Christopher Hitchens and His Critics: Terror, Iraq, and the Left

379 Pages·2008·1.331 MB·English

by  Thomas Cushman, Simon Cottee, Christopher Hitchens

Christopher hit Chens and his CritiC s

Christopher Hitchens and His Critics
te r r o r, ir a q, a n d t h e L e f t
d
Edited by
simon Cottee and thomas Cushman
With an Afterword by
Christopher hit Chens
a
new York u niversitY p ress
New York and London
New York UNiversit Y Press
New York and London
www.nyupress.org
© 2008 by New York University
All rights reserved
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Christopher Hitchens and his critics : terror, Iraq, and the left / edited by Simon Cottee
and Thomas Cushman ; with an afterword by Christopher Hitchens.
p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN–13: 978-0-8147-1686-1 (cl : alk. paper)
ISBN–10: 0-8147-1686-5 (cl : alk. paper)
ISBN–13: 978-0-8147-1687-8 (pb : alk. paper)
ISBN–10: 0-8147-1687-3 (pb : alk. paper)
1. War and society. 2. Terrorism. 3. Liberalism. 4. Hitchens, Christopher.
I. Cottee, Simon. II. Cushman, Thomas, 1959–
HM554.C475 2008
303.6'6—dc22 2007049414
New York University Press books are printed on acid-free paper,
and their binding materials are chosen for strength and durability.
Manufactured in the United States of America
c 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
p 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
The real test of a radical or a revolutionary is not
the willingness to confront the orthodoxy and
arrogance of the rulers but the readiness
to contest illusions and falsehoods
among close friends and allies.
—Christopher hit Chens,
For the Sake of Argument, 325–26

C o n t e n t s
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction: Terror, Iraq, and the Left 1
Simon Cottee and Thomas Cushman
part i: hit Chens on terror
1 American Society Can Outlast or Absorb
Practically Anything 39
Independent, September 16, 2001
2 The Pursuit of Happiness Is at an End 42
London Evening Standard, September 19, 2001
3 Against Rationalization 44
Nation, September 20, 2001
4 Of Sin, the Left, and Islamic Fascism 47
Nation (Online), October 8, 2001
5 Ha Ha Ha to the Pacifists 52
Guardian, November 14, 2001
6 Stranger in a Strange Land 54
Atlantic Monthly, December 2001
7 Saving Islam from bin Laden 59
The Age, September 5, 2002
8 It’s a Good Time for War 62
Boston Globe (Online), September 8, 2002
5 vii 6
Contents
9 Inside the Islamic Mafia 70
Slate, September 25, 2003
10 Al Qaeda’s Latest Target 73
Slate, November 18, 2003
11 To Die in Madrid 77
Slate, March 15, 2004
12 Murder by Any Other Name 79
Slate, September 7, 2004
13 Bush’s Secularist Triumph 82
Slate, November 9, 2004
14 Jihad in the Netherlands 85
Free Inquiry, February/March 2005
15 We Cannot Surrender 87
Mirror, July 8, 2005
16 Yes, London Can Take It 90
Weekly Standard, July 18, 2005
17 Why Ask Why? 93
Slate, October 3, 2005
part ii: hit Chens on iraq
18 Appointment in Samarra? 99
Nation, September 30, 2002
19 Taking Sides 101
Nation, October 14, 2002
20 So Long, Fellow Travelers 104
Washington Post, October 20, 2002
21 I Wanted It to Rain on Their Parade 108
Mirror, February 18, 2003
22 Weapons and Terror 112
Slate, May 20, 2003
5 viii 6
Contents
23 Restating the Case for War 114
Slate, November 5, 2003
24 The Literal Left 120
Slate, December 4, 2003
25 Guerrillas in the Mist 122
Slate, January 2, 2004
26 Fallujah 125
Wall Street Journal, April 2, 2004
27 Vietnam? 128
Slate, April 12, 2004
28 Second Thinking 131
Slate, April 19, 2004
29 Abu Ghraib Isn’t Guernica 134
Slate, May 9, 2005
30 History and Mystery 137
Slate, May 16, 2005
31 Unmitigated Galloway 140
Weekly Standard, May 30, 2005
32 Losing the Iraq War 150
Slate, August 8, 2005
33 A War to Be Proud Of 152
Weekly Standard, September 5, 2005
34 Anti-War, My Foot 160
Slate, September 26, 2005
part iii: hit Chens on the Left
35 An Interview with Christopher Hitchens, Part I:
Radicalism, Liberty, and the
Post-Socialist World 167
Reason Online, November 2001
5 ix 6
Contents
36 Don’t. Be. Silly. An Open Letter
to Martin Amis 177
Guardian, September 4, 2002
37 Europe’s Status Quo Left: A Review of Language,
Politics, and Writing: Stolentelling in Western
Europe by Patrick McCarthy 184
Foreign Policy, July/August 2003
38 Left-Leaving, Left-Leaning: A Review of Left
Illusions by David Horowitz and Not Without
Love by Constance Webb 189
Los Angeles Times, November 16, 2003
39 Polymath with a Cause: A Review of
From Oslo to Iraq and the Road Map
by Edward W. Said 193
Washington Post, August 15, 2004
40 Susan Sontag: An Obituary 197
Slate, December 29, 2004
41 An Interview with Christopher Hitchens, Part II:
Anti-Fascism, Reactionary Conservatism, and
the Post–September 11 World 201
Frontpage, December 10, 2003
part iV: CritiCaL responses
and e xChanges
42 Letter to the Nation, October 1, 2001 221
Noam Chomsky, Nation (Online), October 1, 2001
hitChens responds 222
Nation (Online), October 4, 2001
43 Letter to the Nation, January 10, 2002 228
Edward S. Herman, Nation (Online),
January 10, 2002
5 x 6