tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23301331.post116060879561150087..comments2023-10-28T05:02:10.442-04:00Comments on Americans For Bosnia: "Fools' Crusade" Chapter Two [10]Kirk Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06879908614214050994noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23301331.post-10038390677977414602009-07-17T11:08:31.590-04:002009-07-17T11:08:31.590-04:00Bravo for responding to this monstrous person, Kir...Bravo for responding to this monstrous person, Kirk. I have been doing research on the deniers for a number of years and a detail drew me once more recently to your blog. I was following the thread of criminologist T.C. Cleiren's testimony to the ICTY, which I saw in Johnstone. Could not find her whole testimony in English but found the French. <br /><br />Your write that Cleiren may have had a point, but "The outside world was trying to get a handle on the situation, not prepare a detailed affidavit for a court case." Well, in fact, the ICTY WAS dealing in the legal realm, which meant that Cleiren had to be very cautious about her statement. As she said, she had to deal with the possibilities as well as the constraints international law must consider. So she goes into a very lengthy list of qualifications--second-hand eports, propaganda, confusion on the grouns, fear and shame on the part of the victims (in fact we can see reading her testimony that one constraint will obviously be the UNDERREPORTING of the crime). All this said (this is the extent to which Madame Johnstone is willing to consider the testimony). Professor Cleiren says that because of the uncertainties that are naturally part of such a study, a commission "must be very careful before drawing conclusions based on individual cases." She then says immediately after, Malgre tout cela (despite all this/nevertheless), the UN commission on which she had served had reason to believe that not only were there individual crimes but that there was also a "systematic policy." And this was the conclusion of the court, based on her testimony and that of other expert witnesses and evidence.<br /><br />See http://www.un.org/icty/transf5&18/960702it.htm for her testimony to the hearing to review the Karadzic-Mladic indictments (see http://www.icty.org/x/cases/mladic/related/en/rev-ii960716-e.pdf). <br /><br />This is so typical of the dishonesty of apologists Johnstone, Edward S. Herman, Peter Brock, and many others. NOTHING can be trusted in what they say. One recalls Mary McCarthy's comment about the stalinist writer Lillian Hellman, that "every word she writes is a lie, including 'and' and 'the.'"<br /><br />You can find some of my writing on these subjects at the Balkan Witness website, e.g. http://www.glypx.com/balkanwitness/watson.htm.<br /><br />I would also like to stay in touch outside the blog, if possible, but can't see how to send you an email.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23301331.post-1160686417353719102006-10-12T16:53:00.000-04:002006-10-12T16:53:00.000-04:00If that's your impression, then I must be doing so...If that's your impression, then I must be doing something right--you've done a fair job of summing up her shoddy scholarship.Kirk Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06879908614214050994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23301331.post-1160633396287598422006-10-12T02:09:00.000-04:002006-10-12T02:09:00.000-04:00Her selective uses of sources, particularly Wester...Her selective uses of sources, particularly Western sources when it fits her purpose is quite apparent.<BR/><BR/>In general she dismisses all "Western" sources as biased, imperialistic, whatever.<BR/>However, if there is a Western source which adheres to her p.o.v. suddenly the Western source is not biased, but sound, balanced and useful.<BR/><BR/>Not even dealing with her pathetic thesis, just the scholarship of the book: lack of sources, use of old/outdated sources, putting everything out of context leaves a lot to be desired.<BR/>And from your reviews, it appears as if she uses a lot of intellectual mumbo jumbo and abstract concepts to hide away from the actual plain facts. (At least, that is my impression.)Shainahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04254890410995215990noreply@blogger.com