Sunday, October 30, 2011

Meet the New Raj, Same as the Old Raj



From this New York Times article:

"'We will have a robust continuing presence throughout the region, which is proof of our ongoing commitment to Iraq and to the future of that region, which holds such promise and should be freed from outside interference to continue on a pathway to democracy,' Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said in Tajikistan after the president’s announcement."


"Freed from outside interference"?


This reminds me of an exchange from the movie Gandhi during a discussion about the transition to home rule:

Kinnoch: With respect, Mr. Gandhi, without British administration, this country would be reduced to chaos.
Gandhi: Mr. Kinnoch, I beg you to accept that there is no people on Earth who would not prefer their own bad government to the good government of an alien power.
Brigadier: My dear sir! India *is* British. We're hardly an alien power!
[silence]

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