I have suddenly become very impressed by Johann Hari, who I used to find OK but rather trite. His piece on Dubai was really good.
UPDATE
A commenter has pointed out that this Hari article, which I thought was fairly new, is a couple of years old. Still worth reading.
A week ago? The article from the Independent is dated 7th April 2009.
Maybe Johann has moved away from this kind of writing in the past two years?
Wow, you are right. Still, a very good article.
Well, I'm glad you posted this Craig. I missed it somehow. I doubt that much has changed in Dubai over the last couple of years.
It seems like a bizarre mix of "1984" and "Brave New World" with a bit of "The Island" thrown in for good measure!
It seems a shame a tsunami couldn't be whipped up by an angry God and simply wipe the entire rotten place off the map.
Afraid that I still find it hard to forgive him for his support for the Iraq war. Although he rowed back later think about all those deaths and maimings and all the refugees, widows and orphans that were created.
'The lamest defence I could offer – one used by many supporters of the war as they slam into reverse gear – is that I still support the principle of invasion, it’s just the Bush administration screwed it up. But as one anti-war friend snapped at me when I mooted this argument, “Yeah, who would ever have thought that supporting George Bush in the illegal invasion of an Arab country would go wrong?” She’s right: the truth is that there was no pure Platonic ideal of The Perfect Invasion to support, no abstract idea we lent our names to.' http://www.johannhari.com/2006/03/18/after-three-…
That's a rather more genuine apology than most
and there is more joy in heaven at one sinner who repenteth…
It is by far the best written apology I have ever seen.I liked the bit about the war going ahead regardless of his consent.Hari has an incredibly precocious intellect but he does lack life experience.If you just saw him for what he is a well read but naive commentator
rather than a factual expert his stuff is first rate.Unfortunately the media gave up on facts and investigative reporting years ago so hell
have to do.
Somebody, you are glorious in your isolation from the manipulation of public opinion. Others, including myself, are more easily swayed. Hari's opinion carries far more weight than mine, but I have sympathy for him, having made much the same mistake myself some weeks ago, when I briefly supported the Libya "no-fly zone", a stance of which I'm now deeply ashamed.
I will never forget his Iraq stance and the "Iraq Prospect Group" he kept quoting – near all Kuwaitis with a mega agenda (and he didn't know??) A million mea culpas won't do it for me. As with Clare Short he's seen the light… five million, near, displaced, a million widows, five million orphans and a destroyed nation and country, later. F … off Hari.
Pacifically (not)!
See these two Medialens Alerts and there are many more if you search 'Hari Iraq War' on their site.
http://www.medialens.org/index.php?option=com_con…
http://www.medialens.org/index.php?option=com_con…
He sounds good but then he'll muslim bait. He caught hell about a month ago about some anti-gay pamphlet left in a gay district, which he blamed on the muslims, it was some right wingers.
Hari has many shortcomings ( even though his recent articles on Libya are spot-on) but he's no muslim-baiter. If this mugshot is anything to go by the stickers are indeed being placed by local muslim youths, not the EDL or 'right wingers', as you claim-
http://www.lbc.co.uk/homophobic-stickers-put-up-i…?
The Johann Hari article on Dubai is excellent. thanks Craig, thanks for recommending it. Here is a much shorter article that also indicates the fraudulent nature of Dubai by AA Gill in Vanity Fair.
Well, I read that article long ago, He is an anti islamic bigot.
Here is an example of his rubbish
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators…
Ghaleb,
well, he has a point. it would be much better balamced by an equal attack on illiberal christians, hindus etc. And it would be better to make plain that many would argue that practices he is describing are not necessary to Islam (there is plenty of stoning in the Bible, but we don't do it now). But his basic point is not wrong.
Hari has written attacks on illiberal Christians, Jews, Hindus etc loads of times. Even the Dalai Lama attacked Hari after Hari challenged his homophobia.
I agree, sometimes Hari is spot on.
I'd also recommend this article too…
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators…
…particularly the bit about the real 'squeezed middle' which should be required reading for all coalition sycophants.