The new issue of Democratiya has been posted, and it looks like a corker. It contains an excerpt from Andrei Markovits’s new book on anti-Americanism in Europe, a Nick Cohen review of a George Orwell collection, and the inimitable Norm on “Deficits of International Law” (and in a Thelonious Sphere Monk T-shirt). And that’s just the beginning. There are also articles on feminism in India, gay rights in Moscow, and an interview with Ladan Boroumand, research director at The Abdorrahman Boroumand Foundation for the Promotion of Human Rights and Democracy in Iran. Start reading now and you won’t have to stare at your feet the next time somebody asks you about genocide, international law, or anti-Americanism at a cocktail party, beer bust, or while you’re standing in line at the bank.
The editor’s letter for the new issue, in discussing Markovits’s book, “Uncouth Nation,” quotes Immanuel Kant, who, though he never traveled 100 miles from Königsberg, apparently disliked Americans. According to the great philosopher, Americans “had no passion, hardly speak at all, never caress one another, care about nothing, and are lazy.” It’s funny: Though the animus some European intellectuals feel for Americans has not lessened—and has probably increased—since Kant’s time, the usual criticisms (or stereotypes) now are almost exactly the opposite of Kant’s characterization. We have too much passion, speak too loudly and too often, are too open with our shows of affection and emotion, care too much about money and religion, and work too hard. I wonder if Kant would like us better now.
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