Zusatztext [Lévy's] memories interlace with reflections on his long career of political activism . . . and are studded with passionately held positions on every issue current on the world stage. Whether or not you agree with him . . . you will be convinced of this: Ideas matter to him. New York Observer Lévy offers as fine a description as you're likely to find anywhere of what the conventional international left . . . has adopted as its worldview. . . . [His] discussion of contemporary anti-Semitism is sophisticated! detailed and convincing. Los Angeles Times Continually asking himself as well as others to confront the hard questions! [Lévy] produces a text that . . . readers will find highly absorbing. New York Times Book Review Moving and inspiring . . . When political leaders commit atrocities! intellectuals remind the world of right and wrong. . . . Bernard-Henri Lévy! perhaps the most prominent intellectual in France today! seeks to revive this tradition of speaking truth to power. Boston Globe Informationen zum Autor Bernard-Henri Lévy Klappentext In this unprecedented critique! Bernard-Henri Lévy revisits his political roots! scrutinizes the totalitarianisms of the past as well as those on the horizon! and argues powerfully for a new political and moral vision for our times. Are human rights Western or universal? Does anti-Semitism have a future! and! if so! what will it look like? And how is it that progressives themselves-those who in the past defended individual rights and fought fascism-have now become the breeding ground for new kinds of dangerous attitudes: an unthinking loathing of Israel; an obsessive anti-Americanism; an idea of "tolerance that! in its justification of Islamic fanaticism! for example! could become the "cemetery of democracies; and an indifference! masked by relativism! to the greatest human tragedies facing the world today? At a time of ideological and political transition in America! Left in Dark Times articulates the threats we all face-in many cases without our even being aware of it-and offers a powerful new vision for progressives everywhere. Chapter One And Upon This Ruin . . . Why didn't I vote for Sarkozy? Why was I so profoundly convinced, then, that it was literally impossible for me to vote for that man? First of all, some of the reasons concerned things I knew about him, things that many voters would soon discover. A kind of feverishness that seemed incompatible with the job. An indifference to ideas, a cynicism, that has led to incredibly brutal flip-flops on certain important matters (Russia, for example). An ability to live in denial, which we would see during his grotesque and devastating reception of Colonel Gadhafi in Paris. The pragmatisma better word is opportunismwe saw soon after his victory, when, like a kid set loose in a candy store and told: Here you go! It's all yours! It's free! Take what you want!, he literally took it all, working his way through every bin, snatching up all the most desirable items. The icon Kouchner. The wise Védrine. The knights of Mitterrand's Holy Grail, whom, when Sarkozy was a young minister, he confessed to admiring. Totems of the Left. Literary and show business legends. Who's the patron saint of the Socialists? Blum? Then bring me Blum! The Christ of the Communists? Guy Môquet? Then bring him to menot, of course, Guy Môquet himself, the seventeen-year-old Resistance hero killed by the Nazis, but his last, beautiful, heartbreaking letter to his parents! And the queen of today's victims? Who wears the dark crown of contemporary suffering and martyrdom? Ingrid Betancourt, you say? Then go fetch them right away, the Betancourt family, and bring them to my palace! I didn't deny that all this could have its good sides. Nor that, precisely because of hi...

8220;[Lévy’s] memories interlace with reflections on his long career of political activism . . . and are studded with passionately held positions on every issue current on the world stage. Whether or not you agree with him . . . you will be convinced of this: Ideas matter to him.”—*New York Observer

• “Lévy offers as fine a description as you’re likely to find anywhere of what the conventional international left . . . has adopted as its worldview. . . . [His] discussion of contemporary anti-Semitism is sophisticated, detailed and convincing.”—Los Angeles Times

“Continually asking himself as well as others to confront the hard questions, [Lévy] produces a text that . . . readers will find highly absorbing.”—*New York Times Book Review

• “Moving and inspiring . . . When political leaders commit atrocities, intellectuals remind the world of right and wrong. . . . Bernard-Henri Lévy, perhaps the most prominent intellectual in France today, seeks to revive this tradition of speaking truth to power.”—Boston Globe

Autorentext

Bernard-Henri Lévy

Klappentext

In this unprecedented critique, Bernard-Henri Lévy revisits his political roots, scrutinizes the totalitarianisms of the past as well as those on the horizon, and argues powerfully for a new political and moral vision for our times. Are human rights Western or universal? Does anti-Semitism have a future, and, if so, what will it look like? And how is it that progressives themselves-those who in the past defended individual rights and fought fascism-have now become the breeding ground for new kinds of dangerous attitudes: an unthinking loathing of Israel; an obsessive anti-Americanism; an idea of "tolerance” that, in its justification of Islamic fanaticism, for example, could become the "cemetery of democracies”; and an indifference, masked by relativism, to the greatest human tragedies facing the world today?

At a time of ideological and political transition in America, Left in Dark Times articulates the threats we all face-in many cases without our even being aware of it-and offers a powerful new vision for progressives everywhere.

Zusammenfassung
In this unprecedented critique, Bernard-Henri Lévy revisits his political roots, scrutinizes the totalitarianisms of the past as well as those on the horizon, and argues powerfully for a new political and moral vision for our times. Are human rights Western or universal? Does anti-Semitism have a future, and, if so, what will it look like? And how is it that progressives themselves–those who in the past defended individual rights and fought fascism–have now become the breeding ground for new kinds of dangerous attitudes: an unthinking loathing of Israel; an obsessive anti-Americanism; an idea of “tolerance” that, in its justification of Islamic fanaticism, for example, could become the “cemetery of democracies”; and an indifference, masked by relativism, to the greatest human tragedies facing the world today?

At a time of ideological and political transition in America, Left in Dark Times articulates the threats we all face–in many cases without our even being aware of it–and offers a powerful new vision for progressives everywhere.

Leseprobe
*Chapter One

And Upon This Ruin . . .

• Why didn’t I vote for Sarkozy?

Why was I so profoundly convinced, then, that it was literally impossible for me to vote for that man?

First of all, some of the reasons concerned things I knew about him, things that many voters would soon discover.

A kind of feverishness that seemed incompatible with the job.

An indifference to ideas, a cynicism, that has led to incredibly brutal flip-flops on certain important matters (Russia, for example).

An ability to live in denial, which we would see during his grotesque and devastating reception of Colonel Gadhafi in Paris.

The pragmatism—a better word is opportunism—we saw soon after his victory, wh…