Things I Liked, Saturday

Dan Hirschman on Peter Berger’s death: “Peter Berger was deeply involved with pro-tobacco social science. … What do we do with the fact that one of the most prominent figures associated with the term “social construction” also worked as a “merchant of doubt”?”

The Associated Press reports of secret prisons in Yemen: “Senior American defense officials acknowledged Wednesday that U.S. forces have been involved in interrogations of detainees in Yemen but denied any participation in or knowledge of human rights abuses.” Of course there aren't human rights abuses in secret Yemeni prisons... If the Pentagon trolled any harder, they'd pull a muscle.  

F. Gregory Gause III, at the Monkey Cage: “The real underlying conflict is not about Iran but about very different understandings of how political Islam should relate to the state among the Sunni powers of the Middle East.” Recommended.