The boy with the knife looks barely 12. In a high-pitched voice, he denounces the bound, blindfolded man before him as an American spy. Then he hacks off the captive's head to cries of "God is great!" and hoists it in triumph by the hair. Full video at Jawa, too difficult for me.
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Great article in City Journal by Christopher Hitchens: America’s first confrontation with the Islamic world helped forge a new nation’s character: Jefferson Versus the Muslim Pirates
51 minutes ago
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1 comments:
I would have missed Hitchens's article if it was not for your link.
In my opinion, the best recent book on the Barbary Wars is Lambert's _The Barbary Wars_ (2005). I disagree with Hitchens's suggestion that Lambert limits his argument by framing the wars within the context of free trade.
Still worth reading is Stanley Lane-Poole's _The Barbary Corsairs_ (1890). It's a classic. In addition, Royall Tyler's _The Algerine Captive_ (1797) is an exciting, fictional meditation upon enslavement.
I enjoy reading your blog.
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