Whiffs of the Opium War in Iraq war? (Straits Times) The author, a Singaporean professor, is apparently working on a more detailed paper on the similarities between the Opium Wars and the Iraqi-Bush conflict. I look forward to it. In the meantime, it's a curious article, and I suppose it depends on what you know and how you feel about the Opium Wars whether or not it seems politically-laced. Myself, I took the wrong era of Asian history to directly study the Opium Wars, and despite a trend passing references to the negativity of the wars, I've never actually followed up. But this is also one of those occasions where, if the forthcoming paper proves to be solidly built, the course of future thinking about history could be influenced sharply. An established academic trend regarding the 19th and 21st century forays could have broad implications toward notions of capitalism, imperialism, and liberation or liberty, to say the least. But the Opium Wars are now officially on my reading list; I no longer have an excuse to put it off--it seems possible that it's one of those things that I really should know about if I'm going to be a Camusite anarcho-pacifist, or whatever the hell it is that I call myself these days. So ... have fun. It's sort of a time-out from the brutality of day-to-day history, an excursion into a dilution of academic snobbery, but it's amazing how much influence this grade of idea can tend. :m:, Tiassa Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
