Week of August 10, 2008 - August 16, 2008
Robespierre: A Victim of His Own Success
The historical Robespierre instituted the Reign of Terror in France, and (incidentally) the word "terrorist" is a back-formation from this epoch.
The Reign of Terror was marked by the invention of the guillotine as a quick and simple means of dealing with the Ancien Regime.
Which brings me to regime change. Considering that Dick Cheney, our modern Robespierre, is a staunch advocate of regime change in Iran, and achieved regime change (in all its Robespierrean glory) in Iraq, it would seem the height of hypocrisy that our State Department would complain about Russia's appropriation of the device.
As anyone who knows art history is aware, devices that are extremely successful are very often too successful for their inventors' own good. It seems Cheney and the rest of our American foreign policy crew have allowed their success at regime change go to their heads.
The Reign of Terror was marked by the invention of the guillotine as a quick and simple means of dealing with the Ancien Regime.
Which brings me to regime change. Considering that Dick Cheney, our modern Robespierre, is a staunch advocate of regime change in Iran, and achieved regime change (in all its Robespierrean glory) in Iraq, it would seem the height of hypocrisy that our State Department would complain about Russia's appropriation of the device.
As anyone who knows art history is aware, devices that are extremely successful are very often too successful for their inventors' own good. It seems Cheney and the rest of our American foreign policy crew have allowed their success at regime change go to their heads.
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