27
Apr 10

Fred Halliday 1946-2010

A small post among many other tributes to celebrate the late Fred Halliday, who has died in Barcelona. I suspect that many of my generation learnt their first lessons about the Middle East from his books, although by the end of his life his interests ranged much wider. I mourn his passing not because I agreed with him but because of his unfailing ability to make you see things from a different angle.

Here, as an example, is an essay of his about terrorism, first published in the fine OpenDemocracy. One of the toughest contemporary subjects to tackle with a high rubbish-to-sense ratio in public and political discussion. Whether you buy his argument or not, he can still make you think again about this much-trampled topic.

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