Saturday, May 26, 2012

At Large

A Conversation With Christopher Hitchens

Christopher Hitchens at his home in Washington, D.C.
TEXT SIZE - +

December 02, 2010

Christopher Hitchens is one of the most prolific and controversial writers in the English-speaking world. A prominent atheist, he is the author of "God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything," which became an international best-seller in 2007. He has also written books on topics ranging from the partition of Cyprus to Thomas Jefferson and the Anglo-American relationship; his most recent is the memoir "Hitch-22," which was released earlier this year shortly before he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer.

RFE/RL writer at large James Kirchick recently interviewed Hitchens at his home in Washington, D.C., about his left-wing revolutionary past, his views on America, Iran's nuclear program, Turkey's Islamist turn, Putin's Russia, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and on a variety of international figures.
FULL TRANSCRIPT


In this introductory segment, Hitchens discusses his political coming-of-age amid the revolutionary fervor of the 1960s, and what "revolution" means today:

Download
Throughout most of his professional life, Hitchens railed against what he believed to be the abuses of U.S. power, from Vietnam to the Cold War policies of the Reagan administration. He hasn't changed his mind about those matters, but he has developed a new appreciation for America and its role in the world.

Download
Hitchens, whose support for the war in Iraq angered many of his former comrades on the left, reaffirms his support for the overthrow of Saddam Hussein and predicts that a military confrontation with Iran is likely:

Download
Hitchens' first book was a history of Cyprus, the Mediterranean island invaded by Turkey in 1974. He has closely followed Turkey's internal politics and here discusses the debate over whether it should join the European Union:

Download
Hitchens, a fervent supporter of spreading democratic liberalism around the globe, answers the question of whether some cultures -- Russia's in particular -- are suited for democracy:

Download
In the past year, many voices have called for a downscaling of the Western commitment to Afghanistan and a removal of NATO troops -- including individuals who initially supported the 2001 war that ousted the Taliban from power. Hitchens disagrees.

Download
In conclusion, Hitchens offers brief thoughts on Margaret Thatcher, Colin Powell, Jimmy Carter, Leon Trotsky, and Vaclav Havel:

Download
This forum has been closed.
Comment Sorting
Comments
     
by: Ray F. from: Lawrence, KS
December 06, 2010 03:11
Good interview with some interesting insights, but why is RFE giving this person more than an hour to spread his often inflammatory and contradictory ideas? There’s nothing worse than a former liberal who has adopted a superpower attitude. Has he ever worn a military uniform or fired a shot in anger? Ever made a personal sacrifice for his country? His pomposity and supercilious attitude toward cultures other than his own reflects poorly on this site.
In Response
by: BS Buster
December 07, 2010 05:30
Ray the reason is quite obvious. On a number of issues, his views conform with the preferred slant at RFE/RL There's a good deal of questionable commentary selected by RFE/RL. Why single out Christopher Hitchens?
In Response
by: Chris from: San Bernardino,CA
December 29, 2010 22:13
No you idiot,his ideas are not "contradictory" they just exist outside a state of party mindedness.Something you apparently can't have.
You thinking that he is or ever was a "liberal" just proves that you know nothing about him.
by: Kathy from: New Hampshire
December 07, 2010 03:02
Not everyone has to wear a uniform to serve his or her country. Whatever gift a person has he or she should use to help others. You miss his major point: words are very powerful. They inspire great ideas and actions. They give people dignity and freedom to choose. Strength does not have to be proved with with bombs or bullying.It would be great if only the bullies could listen
In Response
by: BS Buster
December 07, 2010 08:35
"Bullies" include some of those who write, as opposed to serving on an actual battle field.
In Response
by: Chris from: San Bernardino,CA
December 29, 2010 22:19
So one needs experience in a given field to even have the smallest opinion in that subject?The man is a JOURNALIST.Under your logic the interviewer asking the questions is a "bully" for existing for the sake of this interview,to ask questions about Revolutionary Marxism that he obviously has no experience in(otherwise he probably wouldn't be working for FRE).
Under your own logic neither of us should even be commenting here right now because neither of us are probably journalists.
by: RD
December 07, 2010 21:48
Finally, someone points out Turkey's hypocrisy. Bravo Christopher. Prime Minister Erdogan has the audacity to publically pick a fight with Peres about committing genocide in Davos when Turkey has blood on its own hands. Why did he publically pick a fight with Peres? Cheap publicity. If Palestinians think Erdogan cares about them, they are sadly mistaken. Erdogan condemns China for Genocide when Turkey does not take responsibility to the Genocide against the Armenians it has committed. If anyone mentions the Armenian Genocide again, I will throw Armenians out of Turkey. I guess Turkey got away with expelling people off their lands in the past, why shouldn't he do it again. Christopher is right. If this is Turkey today trying to get into the EU, how bad will it be when it does finally get in?
In Response
by: BS Buster
December 08, 2010 07:53
There're also hypocritical neocons, who suddenly make the Armenian genocide an issue, because of a different view becoming more evident in Turkey.

Likewise, is the neocon and neolib hypocrisy of not supporting a bombing Turkey, when Kurds were getting killed en masse. Where's the support for a Kurdish state?

Under Yugoslav rule (pre-Tito, Tito and post-Tito periods), the Albanians had it better than the Kurds under Turkish and Iraqi Arab rule. Not to be overlooked (by those seeking some reasoned balance) are the terrorist elements among Albanians and Kurds.

The recent WikiLeaks on Kosovo details the heavily crime ridden area that Kosovo has become since the "humanitarian intervention" (aggression) of 1999.
In Response
by: Chris from: San Bernardino,CA
December 29, 2010 22:27
Ignoring the jabs at neolibs and neocons you have in this post because I agree with them(though you're just patently ridiculous if you're seriously trying to make Hitch appear as one of them,the sky is blue no matter what color you say it is,I'm afraid to say),what would YOU have done with the Kosovar and Albanian questions?The Kurdish questions?Would you have let Slobadan Milosevich and Saddam Hussein commit genocide against neighboring peaceful peoples?If so shame on you.
by: Yellow Cat
December 22, 2010 23:29
It does not make sense. 'All the NATO' members decided something and Turkey tried to stop it and that's the reason Turkish position is unacceptable. Well that is the basic idea of voting. Mr. Hitchens has to accept to fact that NATO has to please Turkey (like any othe rmember) in order to keep Turkey as a member. If Turkey's position is unacceptable, NATO can take a decision to create a new institution without Turkey. If Mr. Hitchens is correct, this might be necessary because I don't think Turkey will continue to defend a continent that is not welcoming its citizens.

About This Blog

At Large takes an expansive view of the politics, people, and cultures of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's broadcast region. Written by RFE/RL Writer at Large James Kirchick, the site is home to dispatches and commentaries about the Balkans to Central Asia and everywhere in between.

Slide Show

Audio Slide Show Dispatch: Driving Through Tripoli

RFE/RL's James Kirchick offers an extraordinary glimpse into Tripoli on August 25, a day before the arrival of the Libyan rebel government. See the capital after a protracted battle between the NATO-supported rebels and forces loyal to embattled leader Muammar Qaddafi.

Audio Slide Show Outrage In Minsk As Lukashenka Claims Victory

RFE/RL writer at large James Kirchick reports from the scene of a police crackdown in Belarus as thousands protested the reelection of President Alyaksandr Lukashenka.

Audio Slide Show A Battle For Gay Rights In Belgrade

RFE/RL correspondent James Kirchick reports on the landmark gay pride parade in Belgrade on October 10 -- and what the outbreak of nationalist violence means for Serbia's hopes of Western integration.

Audio Slide Show Remnants Of The Riots In Osh

RFE/RL writer James Kirchick visited Osh, Kyrgyzstan, in the aftermath of the deadly riots that erupted between Kyrgyz and ethnic Uzbeks in the country's south.