Michael Ignatieff, currently the leader of the liberal opposition party in Canada, has been an author, an academic, a journalist and an intellectual. In The Warrior's Honor, he uses examples of recent ethnic conflicts to discuss the whys, the hows and the tragedies of war. Mr. Ignatieff is an eloquent thinker who, here, argues convincingly that the differences between people are almost always artificial, that powerful cadres within contentious societies create and then codify these differences as a means to their authoritarian ends. Mr. Ignatieff's account is lent considerable legitimacy by his having travelled to the conflicts about which he speaks so well, giving us first-hand accounts of his arguments. Even if you're ideologically opposed to Mr. Ignatieff's position, there is, in these essays, considerable food for thought. And after all, we learn nothing when we do not challenge our beliefs, our view of the world. (4/5 Stars)
Thursday, 17 March 2011
The Warrior's Honor by Michael Ignatieff
Michael Ignatieff, currently the leader of the liberal opposition party in Canada, has been an author, an academic, a journalist and an intellectual. In The Warrior's Honor, he uses examples of recent ethnic conflicts to discuss the whys, the hows and the tragedies of war. Mr. Ignatieff is an eloquent thinker who, here, argues convincingly that the differences between people are almost always artificial, that powerful cadres within contentious societies create and then codify these differences as a means to their authoritarian ends. Mr. Ignatieff's account is lent considerable legitimacy by his having travelled to the conflicts about which he speaks so well, giving us first-hand accounts of his arguments. Even if you're ideologically opposed to Mr. Ignatieff's position, there is, in these essays, considerable food for thought. And after all, we learn nothing when we do not challenge our beliefs, our view of the world. (4/5 Stars)
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