No Empires and New York Magazine

Fitting for the soft-liberal and thoroughly contradictory, uncritical politics of New York's youngish chattering inhabitants (who, tellingly, only seem to read the magazine's restaurant section, anyway), New York Magazine has printed a one-page hatchet job concerning NE hero Norman Finkelstein, who is currently trying to rebuild his career following a recent character assassination campaign (led, of course, by Alan Fucking Dershowitz), which cost him his job at Chicago's DePaul University. Ben Harris's 'article' about Finkelstein (which artfully manages to evade ANY FUCKING ENGAGEMENT WHATSOEVER with Finkelstein's work), is entitled 'Beached' (referring to Finkelstein's recent move to his deceased father's apartment in Coney Island), and sub-titled 'The Coney Island exile of a scholar who would be Noam Chomsky, but isn't.' Your guess is as good as ours as to what the fuck this phrase means. But let's move beyond pithy linguistic arguments; there's (barely) enough here that warrants a more polemic response.

Harris, at best a thoroughly shitty writer, does nothing to mask his contempt of what he blatantly considers to be the pathetic nature of Finkelstein's (personal, political, academic) life at present:

His days are now spent in solitary scholarly pursuits; his bookshelves buckle under the weight of tomes by Marx, Lenin, and Trotsky. Notes of support from his students sit on a piano; there’s a photo of him and Noam Chomsky (“my closest friend”) bare-chested on the beach at Cape Cod.

Apparently, for Harris, Finkelstein's students are woefully misguided, yet serve the purpose of consoling Finkelstein following the Dershowitz-orchestrated come-uppance he so obviously deserved. And Noam Chomsky? Harris takes Finkelstein for a deluded fool--if you two are so close, where's your buddy Noam now?

We're surprised we've taken up this much space dealing with Harris's diarrheal diatribe. Read it, or don't. Judging by his own journalistic standards, dealing with primary sources is probably not too high on Harris's to-do list.

Ben Harris: fuck you.

Well-Made World 24

In a letter to the president of the Oxford Union, Israeli filmmaker Ronen Berelovich laments Oxford's decision to uninvite Norman Finkelstein from a panel discussion on the one-state solution in Israel/Palestine. This is a shameful display of academic intolerance that is more suited to the United States, where Finkelstein has already experienced enough undue ideological censure; accordingly, the three other academics who were slated to represent Finkelstein's side of the debate (the one-state, as opposed to two-state, side)--Ghada Karmi, Avi Shlaim and Ilan Pappe--have withdrawn from the debate. Karmi's recent article for Comment is Free details the circumstances surrounding their withdrawal, as well as what she sees as the importation of the notorious Israel lobby of American onto British soil.

And thanks to John for bringing this article from The Nation to our attention: an account of the political climate regarding Israel/Palestine at Columbia University that almost has us at No Empires wishing we were back home...

Well-Made World 20

View from a room in Chicago, where this past weekend NE neglected to venture to the Empty Bottle to take in a Silver Apples show, yet managed to consume margaritas from a tap, hot fudge out of a microwaveable pouch, and direct sunlight, all at U.S. Cellular Field. There was a Sarah Grand novel somewhere in there, as well, courtesy of Myopic in Chicago. We're only human--and we were celebrating a birthday. Love and thanks to Lauren Leigh for some local knowledge and advice, and for helping us find delicious and cheap burritos. (La Pasadita!)

Now, back to business.

Columbia University has reclaimed (from DePaul University) its rightful place as the epicenter of highly dubious and ideologically-motivated tenure fights. Barnard College has already approved for tenure anthropologist Nadia Abu El-Haj, author of the excellent and rigorous Facts on the Ground, an examination of the use of archeology in Israeli society and politics, and an account--dating back to the Mandate period--of the ways in which Israel, through a mix of archaeology, politics, and violence has tried to nullify any Palestinian claim to the land which now forms the Israeli state. Despite Barnard's approval, Nadia's fate now ultimately lies with Lee Fucking Bollinger, as Columbia has final jurisdiction regarding tenure at Barnard. We apologize for not being the slightest bit optimistic for Nadia, as Bollinger has gone to great lengths recently (most notably through a couple full-page ads in the New York Times) to defend Israel against Britain's Association of University Teachers, who are suggesting a boycott of Israeli academics for their tacit support of Israeli policies in the Occupied Territories and the south of Lebanon. As was the case with Norman Finkelstein, Nadia's qualifications for tenure are unquestionable, and her work is vital.

More on Finkelstein: following a settlement with DePaul, he has formally resigned from his teaching post. Link is to an interview with Finkelstein and his attorney, conducted by the venerable Amy Goodman.

Finkelstein update

One would think that Father Dennis Holtschneider and DePaul University could stoop no lower, after they denied Norman Finkelstein and Mehrene Larudee tenure on the absolute flimsiest of premises--let's call it The Dershowitz Ultimatum. However, they outdid themselves on Sunday, when they cancelled Finkelstein's classes, and announced that he would be placed on "administrative leave, with pay" for the 2007-8 academic year, which was anyhow to be his last at DePaul. To take it even further, they are keeping him out of his own office and barring him from the political science department. When classes begin September 5, Finkelstein says he will be there, and if he continues to be shut out, he'll resort to alternative measures.

Well-Made World 16

Near East

• In a terrifying development, Alan Johnston--now held captive in Gaza for 105 days--has appeared in a new video wearing what is purported to be a bomb-belt, which he says would be detonated if there is any attempt made, either by Hamas or the British, to free him by force. In the video, Johnston is quoted as saying that his "Captors tell me that very promising negotiations were ruined when the Hamas movement and the British government decided to press for a military solution to this kidnapping." This comes as Hamas, trying to show itself capable of exercising a less violent form of control in Gaza, has taken it upon itself to secure Johnston's release. Something No Empires finds interesting is the attempt being made to discredit Hamas both by Fatah capitulationists (backed, of course, by America, Europe, and Israel) and extreme Islamist elements hoping, it would appear, to outflank it.
• No Empires wants to drive home the (obvious) fact that the Hamas government must still be considered to represent the political will of the occupied Palestinian population. Here, Saree Makdisi explains why the "relief" felt in the halls of Western power at the removal of the elected government by "presidential fiat" is certainly not shared by people who once again have, as their "legitimate" leaders, corrupted careerists who have consistently watered-down (if not abandoned wholesale, under American and Israeli pressure) any truly just political solution in Israel/Palestine.
• Despite UN pressure, Israel continues to resist opening the Karni crossing to allow passage of vital supplies. As No Empires readers will recall, Israel has pledged, certainly half-heartedly, to do all it can to facilitate humanitarian aid to Gaza; but not Karni, not yet--despite its being an economic lifeline for Gaza, Israel, true to form, vaguely invokes security concerns. Israel has promised to allow passage of supplies through smaller border crossings instead.

US

• DePaul's Matthew Abraham marvels at his colleagues' deafening silence surrounding the denial of tenure to Norman Finkelstein and Mehren Larudee.
• Last week, both The New York Times and The Washington Post featured op-ed letters by Ahmed Yousef, political adviser to Ismail Haniya. In the Times, Yousef focuses on Hamas' reasons for taking control of Gaza. In the Post, Yousef urges the ever-intractable Bush administration to reverse its policies in Israel/Palestine, noting that "Hamas has a world in common with Fatah and other parties, and they all share the same goals." No Empires thinks these articles might be the most worthwhile op-eds to come out both papers in quite a while, though they have prompted much outrage from authoritarians and fascists who think that "terrorists" should not have a place on the opinion pages of a newspaper.

Europe

• Robert Fisk, in vintage form, absolutely skewers Tony Blair's visit with the Pope, as well as his new job prospect as the Quartet's Middle East peace envoy. Sadly for Mr. Blair, Catholic-in-training or not, no poorly-timed pangs of conscience can undo 10+ years of ignorance, unbridled militarism, and Washington-teat-sucking. A disclaimer: No Empires finds the second article on Blair linked to above, from the Guardian, a journalistic embarrassment and further evidence of the Guardian's noted slide toward liberal apology. However, we do learn that Blair was encouraged to seek out his future role by none other than George W. Bush, who then passed along his suggestions to the UN, without even the slightest regard for the other members of the illustrious "Quartet." We are also told that, though Mr. Blair's popularity may be lacking in the streets of the Arab world--we can only wonder why!--he is held in high esteem by the "Arab political elites": i.e., those like Hosni Mubarak, King Abdullah II, and Abu Mazen, who are currently hammering more nails into the coffin of the Palestinian cause, with the help of Ehud Olmert, at Sharm el-Sheikh. Sadly, despite fresh Russian objections, it does appear that Blair's future is certain. Also see Soumaya Ghannoushi on this veritable slap in the face to both justice and sense.
• Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the Israeli government today that Russia, which has not ruled out dealing with Hamas, does not support an Israeli "divide and conquer plan" of isolating Haniya's government and eventually invading Gaza.
• No Empires was not quite surprised to hear that the Indian-born writer Salman Rushie was knighted last week, considering his heart-warming transition from apparent anti-imperialist to UK lapdog in the past six years or so. Following Ayatollah Khomeini's fatwa that called for the Rushdie's death, "Sir Salman" railed against "Islamists," backed the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and supported House of Commons leader Jack Straw in the face of his memorable comments on the Niqab. See Mahir Ali and Priyamvada Gopal on the ridiculousness of "Sir Salman."
  

Finkelstein

This is the first in a series of No Empires posts dedicated exclusively to the Norman Finkelstein tenure case.

• Matthew Abraham has written a strong piece in defense of Finkelstein on the Guardian's website.


• Electronic Intifada reports of an ongoing sit-in at the office of DePaul president, Rev. Dennis Holtschneider .


• Columbia's Bruce Robbins is circulating a petition calling for a halt to "business as usual" with DePaul among American academics and their students. No Empires received Robbins' petition in an email, but you can find another letter of support for Finkelstein here.

Well-Made World #8

• Rannie Amiri provides more much-needed insight on the situation in Lebanon's Nahr al-Bared camp, pointing to how Siniora's lax approach to Sunni radicals (in the hopes of undermining the Shi'a organization Hezbollah) has backfired.
• The US Congress today, predictably, passed the only version of George Bush's Iraq War spending bill that the President would not veto, confirming their own spinelessness and irrelevance about a year ahead of schedule. This at a time when a New York Times/CBS News poll finds public support for the war at its lowest point since the occupation of Iraq began. No Empires wonders if those responsible for the poll took their own editorial board/news directors into account, seeing as how they share responsibility for selling the fucking thing in the first place?
• Yvonne Roberts takes up the debate over a UK-centered boycott of Israeli products, and asks us to 'throw a stone at Goliath' in anticipation of June 9, a day of Global Action for Palestine. No Empires will be in Washington for the march.
• Robert Jensen weighs in on the all-too-important fight for tenure being waged by the estimable Norman Finkelstein, against the most powerful and most dishonest lobby in the world (spearheaded by the scourge of No Empires, Alan Fucking Dershowitz)--and draws incredibly disheartening conclusions about the state of US academia.
• Howard Friel on how the New York Times aids and abets Israel's impunity in the 'international community."
• Amjad Barham on why the international boycott of Israeli academic institutions is justified, and shows how the vast majority of Israeli academics are at the very least silent in the face of their country's misdeeds.