The Belgravia Dispatch: Lunch w/ the FT...

August 03, 2009

Lunch w/ the FT...

...last weekend, with Rory Stewart. I blog the lunch interview really for this snippet:

Since arriving at Harvard in June last year, he has been consultant to several members of Barack Obama’s administration, including Hillary Clinton, and is a member of Richard Holbrooke’s special committee for Afghanistan and Pakistan policy. “I do a lot of work with policymakers, but how much effect am I having?” he asks, pronging a mussel out of its shell.
“It’s like they’re coming in and saying to you, ‘I’m going to drive my car off a cliff. Should I or should I not wear a seatbelt?’ And you say, ‘I don’t think you should drive your car off the cliff.’ And they say, ‘No, no, that bit’s already been decided – the question is whether to wear a seatbelt.’ And you say, ‘Well, you might as well wear a seatbelt.’ And then they say, ‘We’ve consulted with policy expert Rory Stewart and he says ...’” [my emphasis]

Incidentally, Stewart had not unrelated thoughts in the LRB a month or so back.

Posted by Gregory at August 3, 2009 10:54 PM

Comments

I read the FT piece today myself (while waiting for my car to be serviced) and also found that passage very striking, so much so that I wanted to hop up and make everyone at the service counter read it themselves. Luckily I resisted that urge.

Posted by: bdbd at August 4, 2009 11:12 PM | Permalink to this comment

bdbd: Good impulse control. I, on the other hand, didn't resist and foisted the link off on the comment threat at Matt Yglesias post on AF-PAK policy.

Posted by: Adams at August 7, 2009 11:11 AM | Permalink to this comment

Exactly what is a "policy expert," anyway? I always wondered. Regarding Afghan-Pkstn, is it the guy who spends long walks and odysseys in the ancient, frozen mountains? one who speaks to the retrograde Pashtun in their native lingo? somebody who's studied the region's history and knows its mystic soul?

Cause if it is, if that's the coin of the realm, then tell Dear Rory to stick with writing ficition. I have tired of the guys who've got things figured out for us. Get me the dunce who's just bright enough to say the hell with those places. There are too many bodies six feet under that might still be eating their own New England brunches had some geopolitical genius kept his mouth shut.

Bin Laden died a long time ago, ladies. Time to move the fck on.

Posted by: resh at August 11, 2009 07:25 PM | Permalink to this comment

	« Robert Strange McNamara \| Main \| Blunders on the High Seas » August 03, 2009 Lunch w/ the FT... ...last weekend, with Rory Stewart. I blog the lunch interview really for this snippet: Since arriving at Harvard in June last year, he has been consultant to several members of Barack Obama’s administration, including Hillary Clinton, and is a member of Richard Holbrooke’s special committee for Afghanistan and Pakistan policy. “I do a lot of work with policymakers, but how much effect am I having?” he asks, pronging a mussel out of its shell. “It’s like they’re coming in and saying to you, ‘I’m going to drive my car off a cliff. Should I or should I not wear a seatbelt?’ And you say, ‘I don’t think you should drive your car off the cliff.’ And they say, ‘No, no, that bit’s already been decided – the question is whether to wear a seatbelt.’ And you say, ‘Well, you might as well wear a seatbelt.’ And then they say, ‘We’ve consulted with policy expert Rory Stewart and he says ...’” [my emphasis] Incidentally, Stewart had not unrelated thoughts in the LRB a month or so back. Posted by Gregory at August 3, 2009 10:54 PM Comments I read the FT piece today myself (while waiting for my car to be serviced) and also found that passage very striking, so much so that I wanted to hop up and make everyone at the service counter read it themselves. Luckily I resisted that urge. Posted by: bdbd at August 4, 2009 11:12 PM \| Permalink to this comment bdbd: Good impulse control. I, on the other hand, didn't resist and foisted the link off on the comment threat at Matt Yglesias post on AF-PAK policy. Posted by: Adams at August 7, 2009 11:11 AM \| Permalink to this comment Exactly what is a "policy expert," anyway? I always wondered. Regarding Afghan-Pkstn, is it the guy who spends long walks and odysseys in the ancient, frozen mountains? one who speaks to the retrograde Pashtun in their native lingo? somebody who's studied the region's history and knows its mystic soul? Cause if it is, if that's the coin of the realm, then tell Dear Rory to stick with writing ficition. I have tired of the guys who've got things figured out for us. Get me the dunce who's just bright enough to say the hell with those places. There are too many bodies six feet under that might still be eating their own New England brunches had some geopolitical genius kept his mouth shut. Bin Laden died a long time ago, ladies. Time to move the fck on. Posted by: resh at August 11, 2009 07:25 PM \| Permalink to this comment		About Belgravia Dispatch Gregory Djerejian, an international lawyer and business executive, comments intermittently on global politics, finance & diplomacy at this site. The views expressed herein are solely his own and do not represent those of any organization. More About the Author Email the Author Recent Entries Gaddis' Kennan Biography: Some Preliminary Musings The Folly of Afghanistan The Syria Conundrum Brzezinski on Execution of the Asia "Pivot" Donilon's Missing Word Search Search this site: The News Financial Times New York Times Wall Street Journal The Economist The Times The Spectator Daily Telegraph The New Yorker Washington Post New Criterion New Republic National Review The Atlantic The American Conservative Harpers The Week The Guardian Weekly Standard The Nation Real Clear Politics Le Figaro Le Monde El Pais Pravda The Blogs Across the Aisle Marc Ambinder American Footprints The American Scene Bainbridge Jack Balkin Becker-Posner Balloon Juice Steve Clemons Juan Cole The Corner Crooked Timber Cunning Realist Brad DeLong Democracy Arsensal Daniel Drezner Washington Monthly James Fallows Glenn Greenwald Nikolas Gvosdev Huffington Post Mark Kleiman Joshua Landis Daniel Larison Marc Lynch Josh Marshall Progressive Realist Obsidian Wings George Packer Gideon Rachman Andrew Sullivan Katrina vanden Heuvel Volokh Conspiracy Steve Walt James Wolcott Matthew Yglesias Foreign Affairs Commentariat Foreign Affairs Foreign Policy Le Monde Diplomatique National Interest Law & Finance Barron's Bloomberg Bull and Bear Wise Calculated Risk Marketwatch Contrary Investor Corporate Counsel Blog DealBreaker Deal Lawyers Blog Financial Sense Forbes Fortune Hussman Funds Bruce MacEwen Barry Ritholz Nouriel Roubini Safe Haven SCOTUS Blog Seeking Alpha The Street 10b-5 Daily Yahoo Finance Think Tanks AEI Baker Institute Brookings Carnegie Cato CFR CSIS Heritage IISS Intl Crisis Group USIP Security Janes Fed. American Scientists Defense Tech Global Security Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Books American Scholar LRB NYRB NYT Book Review Paris Review TLS Granta Grand Street Arts & Letters Daily TNR's The Book The City Curbed Eater Gothamist NY Magazine NY Post NY Press New York Observer Tribeca Trib Vanishing NY Village Voice Epicurean Corner Wine Terroirs The Burgundy Report Richard Kelley Andrew Jefford Archives Browse Archives Syndicate this site: Belgravia Dispatch Maintained by: www.vikeny.com Powered by

	© 2010 Belgravia Dispatch