Shock & Awe
So far I have haven’t commented on the war in Iraq—partly because a
recent programming project has been consuming most of my spare time and
partly because I have been struggling to formulate my own position on the
subject. I still plan to write more about anti-Americanism, as
(Why Do People Hate America? has become my
bedtime reading), and I will probably try to address my feelings about Iraq as part of that post.
One thing I do want to bring to everyone’s attention right away, however, is that John Lee Anderson has been doing some incredible reporting from Baghdad in the New Yorker. His piece in the March 31st issue—an account of the period from the beginning of the bombing to the onset of “shock and awe”—is beautifully written and very effective in conveying a sense of life during wartime. It’s journalism the way it used to be done. If, like me, you’re interested in the war but weary of cable news monotony, give this article a look!