In other words, the selective amnesia of 19th century European societies was characterized by a dangerous shortsightedness in imperialistic policy. In Heart of Darkness, the narrator Marlow’s disgust with the “sepulchral city” – his European homeland – centered on just this “selective” aspect of imperialist amnesia, a kind of “turning a blind eye.” For Marlow, this disconnect was expressed in the Europeans’ enormous wealth and their corresponding disregard for the harsh reality of its unintended consequences. policy in Afghanistan seems consistent with a kind of selective “amnesia” – one that we read about in Conrad’s work. This is a response to “Afghanistan and the Colonel Kurtz Effect,” recent published here on Art of War.Īs a military servicemember currently deployed to Afghanistan, I was intrigued by the themes presented in the article “ Afghanistan and the Colonel Kurtz Effect.” In particular, Conrad’s notion of governmental and societal “amnesia” in Heart of Darkness resonated with frustrations that I have experienced in only two short tours. So I ’ll be posting response pieces (as well as your other interesting submissions) as often as possible. Monologues tend to be pretty boring, after all. Which, of course, means that I want you guys to actively take part in the discussion. Editor ’s note: The purpose of this column is to inspire a conversation about the arts and what they can tell us about statecraft and national strategy.
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