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I really really like where Jim Glassman’s coming from here. Yes, I am swallowing my pride — Glassman co-wrote Dow 36,000 and is the executive director of the George W. Bush presidential library. But a good idea is a good idea, dammit! And Glassman’s proposal for public diplomacy not to merely highlight our awesomeness but our enemies’ crapitude is a very good idea. Matt Armstrong, a mutual pal of myself and Glassman’s, has advance copy of some upcoming Senate testimony Glassman will deliver:
The indispensable narrative is the real story of what is happening in Muslim societies. It is a narrative of three conflicts that are within Muslim societies. Yes, the U.S. is deeply affected by them, but they are intra-Muslim conflicts and need to be understood that way.
Sigh, yes, I will accept “narrative” as a concept if you agree to let me mutter under my breath about its bullshit nature. Glassman is talking about highlighting stuff like this:
In October 2008, the Taliban stopped a bus at Maiwand, pulled off 50 passengers and beheaded 30 of them. The media center’s leaders immediately brought together 300 Afghan religious leaders who issued a statement condemning the action and calling it anti-Islamic. The effort led to widespread anti-Taliban protests.
Alas, the Taliban can point to how we tortured people. But they’re worse! And we can make that point! Again and again and again. (It would also help if we, like, prosecuted the people who ordered the torture. Think of it as part of an effective public diplomacy campaign!)
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We really should be planning for the day when our opponents aren’t totalitarian psychopaths. It’s easy to be better than the Taliban–it’s hard to imagine what we could do to be worse. But if we’re up against a prosperous yet still authoritarian society like China, I don’t think very many people are going to be convinced by claims that we merely torture less than they do. If China and Russia are actually wrong about authoritarianism being necessary for prosperity and security, as we claim, then that makes a lot of things we have done and continue to do–like indefinite detentions, warrrantless wiretapping, partnerships with petro-dictators–both hypocritical and illogical.
Glassman used to mostly do this about American liberals. In fact, I’d figure that’s still his target most of the time. But anyway, yeah, he’s a pro.
A lot of us think there’s a kinda poorly-defined ethical line between codifying a narrative and what you might call a doctrine of fungible histories; I don’t think Glassman recognizes that line.