Recline-SeatThis week on the podcast, a look back at the tumultuous summer in the Middle East. First up, Annika Hernroth-Rothstein checks in from Sweden to discuss the growing anti-semitism in Europe. Then, Hoover fellow Peter Berkowitz on how Israel should respond to Hamas and what part the U.S. ought to play. Also, the role of social media in bringing change to authoritarian states. And, could Mitt be the man again? Finally, the official Ricochet Podcast position on seat reclining.

We’re off next week. See you in September.

Music from this week’s episode:

Cruel Summer by Bananarama

The opening sequence for the Ricochet Podcast was composed and produced by James Lileks.

It’s pretty obvious when EJHill is on vacation, isn’t it?

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There are 17 comments.

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  1. Frank Soto Member
    Frank Soto
    @FrankSoto

    Victory!  Giraffe reference on the podcast!  

    • #1
  2. Grendel Member
    Grendel
    @Grendel

    That’s Vol. 5 Number XXXII.

    • #2
  3. user_1938 Inactive
    user_1938
    @AaronMiller

    Here’s the tricky aspect of limiting our efforts to gradual change in the barbarous regions of the world: innocent people die and suffer while we wait for those cultures to civilize by supposedly “natural” progression. Should we not hope to provide these peoples an easier path to freedom than our ancestors had to suffer?

    Is their suffering our problem? Yes, if we are powerful enough to address their problems in addition to our own, because we care about our fellow human beings. Yes, if Americans are united by an honorable culture and not just by a self-serving government.

    Of course, in a democratic society, voters should have a say over the extent to which we commit to such shared sacrifices of blood and treasure. So far, American voters continue to support charitable acts of force overseas, though they do not like to be in a constant state of war and have concerns about the feasibility of such operations. Throughout my life, it has been assumed that our Special Operations units are active at any given moment, beyond the scope of major news media, in efforts to aid oppressed peoples in Africa, Asia, and South America.

    Our soldiers should know what they are getting into. Ideally, there would be a separate or subsidiary volunteer service for charitable interventions. We might even authorize private military services to intervene on our behalf. Fight for your country or fight for humanity with our blessing — your choice.

    But, as I’ve said before, I don’t see an effective middle ground between whack-a-mole punishments and total cultural conquest (ala the British Empire’s remaking of India) for forcibly reshaping a society into something functional and honorable. And most Westerners have no stomach for conquest anymore (Iraq is proof). We aren’t willing to change any culture by force, even to save lives, so we are limited to soft encouragements. 

    The best hope I have read about in a while is an effort to provide satellite internet to the entire world, bypassing dictators’ attempts to keep their peoples ignorant. I don’t know the technical hurdles, but it’s a noble goal.

    • #3
  4. user_1938 Inactive
    user_1938
    @AaronMiller

    I should add that our society’s entrenched financial fantasies (entitlements), family disintegration, and other problems will eventually undercut any willingness to aid foreign peoples militarily. We can’t be charitable with Monopoly money and politically correct generals for long.

    • #4
  5. Blue Yeti Admin
    Blue Yeti
    @BlueYeti

    BREAKING:  Passenger unhappy over seat reclining forces diversion of Paris-bound flight to Logan

    • #5
  6. Matede Inactive
    Matede
    @MateDe

    Oh this is Rob Long from New York? Rob’s in New York now? When is the next NY meet up?

    • #6
  7. Rightfromthestart Coolidge
    Rightfromthestart
    @Rightfromthestart

    ‘Bone in the Bread’ ?  Ha ha,  Sorry  I couldn’t resist.

    • #7
  8. Zafar Member
    Zafar
    @Zafar

    Aaron Miller

    The best hope I have read about in a while is an effort to provide satellite internet to the entire world, bypassing dictators’ attempts to keep their peoples ignorant. I don’t know the technical hurdles, but it’s a noble goal.

    It is a noble goal.  If they knew everything you know they might think more like you, but if you knew everything they know you might think more like them too. 

    • #8
  9. Hartmann von Aue Member
    Hartmann von Aue
    @HartmannvonAue

    I can understand and do share in large measure Rob’s estimation of Scott Walker but think he’s selling Perry’s record in Texas a bit short.  The opposition to him from the left here in Texas- which is almost entirely concentrated in legacy political institutions in Austin and Dallas- is white-hot rabid. The indictment is just a particular invidious instance of their opposition in every sense of the word. 

    Ock hur bra aer det?! Samtalet med Annika var framstaende…nej, frapperande! Takk sa vaeldigt mycket foer det (and apologies to Swedes for the lack of special characters). And her English is terrific. 

    And let me please correct Mr. Lileks’ characterisation of Israel: It is the one bastion of civilization and moral sanity in the Middle East, not just the lone outpost of democracy. 

    • #9
  10. EstoniaKat Inactive
    EstoniaKat
    @ScottAbel

    I found the interview with Annika Hernroth-Rothstein to be a bit puzzling. I am sorry that she was violated by her unnamed assailant, but even from her phrasing, it sounded like she knew might be asking for it by displaying her political sympathies.

    I live in one of the most pro-American countries in Europe right now, Estonia (President Obama is coming to Tallinn on Wednesday on the eve of the NATO meeting in Wales on Thursday).
    Do I sometimes wear an American Old Navy T-shirt or put a removable flag pole on my car of the Fourth on the way to the party? Sure. But I’m not a skinny guy and can look sufficiently skinheaded in a leather jacket. But I don’t put a flag sticker on my car, or put an American flag on the window of my house And being an American (and have the temerity to predict an Estonia soccer victory over Russia to an ethnic Russian) helped get my ass kicked one time long ago. It only takes one. That’s true anywhere.

    • #10
  11. EstoniaKat Inactive
    EstoniaKat
    @ScottAbel

    As far as Europe has a Jew problem, it has a larger assimilation problem. And Sweden’s problems isn’t necessarily the same as the French problem, or the English problem or the Estonian problem. From what I’ve seen of my time working in Sweden, is that it is one of those countries where it is notoriously difficult to assimilate. Learn the language perfectly, even look like a native-born Swede, and you still aren’t necessarily accepted.

    That left parties in Sweden have imported a foreign culture into their mix (what any good social-democrat would do), but due to the underlying culture of Sweden don’t assimilate. They are housed in enclaves, find it difficult to find jobs, even with tolerable Swedish. Those stories abound. I know one Estonian woman who is married to a Swedish diplomat, speaks fluent Swedish, and still has a hard time finding work in her field. Once, I asked a Swede what the population of the country was. He broke it down into millions of Swedes and others. Message received; you’re not really part of my tribe, no matter how good your language is or how long you have lived there.

    • #11
  12. EstoniaKat Inactive
    EstoniaKat
    @ScottAbel

    I had dinner at the house of an Estonian politician a couple weeks ago, who is a member of the local synagogue and had just returned from a meeting there. I asked, of course, about Gaza, and he said that was all they talked about. I asked about the anti-Israeli demonstrations in other cities, and said he wasn’t aware of them. But then again, we live in a very right-wing leaning country, and has been very pro-Israel in its statements and actions in the latest war (we have another unruly neighbor next door, and that tends to concentrate the mind about those issues). Again, Sweden’s problems aren’t necessarily the same everywhere else in Europe.

    • #12
  13. user_1030767 Inactive
    user_1030767
    @TheQuestion

    Hartmann von Aue:

    I can understand and do share in large measure Rob’s estimation of Scott Walker but think he’s selling Perry’s record in Texas a bit short. The opposition to him from the left here in Texas- which is almost entirely concentrated in legacy political institutions in Austin and Dallas- is white-hot rabid. The indictment is just a particular invidious instance of their opposition in every sense of the word.

    Yes.  The Texas Democrats that are trying to take down Perry are almost cartoon characters.  Perry’s selling T shirts with his mugshot and the DA’s DWI mugshot on front and back:
     rick-perry-mug-shot-t-shirt
    I think he’s handling this pretty well.

    • #13
  14. Proud Skeptic Inactive
    Proud Skeptic
    @ProudSkeptic

    Guys…Instead of trying to get people to pony up for higher levels of membership (the value of which is lost on me, personally), why don’t you just bump the standard membership up $10-$15?  A few bucks from a lot of people beats a lot more from just a small few.

    Doing a sales pitch on a program that people are already subscribing to seems to me to be kind of a waste of time.  To be frank…and I love you guys and would be very disappointed if Ricochet stopped being produced…the sales pitch sounds needy, desperate,  and depressing and makes me wonder if you are on the verge of going under.
     
    Just a thought.

    • #14
  15. Skarv Inactive
    Skarv
    @Skarv

    So Sweden is not revoking citizenship for jihad warriors. Bad.
    What about the US?
    Same approach under Obama? Was it different under Bush?

    • #15
  16. genferei Member
    genferei
    @genferei

    Don’t emphasize how the majority of people who listen to the podcast don’t subscribe: you are reducing motivation to subscribe.

    Don’t say ‘if you don’t join we’ll go under’. That’s begging, not sales.

    Did you notice that Rick O’Shea referred to the ‘Home Feed’? That’s a result of not changing the button to say “Main Feed”. For months. And months. A small thing, but Broken Windows and all that.

    • #16
  17. Proud Skeptic Inactive
    Proud Skeptic
    @ProudSkeptic

    genferei:

    Don’t emphasize how the majority of people who listen to the podcast don’t subscribe: you are reducing motivation to subscribe.

    Don’t say ‘if you don’t join we’ll go under’. That’s begging, not sales.

    Did you notice that Rick O’Shea referred to the ‘Home Feed’? That’s a result of not changing the button to say “Main Feed”. For months. And months. A small thing, but Broken Windows and all that.

     I’m glad someone else is paying attention to this.  We need to keep these guys in business.  I guess I lost track of what is pay and what is free.  I just pay my pittance and listen!  As for the main page, I don’t go there much anymore.  EJ Hill’s battering of Lauren Bacall kind of turned me off.  I am looking for sharp, not petty.  I used to have separate shortcuts for the podcast and the main page but I deleted the one for the main page.

    So, I guess I could stop paying and get the podcast?  I’d rather pay the money and help support Ricochet.

    BTW – I have forgiven them for having  Mark Levin on.

    • #17
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