Cutting to the core of human nature

I came across this book review on Being Indian, a book by Pavan K. Varma. The review alone seems uncompromisingly candid:

The stereotypes in which foreigners see Indians and the self-image that Indians project about themselves are both inaccurate. Indians are considered democratic, spiritual, tolerant, peaceful etc. But Varma's value-neutral reappraisal throws up surprising conclusions that can be embarrassing. Indians respect the powerful and will collude with them for personal gain. They are extremely hierarchical, bending before superiors and subjugating inferiors. They have never been "other-worldly" and hanker for material prosperity. Spiritualism is "mostly a means to harness divine support for power and [s]elf". (p 7) Morality is a theoretical construct abjured as impractical in real life. Indians also sanction violence when convinced of numerical strength and surety of victory. Varma's thesis is that some uncomplimentary facets of Indians are actually assets that make them resilient, tough and successful.

Having read the review in full, I couldn't help reflecting that these aspects Varma identifies are far from unique to India and in fact found in many if not most cultures around the world. Such realism is therefore worth keeping in mind when considering the psychology of the people of any country or culture.

Who's next?

So CIA Director Tenet is out. Resigned for personal reasons. While Deputy John McLachalan will be acting in top CIA post until it is formally filled, I'm willing to say odds are that Florida Republican Porter Goss will get the spot. He's being floated as a candidate.

Keeping score

Iran is still playing coy about its enriched uranium manufacturing capabilities. It's brinkmanship. They're pushing the UN and the USA to see how much they can get away with. I therefore conclude that the lesson of Iraq was not a deterrent as US forces are effectively locked in place, fully extended, unable to redeploy rapidly, and thus incapable of exerting pressure in coercive diplomacy. Therefore, the US isn't deemed a credible threat.

Judging from the recent attack on foreign oil workers in Saudi Arabia, al Qaida is apparently playing a careful game of targeted oil infrastructure by killing non-Muslim Westerners while at the same time avoiding targeting the Saudi royal family or the refineries themselves in order to avoid the consolidation of opinion against them. The fact that three militants escaped three rings of security to freedom is troubling. Did someone on the inside give them information on how to get out? One source reported that a European was beheaded, his head hurled out a window. I'd hate to see that be verified as a trend, as it would mean they're copycats in an ugly way; in an earlier attack in Khobar, the body of an Westerner was dragged through the streets behind a car, perhaps in imitation of the desecration of contractors' bodies in Fallujah.