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Michael Burleigh
Thursday 1st October 2009
Human Bombs

On 27 August a suicide bomber called Abdullah Hassan Tali Asiri nearly killed the Deputy Saudi Interior Minister, Prince Muhammed bin Nayif. The Prince received minor injuries; the bomber was blown in half. Several aspects of this under-reported incident are noteworthy.

 
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Vikki B
November 20th, 2009
2:11 PM
Hello Michael. Sorry to have been a bit absent lately. Must just nit pick on your use of English language (!) - "..Saudi Arabia has become more uncongenial in recent years." Um? Good to see Standpoint has improved and come on in leaps and bounds.

Fred Charatan
November 1st, 2009
1:11 AM
Michael Burleigh is my favorite heavyweight historian. He is adept at finding out less well-known facts, like the attempted assassination of Saudi Prince Muhammed bin Nayif. 'Blood and Rage' is the best comprehensive history of terrorism I have read. It is a master-work.

JoHN E. MUDD
October 9th, 2009
12:10 AM
Thanks for the heads up and a great last line.

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About Michael Burleigh

Michael Burleigh is a historian and winner of the 2012 Nonino prize. His books include The Third Reich: a New History, Earthly Powers, Sacred Causes and Blood & Rage: A Cultural History of Terrorism. He is on the Advisory Board of Standpoint.

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Michael Burleigh
Wednesday 30th September 2009
Empty Boosterism

Temporarily coshed by the list of achievements reeled off by Gordon Brown, I turned this morning to one of the best political commentators for enlightenment.

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MV
October 1st, 2009
9:10 PM
All too true. But which political commentators really care about real politics these days? This article is quite enlightening about what's happening: http://surelysomemistake.blogspot.com/2009/09/accounting-for-eustonians-... Prediction for you Michael - Brown will be out before November.

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About Michael Burleigh

Michael Burleigh is a historian and winner of the 2012 Nonino prize. His books include The Third Reich: a New History, Earthly Powers, Sacred Causes and Blood & Rage: A Cultural History of Terrorism. He is on the Advisory Board of Standpoint.

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Michael Burleigh
Tuesday 29th September 2009
Labour's Vaudeville Turns

Several parliamentary sketch writers evidently had an amusing day watching Peter Mandelson do his stage villian turned saviour act at Brighton in front of a puce-pink backdrop. On the clips I watched on TV Mandelson looked incredibly wooden, with a delivery that was hammy and halting by turns.

 
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About Michael Burleigh

Michael Burleigh is a historian and winner of the 2012 Nonino prize. His books include The Third Reich: a New History, Earthly Powers, Sacred Causes and Blood & Rage: A Cultural History of Terrorism. He is on the Advisory Board of Standpoint.

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Michael Burleigh
Tuesday 29th September 2009
Roman Polanski

I am sure Joshua will have something revealing to say about the arrest in Switzerland of the fugitive film director Roman Polanski in conjunction with a request from the authorities in California.

 
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Vikki B
November 20th, 2009
5:11 PM
Possibly a bit late to comment on this, but here goes. I used to think the incident was about underage sex and thought Polanski was unaware of the girls age, a mistake, other men have made, let's face it and that it was during a less intollerant time when children weren't quite so protected. I never thought it was a case of rape and drugging etc that you mention. Puts a different angle on it. Vile. Polanski has tried to sort this out in the past with the US authorities but they stood firm. The FBI always get their man, however long it may take! Can I ask to whom 'Peter' is referring above - what lies??

Peter
October 1st, 2009
10:10 PM
Why is Standpoint damaging its strong reputation by continuing to publish a man who lies even in his apologies for his previous lies?

Recusant
September 29th, 2009
5:09 PM
I'm amazed that the 'he's a great artist/auteur' defence wasn't available for Gary Glitter. However his case lacked the necessary anti-Americanism I should imagine. Oh and, I suppose, talent.

Recusant
September 29th, 2009
12:09 PM
Oh Michael, how I agree with you. My thinking was on the lines that the law should run its course and he should be extradited, but when I saw all the various luvvies, members of the 'artistic community and the French government jumping up and down in stupefied outrage that one of their own should be subjected to the same laws as the masses, I began to yearn for shackles to be attached and a flight to LA arranged forthwith.

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About Michael Burleigh

Michael Burleigh is a historian and winner of the 2012 Nonino prize. His books include The Third Reich: a New History, Earthly Powers, Sacred Causes and Blood & Rage: A Cultural History of Terrorism. He is on the Advisory Board of Standpoint.

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Michael Burleigh
Monday 28th September 2009
A Forgotten Hero

Part of my weekend was spent reading David Galula's Counter-Revolutionary Warfare: Theory and Practice. Galula fought in the wartime resistance and then in Indochina and Algeria, with periods as a military liaison officer based in Hong Kong.

 
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MlR
October 5th, 2009
5:10 AM
Mr. Burleigh, I consider myself a great fan of your work. Notably, you seem to be someone who tends to be more immune than most to the latest intellectual fads. In that vein, I would just like to council you to take the latest counterinsurgency wave with the same salt. I've seen too many supposedly 'Conservative' and 'skeptical' commentators swallow its social-science derived conclusions uncritically, simply because they want to believe. You should be able to recognize attempted large-scale social engineering for what it is. Simply because it is carried out by the military does not make it much more efficient or predictable. That said, of the counter-insurgency literature, Galula's work does happen to be particularly good and realistic in comparison with some of the finely tuned nonsense that's currently coming out of the academia and military. I also recommend his 'Pacification in Algeria'.

Anonymous
September 29th, 2009
2:09 PM
Well, maybe, but my own theory about how Obama governs is that a) He wants to surround himself with people who worship him b) He hates being around people who are better informed than he is (these are many) c) and he is mortally afraid of being shown up in public for being the callow arrogant fool many of us suspect he is. Put them altogether, and I believe this is why he has apparently only spoken once, by video conference, with Gen McChrystal, his single most important military commander. http://www.washingtontimes.com/weblogs/back-story/2009/sep/28/us-command...

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About Michael Burleigh

Michael Burleigh is a historian and winner of the 2012 Nonino prize. His books include The Third Reich: a New History, Earthly Powers, Sacred Causes and Blood & Rage: A Cultural History of Terrorism. He is on the Advisory Board of Standpoint.

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Michael Burleigh
Thursday 24th September 2009
Sanctions

As I point out in my column in the October issue of the magazine, sanctions ain't what they used to be. They are more like giving a corporation a highly contagious disease, so that, for example, India's Reliance oil company has to weigh up whether to ship 30,000 barrels of gasoline to the mullahs, or forfeit a US$500 million contract to supply jet fuel to New York's JFK airport.

 
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About Michael Burleigh

Michael Burleigh is a historian and winner of the 2012 Nonino prize. His books include The Third Reich: a New History, Earthly Powers, Sacred Causes and Blood & Rage: A Cultural History of Terrorism. He is on the Advisory Board of Standpoint.

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Michael Burleigh
Thursday 24th September 2009
Trawlermen

Sadly, last night saw the end of BBC1's marvellous series on Trawlermen. Each programme followed the fortunes of deep sea fishermen operating from Peterhead or the Shetlands.

 
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About Michael Burleigh

Michael Burleigh is a historian and winner of the 2012 Nonino prize. His books include The Third Reich: a New History, Earthly Powers, Sacred Causes and Blood & Rage: A Cultural History of Terrorism. He is on the Advisory Board of Standpoint.

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Michael Burleigh
Tuesday 22nd September 2009
How Free Is Free?

The Guardian has revealed the true cost of the allegedly advertiser-subsidised local propaganda sheets which flop through the letterbox along with endless flyers for pizzas and takeaway meals.

 
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steve
September 23rd, 2009
10:09 AM
I appreciate that these things are expensive and you might not be interested, but if done right they are useful and effective. The Southwark version is actually pretty good, especially for poorer families, to inform them of the free stuff they're invited to. And it's not like scrapping them necessarily equates to savings - Bo-Jo spent almost as much on a pointless colour-changing rebrand as the Londoner used to cost.

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About Michael Burleigh

Michael Burleigh is a historian and winner of the 2012 Nonino prize. His books include The Third Reich: a New History, Earthly Powers, Sacred Causes and Blood & Rage: A Cultural History of Terrorism. He is on the Advisory Board of Standpoint.

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Michael Burleigh
Monday 21st September 2009
Hawks A Mercy

I recently watched a display of falconry at a fete in Stiffkey in Norfolk. Amazing to watch these marvellous birds dive-bombing the rope thing swung by their handlers. It probably has a technical name.

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About Michael Burleigh

Michael Burleigh is a historian and winner of the 2012 Nonino prize. His books include The Third Reich: a New History, Earthly Powers, Sacred Causes and Blood & Rage: A Cultural History of Terrorism. He is on the Advisory Board of Standpoint.

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Michael Burleigh
Monday 21st September 2009
Antisemitism in the US

It has always struck me that while huge concern is expressed about the recrudescence of largely left-liberal, antisemitism in contemporary Europe, a great silence extends over the extent to which it exists in the USA.

 
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NJM
September 21st, 2009
7:09 PM
Michael, I read the same comments under the tribute article to Irving Kristol, & they were absolutely revolting. Sadly, this was continued on E.J. Dionne's tribute too at the WaPo, & also over at Tina Brown's Daily Beast. (I emailed the editors about moderation - but nothing was done). The paleocon-Ron Paul, bigots & their Chomskyite-DailyKos pals, were posting anti-semitic bile on all of the major liberal blogs (and on Youtube too). The Left's reaction was the same when Tony Snow & William F Buckley died. Just sick. Unfortunately, too many conservative idiots did the same in the comments section when Ted Kennedy died too. You really have to wonder what is out of bounds on the WaPo website & Comment is Free. Btw, it was Robert Kagan - not his brother Fred.

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About Michael Burleigh

Michael Burleigh is a historian and winner of the 2012 Nonino prize. His books include The Third Reich: a New History, Earthly Powers, Sacred Causes and Blood & Rage: A Cultural History of Terrorism. He is on the Advisory Board of Standpoint.

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