Greendruid
Sep 29th 2009, 09:41 PM
Robert Strange McNamara (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_McNamara) died three days after the birth of my son so I had no knowledge of this until recently. Not being a terribly well-informed scholar of American history, I didn't know who he was until I saw The Fog of War (http://www.sonyclassics.com/fogofwar/) about five years ago.
I was truly moved by the movie and the reality of the mutually assured destruction of the major powers of the world during the 1960s was presented in vivid colour (and black and white sometimes). What struck me most about McNamara was growing opposition to Kennedy and Johnson about Vietnam as the conflict progressed and became an out of control nightmare for the American people.
McNamara's frightening 11 lessons from war seem to have a duplicitous nature to them such that they could equally inform pro- and anti-war factions. I don't think that the film is at all clear about which side McNamara fell on in the end days of his life. This me be a talking point for follow-up posts.
His role with the World Bank seems to have produced massive sweeping changes in the way business was done for good and bad. I don't know enough about the World Bank to comment specifically on their role in the world of poverty. However, much has probably been said about the clout of such a powerful money-lender imposing Western ideas on poor nations and their populaces. Again, this may be another talking point.
Either way, I simply wanted to post something about the guy. He influenced me, perhaps reinforcing the reality of the title of that now-famous movie. The Fog of War - how blinded we can become by the aggression we wield in the name of what we think is righteous.
I was truly moved by the movie and the reality of the mutually assured destruction of the major powers of the world during the 1960s was presented in vivid colour (and black and white sometimes). What struck me most about McNamara was growing opposition to Kennedy and Johnson about Vietnam as the conflict progressed and became an out of control nightmare for the American people.
McNamara's frightening 11 lessons from war seem to have a duplicitous nature to them such that they could equally inform pro- and anti-war factions. I don't think that the film is at all clear about which side McNamara fell on in the end days of his life. This me be a talking point for follow-up posts.
His role with the World Bank seems to have produced massive sweeping changes in the way business was done for good and bad. I don't know enough about the World Bank to comment specifically on their role in the world of poverty. However, much has probably been said about the clout of such a powerful money-lender imposing Western ideas on poor nations and their populaces. Again, this may be another talking point.
Either way, I simply wanted to post something about the guy. He influenced me, perhaps reinforcing the reality of the title of that now-famous movie. The Fog of War - how blinded we can become by the aggression we wield in the name of what we think is righteous.