This morning, on the commute in to work, I dipped into The Walls of Israel. I picked the book not so much for the topic but because of the author. It might not be particularly P.C. but growing up my mother inculcated in me the idea that France and French values were a force for good in the world. And Indochine alway held a particular fascination for her.
Of course, as a child of the 60s, and as someone who identified primarily as an American, her defense of French values wasn't without some ambivalence. Still, while some American boys grew up on the Alamo, for me nothing could quite compare to Dien Bien Phu.
The Walls of Israel is a heartfelt portrait of the Israeli Army, back when it was still undefeated. Reading about the Israeli insistence on the importance of the human element it warfare, one can't help but wonder if America has made a horrible mistake. In a desperate effort to control spending, the military services have prioritized weapons over people.
When I first came to China, flying into Beijing from Inchon, I thought war was impossible but China was the only game in town. The world is now, I genuinely believe, more dangerous than it was a decade ago. A war is, I think, inevitable. The only question is where. Reading The Walls of Israel makes me wonder about the price we'll end up paying when the war finally comes.
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