Samantha Power: Apologist for American Crimes & Genocides

[Bunklezz]

Oh, the Yale University Cambodian Genocide Program puts the Communist Khmer Rouge death toll at 1.7 million. Craig Etcheson of the Documentation Center of Cambodia suggests that the death toll was between 2 and 2.5 million. So her numbers regarding Democratic Kampuchea are pretty much right on the mark...

[mr1001nights]

@Bunklezz

The US bombing of Cambodia (and it's aftermath of starvation, disease etc) killed a similar number of people as Pol Pot. Many of these "scholars" ignore the effects of the US bombing (which actually played a decisive role in Pol Pot's rise) and pretend it was all done by Pol Pot.

[Bunklezz]

Samantha Power also omits the tens of millions obliterated by Mao Tse-tung and the "Red Terror" genocide of Mengistu Haile Mariam (who was actually convicted of the crime). Come to think of it the tens of thousands of "counter-revolutionaries" summarily executed by the Cheka during the Bolshevik "Red Terror" are also missing... as is the Soviet rape of Afghanistan that left over a million Afghan civilians dead. Does that mean she's also an apologist for Communist totalitarianism???

[mr1001nights]

@Bunklezz

Her book was about America's understanding of, response to, and inaction on genocides that the US could have done something about. Yet she ignored America's role in perpetrating genocides.

Imagine some soviet commissar who wrote a book about Soviet understanding of, response to, and inaction on genocides that the Soviet Union could have done something about. You're the equivalent of an extreme commissar criticizing such book by saying "You didn't mention enough capitalist genocides"

[unit023]

Power and others of her ilk have huge blind spots. These blind spots are necessary if they want to stay in the elite circles, be taken seriously by other establishment folks and continue to be invited to the right parties etc.

[fctchk]

@unit023 "Power and others of her ilk have huge blind spots" enabled or at least not challenged by the biggest blind spot of all: the consciousness of a public lobotomized by propagandist primary and secondary education then sedated by news-media subsidiary of the entertainment industry in turn owned by armament companies that make it all (cheap oil) possible, who in turn own and are owned by members of the executive, legislative and judiciary. What's miraculous is that we know anything at all.

[twistfinger]

In fairness, though, isn't it okay that this book stuck to the indirect support of genocide rather than also the ones you talk about it directly contributing to? That might have made it twice as long.

I don't think it's insignificant that she has brought this topic to more people's attention. Most people aren't just going to jump right into something further than that. Heck, she may have even been holding her tongue. No reason to hate on her.

[kvnstgrg]

Since reading Power's books I have heard a lot of the same criticism, that she is not anti-American enough to be a respected academic. The problem that I have with this is that while critics say that the US should change they way they view genocide she proposes to change the way we deal with genocide. Your final point that she is maliciously perpetuating some sort of neo-crusade that is taking place is ill founded because the violence in Darfur is Muslim on Muslim.

[DeeBo1982]

fantastic my friend,keep the good work up.

[fjfjvmvm]

Trenchant critique. I would add something; beside ignoring what the US and our client states have done, she takes the most extreme and unsupported statements about our officially designated enemies. Take for instance her chapter on Halabja and the supposed Iraqi genocide of its Kurdish population. She accepts at face valuable laughable and factually unsupported "reports" like the execrable HRW report which was essentially a product of the US Senate. This is done to justify US aggression.

[fctchk]

laconic and spot on

[mdsimontam]

good points!

[Jovian84]

racism has been a tool of power for too long. the lattice of exploitation attempts to make me fearful of reaching out to people of other classes, but the people of iraq are humans. they are my brothers as such, I want them to be happy. I want them to control their coutnries oil. I want them to be educated. I want us both to have control over our governments. I want them to know that we in america are as powerless againts the empire as they are, but are trying to help them.

[Jovian84]

you know america inhereted a huge trade and influence empire from that war. we've been fighting nonstop ever since then to protect it, and it seems we have no say in the matter. Why should the worlds people endorse or protect empires when history makes clear that empires never protect or even benefit their people? why should we kill other people in the same situation, other than racism? they are our brothers more than the elite will ever be. we must take care of each other because they wont.

[Peripatetic5]

Can somebody recommend an alternative text on the subject?

[jewke]

If Hillary were a man, she'd be called "aggressive" rather than a "monster." Regarding Ms. Power, this episode just shows you that even women can be misogynistic.

[hotsatsuma]

Thank you for your depth and eloquence of your article. We must openly discuss these issues.

[wcchaddock]

Seeking to be relevant to those in power, Samantha Power crafts a narrative which does denounce the US ala Chomsky, but merely chastises/suggests a 'better' path which is not anathema to those in power. One should understand what she is doing, i.e., rather than engage in moralizing and condemn the powerful, luxuries proper to the irrelevant, she's dirtied herself trying to prevent future horrors. But rest easy, I'm told self-indulgent handwringing has been shown recently to cure bullet wounds.

[cwittel]

Good clip. Obama's vision of government does not exist and will not be created overnight. The problems that exist right now need to be addressed immediately and within the current system. I love his dream of a different world, but that requires long-term effort, so let's do that. I want a new direction right now, today, and that new direction will happen within by navigating the current system. Obama's goals are admirable, but will ultimately work against all of us if he is elected.

[mr1001nights]

Well, real power in the US lies in the corporate establishment. All leaders have noble rhetoric and claim to have benevolent intentions. Anyone with more power than you contributes to subordination, dependence and thus is an enemy of freedom. Anyone who has more say than you over matters that affect you is an enemy of democracy. And i can't think of a more extreme position of power than the president of the US.

[hamid275]

Nobody is perfect, but you can't ignore the fact that if she becomes a part of new administration, it would be a drastic possitive change from the current one. One of our problems is we are cynical and waiting for second coming, we don't believe in reform and gradual improvement. Cynicism and criticizing others are the easiest things in the world, unfortunately don't solve anything.

[cypheir]

too bad she took herself out of power with her little "monster" blunder, guess we dont have to worry about her anymore.

[AntiStateAnnie]

Thanks for some information on Ms. Powers.. Funny how ignoring critical parts of a situation, just ignoring them all together can justify the continuation of the original problem. In this case further genocide committed by the USA.

[nickglais]

Well done

[iamtexas]

The Powers book was used a the main text in a "International Human Rights" course i took 2 years ago. This video is a manifestation of all that was flawed and frustrating in the class.

[Kockopeli]

Brilliant ;)

[eyemran]

Good crticial vid!

[BrightHelmVellas]

She's got her Bush-blinkers on.