Van: Integral World [newsletter@integralworld.net] Verzonden: woensdag 16 december 2009 8:40 Aan: f.visser3@chello.nl Onderwerp: [personal] More on Obama INTEGRAL WORLD MAILING LIST =========================== http://www.integralworld.net Newsletter Nr. 304 Amsterdam, December 16th, 2009 THE PERSONAL, THE POLITICAL AND THE INTEGRAL - A Reply to Elliot Benjamin's “Obama and the War in Afghanistan” - Jeff Meyerhoff Eliott Benjamin's article on President Obama's Afghanistan policy exemplifies a pervasive and problematic way of being political. Like many Americans, Benjamin is too focused on a politician's self-presentation and uses it as a substitute for being informed. Acknowledging one's ignorance of certain issues is fine, but we don't have to replace that ignorance with emotional idealizations of politicians. Specifically, our admiration of Obama's considerable intelligence and charisma is no substitute for an assessment of the results of his actions. Read more: http://www.integralworld.net/meyerhoff11.html OBAMA AND THE WAR IN AFGHANISTAN - Further Reflections - Elliot Benjamin My thinking has returned to what it originally was before I heard and watched Obama speak on 12/1/09. I had actually already written a first draft of my previous essay on Obama and the war in Afghanistan before his speech, but after his speech I decided to change the parts of my essay that were most critical of Obama, giving him the benefit of the doubt as I have described above. But as I continuously read the intelligent and informed analyses of the particular arguments Obama made use of in his speech, and I learned more about the actual current political situation in Afghanistan in regard to Al Qaeda and the Taliban, my concerns and disappointment about Obama have returned to me in full force. Read more: http://www.integralworld.net/benjamin20.html A ADDTHIS button has been placed at the top-left of the homepage, so you can send this site to your social neworks friends easily. If you know other people interested in this Integral World Newsletter, please forward this mail to them. Thanks. To SUBSCRIBE to this Integral World Newsletter or change your email address, click here: http://www.integralworld.net/pommo/user/subscribe.php To UPDATE your email address or UNSUBSCRIBE, click here: http://www.integralworld.net/pommo/user/login.php