Odd how that Sidney Sheldon gets around - bought an old copy of a bookseller in India once.

Juan Cole has a good counterpoint to this post today:
http://www.juancole.com/2004_02_01_juancole_archive.html#107648769825852706
Basically, anti-State Department policies over the years have left us ill-prepared to make sure American ideas are well represented in this market place, and there is no sign that the Administration intends to change that.

I wonder how Iraqis view the cost/benefits of this situation. India had huge protests when their markets first began opening up, but they've largely benefited from it. Of course, that was on a whole different scale.

I once read about foreigners who read Hemingway novels or Steinbeck novels at US libraries over-seas, how how these libraries had been closed down in the late eighties. I think that's what Tom must be talking about above.

Just to chime in here: those American libraries are exactly what Juan is talking about in his post.

150,000 soldiers rebuilding schools and giving candy to children has done what a billion state department leaflets never could. Am I the only one not particularly comfortable with the state department trying to explain the best parts of America?

“Am I the only one not particularly comfortable with the state department trying to explain the best parts of America?”

Nope, the State Department---and the CIA, have far too many people who graduated from an “elite” school who are ashamed of being American. They would prefer that France and the Old Europeans dictated the foreign policy of the United States. Their inferiority complex is enough to make one want to puke. The inane Colon Powell has little to reverse this sad sad situation. As a general rule, we should hold our politically correct State Department in utter contempt.

“Now you have bad people," complained Hussan al Fadhli, a seller of maps, among them a large, colorful 1990 chart that showed Kuwait as an Iraqi province. Bad people, he explained with a scowl, are merchants who do not respect each other and offer price cuts to customers....”

"People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public, or in some contrivance to raise prices."

---Adam Smith, Wealth of Nations

Gosh, when will the Iraqis pass antitrust laws? Putting together a democratic society is not an easy thing.

How about Bush saying in a major speech:

"As part of our commitment to intercultural dialogue, understanding and peace, we will undertake the translation of the entire western canon into modern Arabic."

And also translate the Arab equivalent into English.

That would be an awesome project. And wouldn't be "propaganda" like some of the wingnuts above expressed concern about. What a visionary moment that would be. But totally out of character for Bush.

"As part of our commitment to intercultural dialogue, understanding and peace, we will undertake the translation of the entire western canon into modern Arabic."

The only reason that this has not occurred is almost entirely due to the pernicious politically correct influences of Edward Said and his ilk. Do you realize that some people would consider you to be a cultural imperialist? Your viewpoint is hardly popular within the liberal controlled universities.

Perhaps the American Library Association could tkae a time out from lauding Castro and send some of their old worn books.

OOps, me need spelling book: "take"...

The only reason that this has not occurred is almost entirely due to the pernicious politically correct influences of Edward Said and his ilk.

Oh yeah. I forgot that Bush listens closely to politically correct liberals.

But more generally, I don't think that academia would resist a project like that. We're talking about simply translating the books. Not force feeding it to anyone. So, really, it's the height of multiculturalism, assuming we translate a great number of arabic works into English.

But don't let me keep you from grinding that axe.

“So, really, it's the height of multiculturalism, assuming we translate a great number of arabic works into English.”

We already have translated the major Arabic works into English. I doubt very much that any have been ignored. The Arab world simply has very little to offer since about the fifteenth century. It is pervasively anti-intellectual and even shunned the printing press until fairly recently. Many, if not even most, are nothing more than conspiracy tracts claiming that Jews eat matzos made with human blood. Unfortunately, silly works like “The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion” are treated seriously in the so-called great Arab universities. Are we to translate inferior books merely to be politically correct?

Oh Jeez, I'm sure we could find plenty to translate. Good stuff, not racist stuff. And even modern translations of medieval texts would do. The point is that it's a great pr move, and would display a fundamental commitment to the "hearts and minds" battle. At some point, we should consider turning Baghdad into the intellectual and cultural hub of the middle east. Build universities, libraries, etc. Give the Arabs the tools to improve their lot, and modernize their views.

“At some point, we should consider turning Baghdad into the intellectual and cultural hub of the middle east.”

Now you’re getting it. Bernard Lewis has long said that we must do what we can to help the Arab world modernize. This is why the invasion of Iraq was a good thing regardless of the WMD issue. We can debate until the cows come home why the Arab leaders some 400 years embraced anti-intellectualism. The main thing is to assist today’s Arabs to once again appreciate the arts and sciences.

DT,

You seem to conflating the ideas of promoting modernization in the Middle-east, the liberalization ideal of the invasion, and the advisedness of what is being carried out. Trust me, the first two can be good while the last one can utterly undermine the former two. This is the real world Dave, you don't get points for good intentions. Just delivering results.

You and certain "liberal hawks" who supported the Bush Admin on this seem to have failed to grasp the concept that if the Bush admin flubs this, it will discredit the otherwise good idea that could otherwise be promoted. Democracy is not exactly been glorified by the record of the past two years.

David - I agree that there is an lot of truly terrible writing that has come out of the Mid. East in the last 400 years, but there has to be a few good works in there somewhere.

Do you have any particular favourites for western literature to be translated into Arabic? I'm assuming that the choices for scientific works are fairly clear cut, so I'd like to know about peoples choices for fiction and non-fiction to be translated.

“David - I agree that there is an lot of truly terrible writing that has come out of the Mid. East in the last 400 years, but there has to be a few good works in there somewhere.”

I regret to inform you that virtually nothing of value has come out the Arab world in the last 400-500 years. This is why Ataturk realized that Turkey was royally screwed unless it opted for westernization. You might wish to read the following:

http://www.ataturk.org/trans.htm

You should also obtain a copy of --The Muslim Discovery of Europe-- by Bernard Lewis.

Many books should be translated into Arabic---and they will be---as long as we are successful in Iraq. There are now more democratic freedoms in present day Iraq than any other Arab run country!

David, I know about Ataturk and his drive to westernize Turkey, thanks for the site address though. I was mainly wondering if you had any particular preferences for specific authors and their works to be translated.