Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: carranza2 who wrote (45371)	9/19/2002 4:03:55 PM
From: JohnM	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

No, c2, I didn't say you were wrong for including Emerson. I thought I thanked you for including both Lacquer and Emerson. If not, I should have. My point about Emerson continues to be that his work takes a different look at Islamism than Kepel does and thus their arguments may actually be compatible, not contradictory. I said I had only skimmed Emerson. I did so for two reasons, now that you push the point. One I've been somewhat rushed of late catching up on projects not done during our vacation and second because I read his book and have watched him on tv a couple of times. So I thought I could make a comment that related to his work generally, not the specific interview. I noted, quite up front, to you, that I had skimmed. And here you are making assertions/conclusions about Kepel without reading him. He doesn't focus on the character of the ideology, whether it is a dead end or an opening to something else. His focus, again, is to analyze it as a political movement, whose aim was to gain state power. In his view the high point was in the 80s. Been downhill since. I found that argument completely the opposite of my own views when I started reading it. But once I saw his frame, I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt. As for Islamism in the first world, hard to know exactly what you mean. He has an interested bloc of material on their quite explicit attempt to gain control of the Muslim community in Bosnia in the early to middle 90s and the clear defeat they suffered there. What do you think, John? It seems to me that except for a few words about how great Wright, Kepel, etc. are, and how stupid Lewis is, you really haven't discussed their writings in any substantive way. Do you have any firm opinions or are you just....skimming? Repeat, relax. It is possible to have a conversation about substantive matters without ridiculing others in the conversation.