e-Claire

A Treasure Trove of Maps

From astonished head, comes a site with many, many interesting geopolitical maps. eg - didja know that Lybia was Italian ruled in 1939? And that, in addition to Algeirs, etc, Syria was French controlled at that time... here. The lens of History cannot be forgotten . . . In addition, Astonished Head's analysis is refreshing:

There is a direct causal link between what is happening in the region now and the demonstrable history of European imperialism, an imperialism that was just as clumsy as the Stridently Moral claim America's is today. Regardless of how you view the Arabic culture's responsibility for its own development, it would be naïve to think that massive European political and military interference, to the point of creating the very borders of nations, could be without negative consequence. Europe, charged with parenting its former colonial children, botched the job. They raised delinquents and then turned them loose on the rest of the world. America doesn't have former colonies scattered across the globe, wretched and poor. Le Monde diplomatique 's map of the Middle East circa 1914 lists territories under Britanique ,Français ,Italien ,Espangnol , and Russe control and influence, not Américain . America was never in the business of creating maps. Today, America is in the business of cleaning up the mess left by the Europeans, and it's a business we've been forced into. It angers me when Europeans speak so shamelessly about how America is the cause of all that's violently wrong with the world. It angers me when Europeans object to our brashness and our ready conviction, and extol the virtues of their nuanced diplomacy. After indulging themselves in conquest, and expending their youth and their capacity in the bloodiest conflicts the world has ever seen, they now claim to have moved beyond such primal behavior, and fully expect us to join them in their noble, upright advance into the non-violent future. Their diplomacy salves their conscience, and our military picks up the pieces.

. see also this piece, but only if you have a sense 'o humor about your meds...

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