RSSThank you, commenter #17, for getting us to the heart of the matter.
What is “genuinely new” (in the sense of being rarely discussed or even acknowledged in public settings) is that the Total Spectrum Dominance of the U.S.-led empire includes the weapon of terrorism. It is an effective tactic in wielding power, and as the empire insists on total tactical dominance, the empire must be a terrorist too.
Which is why commenter #1’s musings are so dangerous. He continues to operate in the fairyland where the terrorists are other people. A realistic view of the contemporary world assumes that one-half of the terrorism (how would we ever tell if it is more or less?) is activity planned by the empire’s various agents.
In short, our own government is playing both sides of this evil game. And we have no way of knowing or finding out when it is protecting us and when it is attacking us.
Gareth Porter attempted to debunk Schanberg 2008 essay in an article published by ACA in 2010 (the same issue of ACA Unz describes above).
I can’t find anything online in which Schanberg or Unz responded to Porter’s piece,nor have I found anything Porter has written on the subject since 2010.
What is the status of Porter’s critique?