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The decisive ideological struggle of the 21st century? NOT.

Question: Do you agree with the president that the US is fighting the decisive ideological struggle of the twenty-first century?

Brzezinski: I think it's an absolutely absurd formulation...We're dealing with a bunch of fanatics. We're dealing with some foolish fundamentalist haters of the west. We're dealing with some outraged ethnic and nationalist feelings. But to elevate this into a global ideological collision, and directly somehow reminiscent of the twentieth-century struggle with Nazis and communism, is an absurdity which either reflects profound ignorance, or a totally manipulative desire to use public anxiety for political purposes.

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.

Comments

I love Ziggy. He has such an eloquent way of saying, "These guys are fucking idiots." Especially with that sophistocated accent of his.

Kissinger tries, but always sounds like he has a mouth full of marbles.

When it comes to ex-pat European former National Security Advisors, Ziggy rocks.

Okay, fine. I admit it's a rather small club.

I have to admit that when he said, "We're dealing with a bunch of fanatics," I wasn't sure if he was talking about Bin Laden or Bush.

"I wasn't sure if he was talking about Bin Laden or Bush."

Exactly. The decisive ideological struggle of the 21st Century is between progressive liberalism and
reactionary radicalism. In that regard, bin Laden and Bush are fellow travelers.

If you believe in science, if you believe in the future, if you believe in government by the people, you are on one side.

If you believe in miracles, if you believe in the past, if you believe in government according to the word of God, then you are on the other side.

Unfortunately, Ara, more than half of our fellow citizens are on the ”other side”. The sheer scale of delusion and belief makes it hard to “believe in the future”.

Perhaps that is really the great ideological struggle of our time: the struggle between belief and empiricism.


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