the human province

It's the end of the semester, and most of my students are giving final presentations. Two of my students have been working on the economic consequences of the sit-in, on a micro-level, by interviewing business owners and protesters. At the end of their presentation, the conclusion they came to (fueled by the "Dubai model," I might add) was that in the Middle East, a country needs to choose between democracy and economic livelihood. They seemed torn as to which should be Lebanon's priority, but they agreed that in this neck of the woods, aiming for an economically successful democracy was the same thing as wanting to have your cake and eat it too.

Sometimes this country depresses me more than I can muster the strength to convey...

Last month when I was in the US, I picked up a copy of Gary Shteyngart's Absurdistan after reading about it in the Times. I've been reading it in little bursts between more serious stuff related to my research, and as a whole, I've been a little disappointed. The hype was strong, but it reminds me a little of Rushdie or Zadie Smith, but not quite as clever or well-written. It does, however, have its moments, which are more often than not pretty funny.

The fat protagonist of Shteyngart's book, Misha Borisovich Vainberg, is a filthy (rich) Russian Jew who wants to go back to Brooklyn and meet his voluptuous African-American love. The only hitch is that the State Department won't let him, because his defunct Dad once killed an American businessman. About 100 pages into the book, he decides to go to Absurdistan, an oil-rich Orthodox Caspian former Soviet Republic, so as to buy a Belgian passport. When he gets there, the situation is shaky, because the country is split into two ethnicities,the Svanï and the Sevo whose dispute is similar in nature to that of the inhabitants of Lilliput and Blefuscu. Misha arrives with his American friend Alyosha-Bob at the time when the Svanï disctator is about to appoint his son as his heir. At the Hyatt, he runs into an American official who just happens to have gone to college with him:

"So let's talk politics, dog," Alyosha-Bob said, changing the subject. "Word on the Absurdi street is that the Sevo are gonna go apeshit if Georgi Kanuk's idiot son takes over. What's the official U.S. position on this one?"

"We're not really sure," Josh Weiner admitted as he pillaged a bowl of complimentary smoked almonds. "We've got a little problem. See, none of our staff actually speak any of the local languages. I mean, there's one guy who sort of speaks Russian, but he's still trying to learn the future tense. You dogs are both from this part of the world. Do you know what's gonna happen after Georgi Kanuk dies? More democracy? Less?"

"Whenever there's any kind of upheaval in this country, the pistols come out," Alyosha-Bob said. "Think of the Ottoman rebellion of 1756 or the Persian succession of 1550."

"Oh, I can't think that far back," Josh Weiner said. "That was then, and this is now. We're in a global economy. It's in no one's interests to rock the boat. Look at the stats, homeboys. The Absurdi GNP went up nine percent last year. The Figa-6 Chevron/BP oilfields are coming online in mid-September. That's, like, a hundred and eighty thousand barrels a day! And it's not just oil! The service sector's booming, too. Did you see the new Tucson Steak and Bean Company on the Boulevard of National Unity? Did you try the ribolita soup and the crostini misti? This place has serious primary and reinvestment capital, dogs."  

When Misha brings up the ethnic divide, Weiner brushes the worry aside and says that the people of Absurdistan are pragmatists. He then introduces his Absurdi pet project, Sakha the Democrat, who is editor-in-chief of the American-funded journal, Gimme Freedom, and who begs Weiner to let him have the deluxe platter with fries for lunch. Weiner tells him that the democracy budget is slim these days so he should order his meal without fries.

I've been running around town today, so I haven't had time to post, and I've got a lot of work tonight, so I probably won't do much posting this evening either. But here's an important op-ed by Rory Stewart on Afghanistan:

The international community's policy in Afghanistan is based on the claim that Afghans are willing partners in the creation of a liberal democratic state. Senator John McCain finished a recent speech on Afghanistan by saying, "Billions of people around the world now embrace the ideals of political, economic and social liberty, conceived in the West, as their own."

In Afghanistan in January, Tony Blair thanked Afghans by saying "we're all in this together" and placing them in "the group of people who want to live in peace and harmony with each other, whatever your race or your background or your religion."

Such language is inaccurate, misleading and dangerous.

Afghans, like Americans, do not want to be abducted and tortured. They want a say in who governs them, and they want to feed their families. But reducing their needs to broad concepts like "human rights," "democracy" and "development" is unhelpful.

For many Afghans, sharia law is central. Others welcome freedom from torture, but not free media or freedom of religion; majority rule, but not minority rights; full employment, but not free-market reforms. "Warlords" retain considerable power. Millions believe that alcohol should be forbidden and apostates killed, that women should be allowed in public only in burqas. Many Pusthu clearly prefer the Taliban to foreign troops.

...The time has come to be honest about the limits of our power and the Afghan reality. This is not to counsel despair. There is no fighting in the streets of Kabul, the Hazara in the center of the country are more secure and prosperous than at almost any time in their history, and the economy grew last year by 18 percent. These are major achievements. With luck and the right kind of international support, Afghanistan can become more humane, prosperous and stable.

But progress will be slow. Real change can come only from within, and we have less power in Afghanistan than we claim. We must speak truthfully about this situation. Our lies betray Afghans and ultimately ourselves. And the cost in lives, opportunities and reputation is unbearable.

It's the end of the semester, and most of my students are giving final presentations. Two of my students have been working on the economic consequences of the sit-in, on a micro-level, by interviewing business owners and protesters. At the end of their presentation, the conclusion they came to (fueled by the "Dubai model," I might add) was that in the Middle East, a country needs to choose between democracy and economic livelihood. They seemed torn as to which should be Lebanon's priority, but they agreed that in this neck of the woods, aiming for an economically successful democracy was the same thing as wanting to have your cake and eat it too.

Sometimes this country depresses me more than I can muster the strength to convey...

Last month when I was in the US, I picked up a copy of Gary Shteyngart's Absurdistan after reading about it in the Times. I've been reading it in little bursts between more serious stuff related to my research, and as a whole, I've been a little disappointed. The hype was strong, but it reminds me a little of Rushdie or Zadie Smith, but not quite as clever or well-written. It does, however, have its moments, which are more often than not pretty funny.

The fat protagonist of Shteyngart's book, Misha Borisovich Vainberg, is a filthy (rich) Russian Jew who wants to go back to Brooklyn and meet his voluptuous African-American love. The only hitch is that the State Department won't let him, because his defunct Dad once killed an American businessman. About 100 pages into the book, he decides to go to Absurdistan, an oil-rich Orthodox Caspian former Soviet Republic, so as to buy a Belgian passport. When he gets there, the situation is shaky, because the country is split into two ethnicities,the Svanï and the Sevo whose dispute is similar in nature to that of the inhabitants of Lilliput and Blefuscu. Misha arrives with his American friend Alyosha-Bob at the time when the Svanï disctator is about to appoint his son as his heir. At the Hyatt, he runs into an American official who just happens to have gone to college with him:

"So let's talk politics, dog," Alyosha-Bob said, changing the subject. "Word on the Absurdi street is that the Sevo are gonna go apeshit if Georgi Kanuk's idiot son takes over. What's the official U.S. position on this one?"

"We're not really sure," Josh Weiner admitted as he pillaged a bowl of complimentary smoked almonds. "We've got a little problem. See, none of our staff actually speak any of the local languages. I mean, there's one guy who sort of speaks Russian, but he's still trying to learn the future tense. You dogs are both from this part of the world. Do you know what's gonna happen after Georgi Kanuk dies? More democracy? Less?"

"Whenever there's any kind of upheaval in this country, the pistols come out," Alyosha-Bob said. "Think of the Ottoman rebellion of 1756 or the Persian succession of 1550."

"Oh, I can't think that far back," Josh Weiner said. "That was then, and this is now. We're in a global economy. It's in no one's interests to rock the boat. Look at the stats, homeboys. The Absurdi GNP went up nine percent last year. The Figa-6 Chevron/BP oilfields are coming online in mid-September. That's, like, a hundred and eighty thousand barrels a day! And it's not just oil! The service sector's booming, too. Did you see the new Tucson Steak and Bean Company on the Boulevard of National Unity? Did you try the ribolita soup and the crostini misti? This place has serious primary and reinvestment capital, dogs."  

When Misha brings up the ethnic divide, Weiner brushes the worry aside and says that the people of Absurdistan are pragmatists. He then introduces his Absurdi pet project, Sakha the Democrat, who is editor-in-chief of the American-funded journal, Gimme Freedom, and who begs Weiner to let him have the deluxe platter with fries for lunch. Weiner tells him that the democracy budget is slim these days so he should order his meal without fries.

I've been running around town today, so I haven't had time to post, and I've got a lot of work tonight, so I probably won't do much posting this evening either. But here's an important op-ed by Rory Stewart on Afghanistan:

The international community's policy in Afghanistan is based on the claim that Afghans are willing partners in the creation of a liberal democratic state. Senator John McCain finished a recent speech on Afghanistan by saying, "Billions of people around the world now embrace the ideals of political, economic and social liberty, conceived in the West, as their own."

In Afghanistan in January, Tony Blair thanked Afghans by saying "we're all in this together" and placing them in "the group of people who want to live in peace and harmony with each other, whatever your race or your background or your religion."

Such language is inaccurate, misleading and dangerous.

Afghans, like Americans, do not want to be abducted and tortured. They want a say in who governs them, and they want to feed their families. But reducing their needs to broad concepts like "human rights," "democracy" and "development" is unhelpful.

For many Afghans, sharia law is central. Others welcome freedom from torture, but not free media or freedom of religion; majority rule, but not minority rights; full employment, but not free-market reforms. "Warlords" retain considerable power. Millions believe that alcohol should be forbidden and apostates killed, that women should be allowed in public only in burqas. Many Pusthu clearly prefer the Taliban to foreign troops.

...The time has come to be honest about the limits of our power and the Afghan reality. This is not to counsel despair. There is no fighting in the streets of Kabul, the Hazara in the center of the country are more secure and prosperous than at almost any time in their history, and the economy grew last year by 18 percent. These are major achievements. With luck and the right kind of international support, Afghanistan can become more humane, prosperous and stable.

But progress will be slow. Real change can come only from within, and we have less power in Afghanistan than we claim. We must speak truthfully about this situation. Our lies betray Afghans and ultimately ourselves. And the cost in lives, opportunities and reputation is unbearable.

It's the end of the semester, and most of my students are giving final presentations. Two of my students have been working on the economic consequences of the sit-in, on a micro-level, by interviewing business owners and protesters. At the end of their presentation, the conclusion they came to (fueled by the "Dubai model," I might add) was that in the Middle East, a country needs to choose between democracy and economic livelihood. They seemed torn as to which should be Lebanon's priority, but they agreed that in this neck of the woods, aiming for an economically successful democracy was the same thing as wanting to have your cake and eat it too.

Sometimes this country depresses me more than I can muster the strength to convey...

Last month when I was in the US, I picked up a copy of Gary Shteyngart's Absurdistan after reading about it in the Times. I've been reading it in little bursts between more serious stuff related to my research, and as a whole, I've been a little disappointed. The hype was strong, but it reminds me a little of Rushdie or Zadie Smith, but not quite as clever or well-written. It does, however, have its moments, which are more often than not pretty funny.

The fat protagonist of Shteyngart's book, Misha Borisovich Vainberg, is a filthy (rich) Russian Jew who wants to go back to Brooklyn and meet his voluptuous African-American love. The only hitch is that the State Department won't let him, because his defunct Dad once killed an American businessman. About 100 pages into the book, he decides to go to Absurdistan, an oil-rich Orthodox Caspian former Soviet Republic, so as to buy a Belgian passport. When he gets there, the situation is shaky, because the country is split into two ethnicities,the Svanï and the Sevo whose dispute is similar in nature to that of the inhabitants of Lilliput and Blefuscu. Misha arrives with his American friend Alyosha-Bob at the time when the Svanï disctator is about to appoint his son as his heir. At the Hyatt, he runs into an American official who just happens to have gone to college with him:

"So let's talk politics, dog," Alyosha-Bob said, changing the subject. "Word on the Absurdi street is that the Sevo are gonna go apeshit if Georgi Kanuk's idiot son takes over. What's the official U.S. position on this one?"

"We're not really sure," Josh Weiner admitted as he pillaged a bowl of complimentary smoked almonds. "We've got a little problem. See, none of our staff actually speak any of the local languages. I mean, there's one guy who sort of speaks Russian, but he's still trying to learn the future tense. You dogs are both from this part of the world. Do you know what's gonna happen after Georgi Kanuk dies? More democracy? Less?"

"Whenever there's any kind of upheaval in this country, the pistols come out," Alyosha-Bob said. "Think of the Ottoman rebellion of 1756 or the Persian succession of 1550."

"Oh, I can't think that far back," Josh Weiner said. "That was then, and this is now. We're in a global economy. It's in no one's interests to rock the boat. Look at the stats, homeboys. The Absurdi GNP went up nine percent last year. The Figa-6 Chevron/BP oilfields are coming online in mid-September. That's, like, a hundred and eighty thousand barrels a day! And it's not just oil! The service sector's booming, too. Did you see the new Tucson Steak and Bean Company on the Boulevard of National Unity? Did you try the ribolita soup and the crostini misti? This place has serious primary and reinvestment capital, dogs."  

When Misha brings up the ethnic divide, Weiner brushes the worry aside and says that the people of Absurdistan are pragmatists. He then introduces his Absurdi pet project, Sakha the Democrat, who is editor-in-chief of the American-funded journal, Gimme Freedom, and who begs Weiner to let him have the deluxe platter with fries for lunch. Weiner tells him that the democracy budget is slim these days so he should order his meal without fries.

I've been running around town today, so I haven't had time to post, and I've got a lot of work tonight, so I probably won't do much posting this evening either. But here's an important op-ed by Rory Stewart on Afghanistan:

The international community's policy in Afghanistan is based on the claim that Afghans are willing partners in the creation of a liberal democratic state. Senator John McCain finished a recent speech on Afghanistan by saying, "Billions of people around the world now embrace the ideals of political, economic and social liberty, conceived in the West, as their own."

In Afghanistan in January, Tony Blair thanked Afghans by saying "we're all in this together" and placing them in "the group of people who want to live in peace and harmony with each other, whatever your race or your background or your religion."

Such language is inaccurate, misleading and dangerous.

Afghans, like Americans, do not want to be abducted and tortured. They want a say in who governs them, and they want to feed their families. But reducing their needs to broad concepts like "human rights," "democracy" and "development" is unhelpful.

For many Afghans, sharia law is central. Others welcome freedom from torture, but not free media or freedom of religion; majority rule, but not minority rights; full employment, but not free-market reforms. "Warlords" retain considerable power. Millions believe that alcohol should be forbidden and apostates killed, that women should be allowed in public only in burqas. Many Pusthu clearly prefer the Taliban to foreign troops.

...The time has come to be honest about the limits of our power and the Afghan reality. This is not to counsel despair. There is no fighting in the streets of Kabul, the Hazara in the center of the country are more secure and prosperous than at almost any time in their history, and the economy grew last year by 18 percent. These are major achievements. With luck and the right kind of international support, Afghanistan can become more humane, prosperous and stable.

But progress will be slow. Real change can come only from within, and we have less power in Afghanistan than we claim. We must speak truthfully about this situation. Our lies betray Afghans and ultimately ourselves. And the cost in lives, opportunities and reputation is unbearable.

It's the end of the semester, and most of my students are giving final presentations. Two of my students have been working on the economic consequences of the sit-in, on a micro-level, by interviewing business owners and protesters. At the end of their presentation, the conclusion they came to (fueled by the "Dubai model," I might add) was that in the Middle East, a country needs to choose between democracy and economic livelihood. They seemed torn as to which should be Lebanon's priority, but they agreed that in this neck of the woods, aiming for an economically successful democracy was the same thing as wanting to have your cake and eat it too.

Sometimes this country depresses me more than I can muster the strength to convey...

Last month when I was in the US, I picked up a copy of Gary Shteyngart's Absurdistan after reading about it in the Times. I've been reading it in little bursts between more serious stuff related to my research, and as a whole, I've been a little disappointed. The hype was strong, but it reminds me a little of Rushdie or Zadie Smith, but not quite as clever or well-written. It does, however, have its moments, which are more often than not pretty funny.

The fat protagonist of Shteyngart's book, Misha Borisovich Vainberg, is a filthy (rich) Russian Jew who wants to go back to Brooklyn and meet his voluptuous African-American love. The only hitch is that the State Department won't let him, because his defunct Dad once killed an American businessman. About 100 pages into the book, he decides to go to Absurdistan, an oil-rich Orthodox Caspian former Soviet Republic, so as to buy a Belgian passport. When he gets there, the situation is shaky, because the country is split into two ethnicities,the Svanï and the Sevo whose dispute is similar in nature to that of the inhabitants of Lilliput and Blefuscu. Misha arrives with his American friend Alyosha-Bob at the time when the Svanï disctator is about to appoint his son as his heir. At the Hyatt, he runs into an American official who just happens to have gone to college with him:

"So let's talk politics, dog," Alyosha-Bob said, changing the subject. "Word on the Absurdi street is that the Sevo are gonna go apeshit if Georgi Kanuk's idiot son takes over. What's the official U.S. position on this one?"

"We're not really sure," Josh Weiner admitted as he pillaged a bowl of complimentary smoked almonds. "We've got a little problem. See, none of our staff actually speak any of the local languages. I mean, there's one guy who sort of speaks Russian, but he's still trying to learn the future tense. You dogs are both from this part of the world. Do you know what's gonna happen after Georgi Kanuk dies? More democracy? Less?"

"Whenever there's any kind of upheaval in this country, the pistols come out," Alyosha-Bob said. "Think of the Ottoman rebellion of 1756 or the Persian succession of 1550."

"Oh, I can't think that far back," Josh Weiner said. "That was then, and this is now. We're in a global economy. It's in no one's interests to rock the boat. Look at the stats, homeboys. The Absurdi GNP went up nine percent last year. The Figa-6 Chevron/BP oilfields are coming online in mid-September. That's, like, a hundred and eighty thousand barrels a day! And it's not just oil! The service sector's booming, too. Did you see the new Tucson Steak and Bean Company on the Boulevard of National Unity? Did you try the ribolita soup and the crostini misti? This place has serious primary and reinvestment capital, dogs."  

When Misha brings up the ethnic divide, Weiner brushes the worry aside and says that the people of Absurdistan are pragmatists. He then introduces his Absurdi pet project, Sakha the Democrat, who is editor-in-chief of the American-funded journal, Gimme Freedom, and who begs Weiner to let him have the deluxe platter with fries for lunch. Weiner tells him that the democracy budget is slim these days so he should order his meal without fries.

I've been running around town today, so I haven't had time to post, and I've got a lot of work tonight, so I probably won't do much posting this evening either. But here's an important op-ed by Rory Stewart on Afghanistan:

The international community's policy in Afghanistan is based on the claim that Afghans are willing partners in the creation of a liberal democratic state. Senator John McCain finished a recent speech on Afghanistan by saying, "Billions of people around the world now embrace the ideals of political, economic and social liberty, conceived in the West, as their own."

In Afghanistan in January, Tony Blair thanked Afghans by saying "we're all in this together" and placing them in "the group of people who want to live in peace and harmony with each other, whatever your race or your background or your religion."

Such language is inaccurate, misleading and dangerous.

Afghans, like Americans, do not want to be abducted and tortured. They want a say in who governs them, and they want to feed their families. But reducing their needs to broad concepts like "human rights," "democracy" and "development" is unhelpful.

For many Afghans, sharia law is central. Others welcome freedom from torture, but not free media or freedom of religion; majority rule, but not minority rights; full employment, but not free-market reforms. "Warlords" retain considerable power. Millions believe that alcohol should be forbidden and apostates killed, that women should be allowed in public only in burqas. Many Pusthu clearly prefer the Taliban to foreign troops.

...The time has come to be honest about the limits of our power and the Afghan reality. This is not to counsel despair. There is no fighting in the streets of Kabul, the Hazara in the center of the country are more secure and prosperous than at almost any time in their history, and the economy grew last year by 18 percent. These are major achievements. With luck and the right kind of international support, Afghanistan can become more humane, prosperous and stable.

But progress will be slow. Real change can come only from within, and we have less power in Afghanistan than we claim. We must speak truthfully about this situation. Our lies betray Afghans and ultimately ourselves. And the cost in lives, opportunities and reputation is unbearable.

It's the end of the semester, and most of my students are giving final presentations. Two of my students have been working on the economic consequences of the sit-in, on a micro-level, by interviewing business owners and protesters. At the end of their presentation, the conclusion they came to (fueled by the "Dubai model," I might add) was that in the Middle East, a country needs to choose between democracy and economic livelihood. They seemed torn as to which should be Lebanon's priority, but they agreed that in this neck of the woods, aiming for an economically successful democracy was the same thing as wanting to have your cake and eat it too.

Sometimes this country depresses me more than I can muster the strength to convey...

Last month when I was in the US, I picked up a copy of Gary Shteyngart's Absurdistan after reading about it in the Times. I've been reading it in little bursts between more serious stuff related to my research, and as a whole, I've been a little disappointed. The hype was strong, but it reminds me a little of Rushdie or Zadie Smith, but not quite as clever or well-written. It does, however, have its moments, which are more often than not pretty funny.

The fat protagonist of Shteyngart's book, Misha Borisovich Vainberg, is a filthy (rich) Russian Jew who wants to go back to Brooklyn and meet his voluptuous African-American love. The only hitch is that the State Department won't let him, because his defunct Dad once killed an American businessman. About 100 pages into the book, he decides to go to Absurdistan, an oil-rich Orthodox Caspian former Soviet Republic, so as to buy a Belgian passport. When he gets there, the situation is shaky, because the country is split into two ethnicities,the Svanï and the Sevo whose dispute is similar in nature to that of the inhabitants of Lilliput and Blefuscu. Misha arrives with his American friend Alyosha-Bob at the time when the Svanï disctator is about to appoint his son as his heir. At the Hyatt, he runs into an American official who just happens to have gone to college with him:

"So let's talk politics, dog," Alyosha-Bob said, changing the subject. "Word on the Absurdi street is that the Sevo are gonna go apeshit if Georgi Kanuk's idiot son takes over. What's the official U.S. position on this one?"

"We're not really sure," Josh Weiner admitted as he pillaged a bowl of complimentary smoked almonds. "We've got a little problem. See, none of our staff actually speak any of the local languages. I mean, there's one guy who sort of speaks Russian, but he's still trying to learn the future tense. You dogs are both from this part of the world. Do you know what's gonna happen after Georgi Kanuk dies? More democracy? Less?"

"Whenever there's any kind of upheaval in this country, the pistols come out," Alyosha-Bob said. "Think of the Ottoman rebellion of 1756 or the Persian succession of 1550."

"Oh, I can't think that far back," Josh Weiner said. "That was then, and this is now. We're in a global economy. It's in no one's interests to rock the boat. Look at the stats, homeboys. The Absurdi GNP went up nine percent last year. The Figa-6 Chevron/BP oilfields are coming online in mid-September. That's, like, a hundred and eighty thousand barrels a day! And it's not just oil! The service sector's booming, too. Did you see the new Tucson Steak and Bean Company on the Boulevard of National Unity? Did you try the ribolita soup and the crostini misti? This place has serious primary and reinvestment capital, dogs."  

When Misha brings up the ethnic divide, Weiner brushes the worry aside and says that the people of Absurdistan are pragmatists. He then introduces his Absurdi pet project, Sakha the Democrat, who is editor-in-chief of the American-funded journal, Gimme Freedom, and who begs Weiner to let him have the deluxe platter with fries for lunch. Weiner tells him that the democracy budget is slim these days so he should order his meal without fries.

I've been running around town today, so I haven't had time to post, and I've got a lot of work tonight, so I probably won't do much posting this evening either. But here's an important op-ed by Rory Stewart on Afghanistan:

The international community's policy in Afghanistan is based on the claim that Afghans are willing partners in the creation of a liberal democratic state. Senator John McCain finished a recent speech on Afghanistan by saying, "Billions of people around the world now embrace the ideals of political, economic and social liberty, conceived in the West, as their own."

In Afghanistan in January, Tony Blair thanked Afghans by saying "we're all in this together" and placing them in "the group of people who want to live in peace and harmony with each other, whatever your race or your background or your religion."

Such language is inaccurate, misleading and dangerous.

Afghans, like Americans, do not want to be abducted and tortured. They want a say in who governs them, and they want to feed their families. But reducing their needs to broad concepts like "human rights," "democracy" and "development" is unhelpful.

For many Afghans, sharia law is central. Others welcome freedom from torture, but not free media or freedom of religion; majority rule, but not minority rights; full employment, but not free-market reforms. "Warlords" retain considerable power. Millions believe that alcohol should be forbidden and apostates killed, that women should be allowed in public only in burqas. Many Pusthu clearly prefer the Taliban to foreign troops.

...The time has come to be honest about the limits of our power and the Afghan reality. This is not to counsel despair. There is no fighting in the streets of Kabul, the Hazara in the center of the country are more secure and prosperous than at almost any time in their history, and the economy grew last year by 18 percent. These are major achievements. With luck and the right kind of international support, Afghanistan can become more humane, prosperous and stable.

But progress will be slow. Real change can come only from within, and we have less power in Afghanistan than we claim. We must speak truthfully about this situation. Our lies betray Afghans and ultimately ourselves. And the cost in lives, opportunities and reputation is unbearable.

It's the end of the semester, and most of my students are giving final presentations. Two of my students have been working on the economic consequences of the sit-in, on a micro-level, by interviewing business owners and protesters. At the end of their presentation, the conclusion they came to (fueled by the "Dubai model," I might add) was that in the Middle East, a country needs to choose between democracy and economic livelihood. They seemed torn as to which should be Lebanon's priority, but they agreed that in this neck of the woods, aiming for an economically successful democracy was the same thing as wanting to have your cake and eat it too.

Sometimes this country depresses me more than I can muster the strength to convey...

Last month when I was in the US, I picked up a copy of Gary Shteyngart's Absurdistan after reading about it in the Times. I've been reading it in little bursts between more serious stuff related to my research, and as a whole, I've been a little disappointed. The hype was strong, but it reminds me a little of Rushdie or Zadie Smith, but not quite as clever or well-written. It does, however, have its moments, which are more often than not pretty funny.

The fat protagonist of Shteyngart's book, Misha Borisovich Vainberg, is a filthy (rich) Russian Jew who wants to go back to Brooklyn and meet his voluptuous African-American love. The only hitch is that the State Department won't let him, because his defunct Dad once killed an American businessman. About 100 pages into the book, he decides to go to Absurdistan, an oil-rich Orthodox Caspian former Soviet Republic, so as to buy a Belgian passport. When he gets there, the situation is shaky, because the country is split into two ethnicities,the Svanï and the Sevo whose dispute is similar in nature to that of the inhabitants of Lilliput and Blefuscu. Misha arrives with his American friend Alyosha-Bob at the time when the Svanï disctator is about to appoint his son as his heir. At the Hyatt, he runs into an American official who just happens to have gone to college with him:

"So let's talk politics, dog," Alyosha-Bob said, changing the subject. "Word on the Absurdi street is that the Sevo are gonna go apeshit if Georgi Kanuk's idiot son takes over. What's the official U.S. position on this one?"

"We're not really sure," Josh Weiner admitted as he pillaged a bowl of complimentary smoked almonds. "We've got a little problem. See, none of our staff actually speak any of the local languages. I mean, there's one guy who sort of speaks Russian, but he's still trying to learn the future tense. You dogs are both from this part of the world. Do you know what's gonna happen after Georgi Kanuk dies? More democracy? Less?"

"Whenever there's any kind of upheaval in this country, the pistols come out," Alyosha-Bob said. "Think of the Ottoman rebellion of 1756 or the Persian succession of 1550."

"Oh, I can't think that far back," Josh Weiner said. "That was then, and this is now. We're in a global economy. It's in no one's interests to rock the boat. Look at the stats, homeboys. The Absurdi GNP went up nine percent last year. The Figa-6 Chevron/BP oilfields are coming online in mid-September. That's, like, a hundred and eighty thousand barrels a day! And it's not just oil! The service sector's booming, too. Did you see the new Tucson Steak and Bean Company on the Boulevard of National Unity? Did you try the ribolita soup and the crostini misti? This place has serious primary and reinvestment capital, dogs."  

When Misha brings up the ethnic divide, Weiner brushes the worry aside and says that the people of Absurdistan are pragmatists. He then introduces his Absurdi pet project, Sakha the Democrat, who is editor-in-chief of the American-funded journal, Gimme Freedom, and who begs Weiner to let him have the deluxe platter with fries for lunch. Weiner tells him that the democracy budget is slim these days so he should order his meal without fries.

I've been running around town today, so I haven't had time to post, and I've got a lot of work tonight, so I probably won't do much posting this evening either. But here's an important op-ed by Rory Stewart on Afghanistan:

The international community's policy in Afghanistan is based on the claim that Afghans are willing partners in the creation of a liberal democratic state. Senator John McCain finished a recent speech on Afghanistan by saying, "Billions of people around the world now embrace the ideals of political, economic and social liberty, conceived in the West, as their own."

In Afghanistan in January, Tony Blair thanked Afghans by saying "we're all in this together" and placing them in "the group of people who want to live in peace and harmony with each other, whatever your race or your background or your religion."

Such language is inaccurate, misleading and dangerous.

Afghans, like Americans, do not want to be abducted and tortured. They want a say in who governs them, and they want to feed their families. But reducing their needs to broad concepts like "human rights," "democracy" and "development" is unhelpful.

For many Afghans, sharia law is central. Others welcome freedom from torture, but not free media or freedom of religion; majority rule, but not minority rights; full employment, but not free-market reforms. "Warlords" retain considerable power. Millions believe that alcohol should be forbidden and apostates killed, that women should be allowed in public only in burqas. Many Pusthu clearly prefer the Taliban to foreign troops.

...The time has come to be honest about the limits of our power and the Afghan reality. This is not to counsel despair. There is no fighting in the streets of Kabul, the Hazara in the center of the country are more secure and prosperous than at almost any time in their history, and the economy grew last year by 18 percent. These are major achievements. With luck and the right kind of international support, Afghanistan can become more humane, prosperous and stable.

But progress will be slow. Real change can come only from within, and we have less power in Afghanistan than we claim. We must speak truthfully about this situation. Our lies betray Afghans and ultimately ourselves. And the cost in lives, opportunities and reputation is unbearable.