Christopher Hitchens and His Critics: Terror, Iraq, and the Left
A provocative volume of the controversial radical thinker

Christopher Hitchens—political journalist, cultural critic, public intellectual and self-described contrarian—is one of the most controversial and prolific writers of his generation. His most recent book, God Is Not Great, was on the New York Times bestseller list in 2007 for months. Like his hero, George Orwell, Hitchens is a tireless opponent of all forms of cruelty, ideological dogma, religious superstition and intellectual obfuscation. Once a socialist, he now refers to himself as an unaffiliated radical. As a thinker, Hitchens is perhaps best viewed as post-ideological, in that his intellectual sources and solidarities are strikingly various (he is an admirer of both Leon Trotsky and Kingsley Amis) and cannot be located easily at any one point on the ideological spectrum. Since leaving Britain for the United States in 1981, Hitchens's thinking has moved in what some see as contradictory directions, but he remains an unapologetic and passionate defender of the Enlightenment values of secularism, democracy, free expression, and scientific inquiry.

The global turmoil of the recent past has provoked intense dispute and division among intellectuals, academics, and other commentators. Hitchens's writing during this time, particularly after 9/11, is an essential reference point for understanding the genesis and meaning of that turmoil—and the challenges that accompany it. This volume brings together Hitchens's most incisive reflections on the war on terror, the war in Iraq, and the state of the contemporary Left. It also includes a selection of critical commentaries on his work from his former leftist comrades, a set of exchanges between Hitchens and various left-leaning interlocutors (such as Studs Terkel, Norman Finkelstein, and Michael Kazin), and an introductory essay by the editors on the nature and significance of Hitchens's contribution to the world of ideas and public debate. In response, Hitchens provides an original afterword, written for this collection.

Whatever readers might think about Hitchens, he remains an intellectual force to be reckoned with. And there is no better place to encounter his current thinking than in this provocative volume.

1119701013
Christopher Hitchens and His Critics: Terror, Iraq, and the Left
A provocative volume of the controversial radical thinker

Christopher Hitchens—political journalist, cultural critic, public intellectual and self-described contrarian—is one of the most controversial and prolific writers of his generation. His most recent book, God Is Not Great, was on the New York Times bestseller list in 2007 for months. Like his hero, George Orwell, Hitchens is a tireless opponent of all forms of cruelty, ideological dogma, religious superstition and intellectual obfuscation. Once a socialist, he now refers to himself as an unaffiliated radical. As a thinker, Hitchens is perhaps best viewed as post-ideological, in that his intellectual sources and solidarities are strikingly various (he is an admirer of both Leon Trotsky and Kingsley Amis) and cannot be located easily at any one point on the ideological spectrum. Since leaving Britain for the United States in 1981, Hitchens's thinking has moved in what some see as contradictory directions, but he remains an unapologetic and passionate defender of the Enlightenment values of secularism, democracy, free expression, and scientific inquiry.

The global turmoil of the recent past has provoked intense dispute and division among intellectuals, academics, and other commentators. Hitchens's writing during this time, particularly after 9/11, is an essential reference point for understanding the genesis and meaning of that turmoil—and the challenges that accompany it. This volume brings together Hitchens's most incisive reflections on the war on terror, the war in Iraq, and the state of the contemporary Left. It also includes a selection of critical commentaries on his work from his former leftist comrades, a set of exchanges between Hitchens and various left-leaning interlocutors (such as Studs Terkel, Norman Finkelstein, and Michael Kazin), and an introductory essay by the editors on the nature and significance of Hitchens's contribution to the world of ideas and public debate. In response, Hitchens provides an original afterword, written for this collection.

Whatever readers might think about Hitchens, he remains an intellectual force to be reckoned with. And there is no better place to encounter his current thinking than in this provocative volume.

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Christopher Hitchens and His Critics: Terror, Iraq, and the Left

Christopher Hitchens and His Critics: Terror, Iraq, and the Left

Christopher Hitchens and His Critics: Terror, Iraq, and the Left

Christopher Hitchens and His Critics: Terror, Iraq, and the Left

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Overview

A provocative volume of the controversial radical thinker

Christopher Hitchens—political journalist, cultural critic, public intellectual and self-described contrarian—is one of the most controversial and prolific writers of his generation. His most recent book, God Is Not Great, was on the New York Times bestseller list in 2007 for months. Like his hero, George Orwell, Hitchens is a tireless opponent of all forms of cruelty, ideological dogma, religious superstition and intellectual obfuscation. Once a socialist, he now refers to himself as an unaffiliated radical. As a thinker, Hitchens is perhaps best viewed as post-ideological, in that his intellectual sources and solidarities are strikingly various (he is an admirer of both Leon Trotsky and Kingsley Amis) and cannot be located easily at any one point on the ideological spectrum. Since leaving Britain for the United States in 1981, Hitchens's thinking has moved in what some see as contradictory directions, but he remains an unapologetic and passionate defender of the Enlightenment values of secularism, democracy, free expression, and scientific inquiry.

The global turmoil of the recent past has provoked intense dispute and division among intellectuals, academics, and other commentators. Hitchens's writing during this time, particularly after 9/11, is an essential reference point for understanding the genesis and meaning of that turmoil—and the challenges that accompany it. This volume brings together Hitchens's most incisive reflections on the war on terror, the war in Iraq, and the state of the contemporary Left. It also includes a selection of critical commentaries on his work from his former leftist comrades, a set of exchanges between Hitchens and various left-leaning interlocutors (such as Studs Terkel, Norman Finkelstein, and Michael Kazin), and an introductory essay by the editors on the nature and significance of Hitchens's contribution to the world of ideas and public debate. In response, Hitchens provides an original afterword, written for this collection.

Whatever readers might think about Hitchens, he remains an intellectual force to be reckoned with. And there is no better place to encounter his current thinking than in this provocative volume.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780814716878
Publisher: New York University Press
Publication date: 06/01/2008
Pages: 392
Product dimensions: 5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Thomas Cushman is Professor of Sociology at Wellesley College in Massachusetts and the founder and editor-at-large of the Journal of Human Rights. He has written or edited numerous books, including George Orwell Into the 21st Century, A Matter of Principle: Humanitarian Arguments for War in Iraq, and This Time We Knew: Western Responses to Genocide in Bosnia (NYU Press).

Table of Contents


Acknowledgments     xiii
Introduction: Terror, Iraq, and the Left   Simon Cottee   Thomas Cushman     1
Hitchens on Terror
American Society Can Outlast or Absorb Practically Anything: Independent, September 16, 2001     39
The Pursuit of Happiness Is at an End: London Evening Standard, September 19, 2001     42
Against Rationalization: Nation, September 20, 2001     44
Of Sin, the Left, and Islamic Fascism: Nation (Online), October 8, 2001     47
Ha Ha Ha to the Pacifists: Guardian, November 14, 2001     52
Stranger in a Strange Land: Atlantic Monthly, December 2001     54
Saving Islam from bin Laden: The Age, September 5, 2002     59
It's a Good Time for War: Boston Globe (Online), September 8, 2002     62
Inside the Islamic Mafia: Slate, September 25, 2003     70
Al Qaeda's Latest Target: Slate, November 18, 2003     73
To Die in Madrid: Slate, March 15, 2004     77
Murder by Any Other Name: Slate, September 7, 2004     79
Bush's Secularist Triumph: Slate, November 9, 2004     82
Jihad in the Netherlands: Free Inquiry, February/March 2005     85
We Cannot Surrender: Mirror, July 8, 2005     87
Yes, London Can Take It: Weekly Standard, July 18, 2005     90
WhyAsk Why?: Slate, October 3, 2005     93
Hitchens on Iraq
Appointment in Samarra?: Nation, September 30, 2002     99
Taking Sides: Nation, October 14, 2002     101
So Long, Fellow Travelers: Washington Post, October 20, 2002     104
I Wanted It to Rain on Their Parade: Mirror, February 18, 2003     108
Weapons and Terror: Slate, May 20, 2003     112
Restating the Case for War: Slate, November 5, 2003     114
The Literal Left: Slate, December 4, 2003     120
Guerrillas in the Mist: Slate, January 2, 2004     122
Fallujah: Wall Street Journal, April 2, 2004     125
Vietnam?: Slate, April 12, 2004     128
Second Thinking: Slate, April 19, 2004     131
Abu Ghraib Isn't Guernica: Slate, May 9, 2005     134
History and Mystery: Slate, May 16, 2005     137
Unmitigated Galloway: Weekly Standard, May 30, 2005     140
Losing the Iraq War: Slate, August 8, 2005     150
A War to Be Proud Of: Weekly Standard, September 5, 2005     152
Anti-War, My Foot: Slate, September 26, 2005     160
Hitchens on the Left
An Interview with Christopher Hitchens, Part I: Radicalism, Liberty, and the Post-Socialist World: Reason Online, November 2001     167
Don't. Be. Silly. An Open Letter to Martin Amis: Guardian, September 4, 2002     177
Europe's Status Quo Left: A Review of Language, Politics, and Writing: Stolentelling in Western Europe by Patrick McCarthy: Foreign Policy, July/August 2003     184
Left-Leaving, Left-Leaning: A Review of Left Illusions by David Horowitz and Not Without Love by Constance Webb: Los Angeles Times, November 16, 2003     189
Polymath with a Cause: A Review of From Oslo to Iraq and the Road Map by Edward W. Said: Washington Post, August 15, 2004     193
Susan Sontag: An Obituary: Slate, December 29, 2004     197
An Interview with Christopher Hitchens, Part II: Anti-Fascism, Reactionary Conservatism, and the Post-September 11 World: Frontpage, December 10, 2003     201
Critical Responses and Exchanges
Letter to the Nation, October 1, 2001: Noam Chomsky, Nation (Online), October 1, 2001     221
Hitchens Responds: Nation (Online), October 4, 2001     222
Letter to the Nation, January 10, 2002: Edward S. Herman, Nation (Online), January 10, 2002     228
Hitchens Responds: Nation (Online), January 10, 2002     229
Christopher Hitchens: The Dishonorable Policeman of the Left: Scott Lucas, New Statesman, May 27, 2002     230
Letter to the Nation, January 6, 2003: Studs Terkel, Nation, January 6, 2003     237
Hitchens Responds: Christopher Hitchens Web, 2003     238
Hitchens as Model Apostate: Norman Finkelstein, Counter Punch, September 10, 2003     242
Hitchens Responds: Christopher Hitchens Web, 2004     250
Obituary for a Former Contrarian: Dennis Perrin, Minneapolis City Pages, July 9, 2003     257
Farewell Hitch: George Scialabba, Evatt Foundation News Letter, April/May 2005     264
The Passion of Christopher Hitchens: A Review of Love, Poverty, and War by Christopher Hitchens: Michael Kazin, Dissent, Summer 2005     273
Christopher Hitchens: Flickering Firebrand: Gary Malone, Arena Journal, July 7, 2005     279
Christopher Hitchens's Last Battle: Juan Cole, Salon, September 5, 2005     302
The Genocidal Imagination of Christopher Hitchens: Richard Seymour, Monthly Review, November 26, 2005     312
Afterword   Christopher Hitchens     331
About the Contributors     343
Index     347

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Most of Hitchens’s reasons for keeping the hawkish faith can be found in this collection.”
-New York Review of Books

,

“The controversial pundit dishes out and takes punishment in this anthology of rancorous essays by him and the leftist comrades he abandoned to embrace the invasion of Iraq. . . .There'’s red meat aplenty for pro- and anti-Hitchens readers.”
-Publishers Weekly

,

“Hitchens’s style is so dazzling it is easy to forget that it is rooted in a solid belief in secularism, feminism, and reason. These are the core principles of the Left and we have no choice but to defend them. As they are assaulted by psychopathic Islamists abroad and betrayed by empty headed phonies at home, it is good to know that Hitchens is on our side.”
-Nick Cohen,columnist, The Observer

“The 52 essays, articles, and exchanges are among the best in post-9/11 literature, and shimmer with pugilistic intelligence and wit.”
-Capitol File Magazine

,

“It is a collection of Hitchens’s most salient post-9/11 articles, essays, and interviews juxtaposed with responses and recriminations that his contrarian thinking prompted. . . . The true value of Christopher Hitchens and His Critics lies in the clarity that comes from its convenience. Rather than just writing about him, Cottee and Cushman chose to bring together many of his pieces and let the inimitable firebrand speak himself.”
-PopMatters.com

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