Newsletter April '07

Table of Contents:

Alexander Mackenzie's Bookshelf

Portrait of Mao as a greedy, cowardly, deceitful, manipulative egoist.

In the study of the monsters of the 20^th Century, Mao Zedong largely escaped the detailed scholarship that examined Hitler and Stalin. This is a pity because in many ways he was much worse than either. Hitler, at least, was known to have been physically courageous as a young soldier in the First World War. Mao never risked his hide in any way. Stalin cared (somewhat) for his wives and children; Mao seem untroubled by what befell several of his wives and children.

At least Hitler and Stalin were well groomed -- Mao never brushed his teeth and wasn't known to have taken a bath or shower in his 27 years as the master of China. Hitler's sex-life is a matter of considerable curiosity, but there doesn't seem to have been much of it; Stalin's sexual drives were normal enough and never mastered him. Mao was insatiable in his appetite for young women (what they thought of his hygiene is not recorded).

In a dictator, the man begets the monster; and Hitler and Stalin's murderous legacies are well known but still seemed to have some slight limits. Mao knew none whatsoever. Jung Chang and Jon Halliday's superb biography Mao: The Unknown Story (Random House, New York 2005) details a man who seems more callous, more cruel, more manipulative, and far greedier than either of his two contemporaries. The book also lifts the lid off many aspects of his career: How Mao went through the Long March carried on a litter; how double agents engineered the collapse of the Nationalist Armies in 1947-48; or how his petty machinations against party rivals destroyed tens of thousands of his own troops needlessly.

This book should be essential reading for any student of 20^th Century history.

Real nations have real armies.

Canadian historian Jack Granatstein has produced another fine set of essays on Canada's defence and security. Whose War is it? (Harper Collins, Toronto, 2007) outlines the prices we may still pay for our wishful thinking, vacuous sentiments about peacekeeping and other illusions about the nature of the world and the necessity of security. Many Canadians maintain themselves in a state of blissful ignorance about the threats we face; we have let our protections slip and the author takes no prisoners in attacking those responsible.

Granatstein is trying to kick life into a long overdue informed debate about Canada's policies, practices and future. One can only applaud his efforts and second his arguments. Unfortunately, as Will Rogers pointed out; good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment; we shall probably have to learn some bitter lessons the hard way.

The True Legacies of the Western World

An American academic of liberal inclinations, Thomas Cahill has produced a series of thought-provoking essays on what he calls the 'hinges of history' which should engage any reader with an open mind. Starting with How the Irish Saved Civilization (Doubleday, New York, 1995), and progressing though The Gift of the Jews (1998); Desire of the Everlasting Hills: The World Before and After Jesus (1999); and Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter (2003). Cahill explores the foundations of Western culture with an easy and clear exposition that seems devoid of many of the rancorous 'perspectives' that haunt us now.

The latest volume in the series, Mysteries of the Middle Ages: The Rise of Feminism, Art and Science from the Cults of Catholic Europe (2006) is a title that might catch the attention of conspiracy-myth addicts looking for more tripe along the lines of The Da Vinci Code. Alas, they will be disappointed, although they might learn the real value of religion in determining the development of thought, art and culture. Cahill has an elegant grasp of faith and human nature, and a real talent for identifying how a simple idea can be revolutionary in the development of civilization.

These are well worth reading, particularly if you can set some time aside to mull over his observations.

A Wounded Stork

Trust George Jonas to always rapidly engage your attention in a few seconds. The prolific columnist and seasoned commentator has released a compendium on his observations on Islam and the crisis of our times. Reflections on Islam (Key Porter Books, Toronto, 2007) contains many of his pieces from the National Post over the last six years.

For a true gentleman, George has a habit of getting many of his readers (including me) to a boiling point fairly quickly -- not so much for his commentary, but rather for what he has observed. Even in the introduction, I was infuriated to learn that Professor Daniel Pipes was advised by a Toronto police office on hate crime before being allowed to address an audience at York University -- thanks to the complaints of the yahoos and hooligans of the Agitprop-rent-a-mob and Palestinian 'student' activists who threatened violence if he spoke. This is a book that can leave you pacing the carpet‚Ķ

Why Accuracy can be Disturbing

Dr. Walid Phares is brilliant -- there is no other way to describe him. Of Lebanese origin, he has emerged as one of the world's leading academics and analysts of Middle Eastern politics due to his extensive knowledge of local conditions, intellectual courage, incisive mind, and an enviable clarity of expression. His latest book, The War of Ideas: Jihadism Against Democracy (Palgrave Macmillan, New York, 2007) showcases these abilities; yet it remains a disturbing book.

It is no secret that there is a wide cultural gap between Middle Eastern Arabs and Westerners; but the Western World's failure to understand how Arab elites think and what they believe is profound. Unsurprisingly, they reject the very ideas of liberality and modernism; but their war against the West is at once larger and more subtle than we realize. Phares maps out just who is in the Jihad movement and what they are doing to sap our ability to react to it. The terrorism of al Qaeda and company is only the tip of the iceberg. As a part of that minority of Arab intellectuals and reformers who know exactly what is going on, his warnings must be taken seriously.

John Thompson is President of the Mackenzie Institute which studies political instability and terrorism. He can be reached at: mackenzieinstitute@bellnet.ca