“Close Your Hearts to Pity”: A Security State Critic Embraces Total War
William Arkin has long been an outstanding investigator of the “National Security State,” bringing to light many of its sinister operations. But he seems to have looked into the abyss too long, for now, in a recent article in Cryptome, he is offering a counsel of despair that reflects the worst and most extreme stances of the National Security State toward terrorism, while completely overlooking that same State’s role — still continuing today — in fostering, funding and arming Islamic extremism. We have not even begun to address this “root cause” of violent Islamic extremism in its modern, organized form.