The Case for sending Alan Dershowitz to Guantánamo Bay for Academic Terrorism

The conclusions in this essay are allegations that I have derived from publicly available sources, which I provide a link to at the bottom of this essay.

Apparently, in the mind of Alan Dershowitz, there is a caveat to all instances of the applicability of International Law. It is the nation-state of Israel and its illegal and criminal acts against its Arab subjects. For decades Israel has persistently perpetrated abuse, mistreatment, and ethnic cleansing upon the indigenous Arab populations, who suffered the misfortune of falling under the control of the Israelis. All of the abuses experienced by the Palestinians and other Arab ethnic enclaves, subsumed under Israeli militarism - have been executed under the sanctums of Zionism.

Dershowitz is a Zionist ideologue and a serial apologist for the Israelis, who feels compelled to constantly contrive arguments in defense of Israeli crimes against humanity, whose only grammatical constraints consist of the uninhibited imagination with which Dershowitz is endowed; owing little or nothing to the principles of honesty and sound reasoning.

Dershowitz’s support of Israel - which is unqualified and guaranteed; whether Israel is right or wrong - would not be so deleterious if he had the self-discipline and integrity to make his arguments and then go on to support them through mechanisms sanguine in the context of academic practices. However, the Professor from Harvard lacks the compunction to comply with such precepts. He does not battle his adversaries over issues related to Israel through public dialogue; alternatively, Dershowitz prefers to execute his campaigns against those with whom he disagrees through subterranean quasi-political devices, which involve Dershowitz leveling his influence and stature via private communications intended to coerce the gatekeepers of the publishing industry not to permit their institutions to publicize works that are critical of Israel.

Many of us can remember the consequences of Dershowitz’s massive presence at Havard after two quite respectable scholars had an essay - addressing the impact upon American foreign policy formation that has been enjoyed by the pro-Israeli lobby in this country - censored. Dershowitz working both in front of as well as behind the scenes had the article pulled from Havard’s Website.

Furthermore, when Dershowitz cannot silence the opposition through backstage maneuvers designed to censor his opponents - which, in itself, is a peculiar strategy for a professed civil libertarian - he resorts to even more sinister methods that include the sabotage of the careers belonging to academics who were brave enough to publicly and openly - two attributes of character to which Dershowitz cannot credibly lay claim - take on the pro-Israeli lobby in the United States. Once again, Dershowitz - like any other coward - prefers to perform his political transactions in a modality clandestine to the purview of intellectual communities, who might object to Dershowitz’s attempts to silence opposition through professional sabotage.

Obviously, the most blatant exemplar of the pattern of conduct to which I have referenced on the part of Dershowitz happens to be the case with Finkelstein, who has endured a protracted and often publicly opaque war upon his career. Due to Finkelstein’s scholarly work, which - by and large - refuted many of the writings that Dershowitz has published upon the subject of Israel and its geopolitical posture toward its regional neighbors - Dershowitz has attempted to curtail Finkelstein’s procurement of tenure from academic institutions.

The secret battle waged by Dershowitz upon Finkelstein’s career and livelihood assumes the form of private correspondences with the members of departments where Finkelstein has been awarded tenure track positions. As it turns out - following revelations that Dershowitz had been engaged in these backstage political operations - it has become publicly confirmed that the Professor from Harvard had distributed to Finkelstein’s colleagues a 60 page character assassination in an effort to curtail Finkelstein’s overly deserved obtainment of tenure. Reportedly, this document that Dershowitzed had quietly disseminated was inflated with contents that have been, by and large, contested and refuted by Finkelstein; a brilliant and widely acclaimed scholar who is now in his early fifties; considered one of the leading intellectuals on Israeli geopolitical affairs - and currently coming up for tenure at De Paul University; only to have his well-earned - and late coming - reward for his scholarly work in precarious straights, due to a secret campaign conducted by Dershowitz, which, as it turns out, has been going on for years.

It should be mentioned that this essay is not making allegations regarding any possible transgressions of ethics on the part of Dershowitz. Rather, I am interested in assessing the extent to which Dershowitz possesses honor. Subterranean political tactics might not be unethical in a strict sense of the word and the significance it assumes in this context; although, to prefer the backstage dealings of a politician to the openly and sincerely waged battles that would be executed by someone, who is just as concerned with being right as he is about obtaining his political objectives, is certainly dishonorable.

We all know the rhetoric that is used to criticize the actions of terrorists who, apparently, conduct their battles through cowardice and without honor by reverting to tactics that evade military attire and the battlefield in favor of violent acts qualifying as terror. I strongly believe there is a comparison to draw between the methods of terrorists and the subterranean political tactics of Professor Dershowitz. Therefore, in order to fully assess the extent to which Dershowitz has gone in his acts of intellectual terrorism, we should follow the policy recommendations made by no other than Dershowitz and impose a special warrant permitting the use of torture in order to coerce Dershowitz to disclose the full extent of his dishonorable engagements; and, certainly, there would be no more apropos of a location to conduct this enhanced form of interrogation than Guantánamo Bay.

Due to restrictions in time, I am pressed into providing bibliographical references to the allegations made in this essay. I apologize for not better documenting the sources that have led to the conclusions presented in this brief essay, which encapsulates a great deal, but only takes the time to treat it in generalities.

Notes:

The remarks made concerning Dershowitz and his use of libel to silence opposition is supported by the following essay by Dr. Frank Menetrez

http://counterpunch.org/menetrez04302007.html

I have additionally made conclusions from the letters posted by supporters of Finkelstein’s at the following:

http://www.normanfinkelstein.com/article.php?pg=11&ar=665

Most importantly, I implore the reader to investigate the activities to which I referenced on the part of Dershowitz him or her self. There is an abundance of literature freely available over the Web. An excellent place to start - a source from which you can spiral from various links which will lead the reader, I am certain, to the same conclusions I have reached:

http://www.normanfinkelstein.com

Russell Cole

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