The myth of the small number

Above all, [Nick] Cohen wonders how it is that people whose every instinct should have cried out against violent Islamism and jihadism see their own democratic governments as somehow worse. Naturally, Cohen's critics argue that he mistakes the excesses of the far Left for the attitudes of the mainstream, but if only that were true. Learned progressive journals will lend their letters sections to debate just how bad a liar Tony Blair actually is, while running articles seeking to absolve the Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, from entirely justified accusations of antiSemitism.

And it has become a fairly widespread notion on the Left that what counts is "antiimperialism", that America is the greatest threat to world peace and the real terrorist state, whereas Islamism is an understandable, if occasionally regrettable reaction to Western provocation – a reactive movement of the downtrodden.

That's from a review of What's Left by David Aaronovitch in today's Times. Nick himself comments here. And there's also a discussion of his book by Rebecca Weisser in The Australian. (Thanks: JN.)