Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: RE: Re: Re: Fw: The Fall of 'Challenge'?

["Ian Murray" <seamus2001@xxxxxxxx>]

> G'day Ian,
>
> Thanks for the (as always) thoughtful reply.

=======
You're too kind. A tip of the glass to 'ya later today [my time].


>
> > The struggle to create institutions that can go after a Kissinger
or > a Pol Pot or a Pinochet or a Truman is a worthy project, imo.
>
> We have one.  The Hague.  It can.  But it won't.
=======
Agreed. Here we see the the intracacies of hierarchy and positional
goods and deception and treachery at their most complex. All the
contradicitions of the lovers of the imperial cosmology manifest
themselves at this attempt to institutionalize soomething beyond [but
what?] 'victors justice.


 Is there such a thing as a
> utilitarian institutionalist?  I mean, part of my reckoning as one
such (if
> indeed one is allowed to be one) would be that Kissinger ain't
likely to face
> the music, nor would any murderer contemporarily valued by the
powers-that-be.
>  As one inclined against many of the interests of the
powers-that-be, I could
> be persuaded that the benefits of hanging an aged Pinochet by the
bollocks are
> outweighed by the costs of adding yet another institutional bulwark
to the
> hegemonic arsenal.  I mean, I like Castro (whom I place in the
'killer'
> category) more than Kissinger (whom I place in the 'murderer
category) - yet
> who is at the greater risk from the institution you commend, given
the
> institutional relations that pertain?
=========
The toughest of questions. We *have* to ask them. Non-fatalistically,
K & P will die 'free'. We can only struggle as best  we can [and this
is especially so for those on the list who teach the young] to avoid
the production of said 'types' in the future. The extent of
insitutional redesign that must be done to achieve this is totally
unknown, such is our ignorance. Again, I would commend Applebaum's
text on some of these thorny issues. It is truly exceptional, even as
there is plenty to argue with.

>
> That's two glasses beyong thirst.  Time to shut up and watch the
cricket.  The
> utilitarian in me wants to avoid a hangover at number-one-son's
morning soccer
> game and wants even more to avoid having his drunken ravings
archived for eternity.
>
> Cheers,
> Rob.
========
A glass of water before narcolepsy sets in helps a lot.

Ian