E Her

most recent boo# is /l violNn y la virgen DSiruela2 '(()E A Gu%%enheim 8ellow2 she has been awarded many $riGes2 amon% them the ,a1ier Hillaurrutia2 the :iberatur of

8ran#furt2 and the Anna Se%hers She li1es in !ew "or#2 where she is a 7istin%uished :ecturer at CU!" and hosts the CU!"-TH show PNueva York Q www carmenboullosa net

!o1elist2 memoirist2 childrenJs boo# author2 and s$ea#er >a 8hen was born and raised in China He is the author of *olor of the Mountain DRandom House2 '(((E2 *hina.s Son D7elacorte ;oo#s for "oun% Readers2 '((4E2 and Sounds of the #iver DHar$er Collins2 '((?E amon% others His most recent no1el is )rothers DThree Ri1ers +ress2 '((>E His boo#s ha1e been awarded numerous $riGes and used as te/tboo#s in many uni1ersities He li1es in the Hudson Halley in !ew "or# with his wife and two children

!mraan 8oovadia was born in 7urban2 South Africa He was educated at Har1ard Colle%e and "ale2 and teaches En%lish at the Uni1ersity of Ca$e Town He is the author of two no1els2 The edding D+icador2 '((4E2 and 9reen,eyed /yed Thieves DUmuGi2

'((6E2 as well as a number of shorter $ieces--Tstories2 essays2 academic articles2 and boo# re1iews--Tand a forthcomin% mono%ra$h2 Authority and Authorship in V1S1 Naipaul

?y@rgy >ragom=n was born in the Transyl1ania re%ion of Romania in 4=>?2 where he %rew u$ as a member of the Hun%arian minority He immi%rated to Hun%ary in 4=)) A Samuel ;ec#ett scholar and former film critic2 he has translated wor#s by ;ec#ett2 James Joyce2 *an AcEwan2 and *r1ine Welsh into Hun%arian 7ra%omFnJs second no1el2 The hite @ing2 was awarded Hun%aryJs $resti%ious SFndor AFrai +riGe in '((6U it was twice

e/cer$ted in the Paris #eview2 and was $ublished in the United States in '(() by Hou%hton Aifflin *t is due to be $ublished in '5 twenty-fi1e lan%ua%es worldwide 7ra%omFn li1es in ;uda$est with his wife2 the $oet Anna SGabB2 and their two sons

Terry $agleton is the John Edward Taylor +rofessor of En%lish :iterature at Aanchester Uni1ersity2 U02 and was $re1iously the Thomas Warton +rofessor of En%lish :iterature at N/ford He li1es in 7ublin He has $ublished fifty or so boo#s of literary criticism and cultural and $olitical theory2 and wrote the screen$lay for 7ere# JarmanJs film ittgenstein He has tau%ht fre3uently in the United States2 and has also had se1eral $lays $roduced on the :ondon and *rish sta%e

7ictor $rofeyev is the author of se1eral no1els2 includin% #ussian )eauty D+en%uin2 4==@E2 The 9ood Stalin2 and The Last Oudgment2 and a collection of short stories2 Life with an %diot DHi#in% Adult2 '((?E Editor of The Penguin )ook of New #ussian riting D

+en%uin ;oo#s2 4==5E2 he re%ularly contributes to The the Time Literary Supplement2 tThe New Yorker2 tThe New York #eview of )ooks2 and tThe %nternational +erald Tri$une He li1es in Aoscow

'lberto 9uguet is a Chilean-born2 American-raised2 Chilean who has li1ed in Santia%o de Chile since he was twel1e He has been a film critic and $olice re$orter Amon% his boo#s translated into En%lish are Shorts DHar$erCollins2 '((5E2 )ad Vi$es DRayo2 '((?E2 and The Movies of My Life DSt Aartins2 4==>E A former writer- in- residence at UC:A2 he has written for Time2 the ashington Post and the New York Times Maga!ine2 amon%

other En%lish-lan%ua%e $ublications He has directed the feature film PSe aArriendaQ and se1eral 1ideo -cli$s

Aarah ?hahramani was born in Tehran in 4=)42 two years after Ayatollah 0homeini returned to *ran to establish the *slamic Re$ublic *n '((42 after ha1in% ta#en $art in student demonstrations2 she was arrested and char%ed with Pincitin% crimes a%ainst the $eo$le of the *slamic Re$ublic of *ran Q Her interro%ation in E1in +rison was harsh E1entually she emi%rated immi%rated to Australia2 where she now li1es She is the author of My Life as a Traitor D8arrar2 Straus and Girou/2 '(()2 also released in se1eral other countries and lan%ua%esE

&zma 'slam Bhan %rew u$ in 0arachi and until recently had been li1in% in :ahore2 +a#istan She is the author of The Story of No$le #ot D+en%uin *ndia2 '((4E2 and Trespassing DHar$erCollins2 '((@2 $ublished in 4) ei%hteen countriesE and most recently The 9eometry of 9od DRu$a2 '(()E She has tau%ht En%lish lan%ua%e and literature in the United States 2 Aorocco2 and +a#istan2 and has contributed to 1arious $ublications and antholo%ies She currently li1es in Americathe United States htt$<IIuGmaaslam#han blo%s$ot comI

'ndreC Ma ine was born in Siberia Granted $olitical asylum in 8rance2 he mo1ed to +aris at the a%e of thirty2 resol1ed to become a writer His early wor# was reSected by $ublishers who doubted a %enuine Russian immi%rant could write so elo3uently in 8rench His third $ublished no1el2 Le testament franPais D-reams of My #ussian

Summers2 Simon & Schuster2 4==>E2 was the first to win both of 8ranceJs most $resti%ious boo# awards2 the +ri/ Goncourt and the +ri/ Aedicis His latest no1el2 L.Amour humain2 was $ublished in 8rance in '((6 www andreima#ine com

)eilah 1adir is *ra3i-Canadian and %rew u$ in En%land and Canada She is the author of the memoir The "range Trees of )aghdadC %n Search of My Lost 'amily2 $ublished in Canada in '((> and more recently in *taly and Australia She writes fiction and nonfiction and has $ublished wor# in )rick ma%aGine2 the 9lo$e and Mail2 and has broadcast stories and commentaries on C;C radio

?ianni :iotta was born and raised in Sicily He wor#ed at the daily news$a$er %l Manifesto2 and studied lo%ic at the Uni1ersity of +alermo and Sournalism at Columbia Uni1ersity He is a contributor to 1arious $ublications2 includin% the New York Times2 ashington Post2 Le Monde2 /l Pais2 and the all Street Oournal After many years as a

corres$ondent and columnist for the *talian daily *orriere della Sera2 he is editor of T%42 *talyJs oldest $ublic TH news $ro%ram His no1els Prince of the *louds and The Lights of Al$orada ha1e been translated in many countries2 includin% the United States He teaches at the Uni1ersity of ;olo%na and is a member of the ad1isory council at the 7e$artment of 8rench and *talian2 +rinceton Uni1ersity

Tom Segev was born in Jerusalem Se%e1Js wee#ly column is $ublished in +a.aret!2 *sraelJs leadin% daily news$a$er Se%e1 is the author of si/ boo#s that ha1e been translated into ei%ht lan%ua%es2 includin% The Seventh Million6the %sraelis and the

+olocaust and "ne Palestine5 *omplete6Oews and Ara$s under the )ritish Mandate2 a New York Times EditorsJ Choice ;est ;oo# for '((( Se%e1Js most recent boo# is ELQG 6%srael5 the ar and the Year that That Transformed the Middle /ast1 Se%e1 has been a

8ellow of the Humanities Council and the 7e$artment of history Historyde$artment2 +rinceton Uni1ersity2 and 7iller Hisitin% +rofessor at the Center for Aiddle Eastern Studies and the Graduate School of Journalism2 U C ;er#eley

Sunny Singh was born in Haranasi2 *ndia2 and studied in the United States D;randeisE2 !ew 7elhi DJawaharlal !ehru Uni1ersityE2 and S$ain DUni1ersitat de ;arcelonaE She now li1es in :ondon2 where she teaches creati1e writin% Her articles and stories ha1e a$$eared in 1arious $ublications around the world She is the author of the no1els Nani.s )ook of Suicides DHar$erCollins *ndia2 '(((2 Cobre S$ainE and ith @rishna.s /yes

DRu$a2 '((62 and recently $ublished in S$ain2 8rance2 and *talyE and has contributed to a se1eral collection antholo%ies and $ublications around the world

Journalist and author #erner Sonne ser1ed as a forei%n corres$ondent re$ortin% from ;onn2 Washin%ton2 and Warsaw He first wor#ed at U+* in ;onn2 and then mo1ed to the radio di1ision of West German Radio He continued as a corres$ondent for A7R2 GermanyJs national tele1ision and radio networ# His boo#s include Allah.s #evenge DUllstein2 4===E2 <uote 9ame DUllstein2 4===)2 "nce 3pon a Time in 9ermany DUllstein2 '(((E2 and 'atal +onor DUllstein2 '(('E

)uis 9ernando 7erissimo was born in +orto Ale%re2 ;raGil He li1ed for a time in ;er#eley and Washin%ton2 7 C He started his career as a Sournalist and is still a fre3uent columnist and short- story Dwhat ;raGilians call PcrenicaQE writer A res$ected Sournalist2 cartoonist2 and humorist2 :uis 8ernando Herissimo has $ublished se1eral no1els and short story collections His most recent no1el is )orges and the /ternal "rangutans D !ew 7irections2 '((5E htt$<II$ortalliteral terra com brI1erissimoI