Barack Obama at Wesleyan Commencement Ceremony

Full Text of Barack Obama's Prepared Speech

Wesleyan University Commencement
Sunday, May 25th, 2008
Middletown, Connecticutt


Thank you, President Roth, for that generous introduction, and congratulations on your first year at the helm of Wesleyan. Congratulations also to the class of 2008, and thank you for allowing me to be a part of your graduation.

I have the distinct honor today of pinch-hitting for one of my personal heroes and a hero to this country, Senator Edward Kennedy. Teddy wanted to be here very much, but as you know, he’s had a very long week and is taking some much-needed rest. He called me up a few days ago and I said that I’d be happy to be his stand-in, even if there was no way I could fill his shoes.

I did, however, get the chance to glance at the speech he planned on delivering today, and I’d like to start by passing along a message from him: “To all those praying for my return to good health, I offer my heartfelt thanks. And to any who’d rather have a different result, I say, don’t get your hopes up just yet!”

So we know that Ted Kennedy’s legendary sense of humor is as strong as ever, and I have no doubt that his equally legendary fighting spirit will carry him through this latest challenge. He is our friend, he is our champion, and we hope and pray for his return to good health.

The topic of his speech today was common for a commencement, but one that nobody could discuss with more authority or inspiration than Ted Kennedy.

That is, the topic of service to one’s country – a cause that is synonymous with his family’s name and their legacy.

I was born the year that his brother John called a generation of Americans to ask their country what they could do. And I came of age at a time when they did it. They were the Peace Corps volunteers who won a generation of goodwill toward America at a time when America ’s ideals were challenged.

They were the teenagers and college students, not much older than you, who watched the Civil Rights Movement unfold on their television sets; who saw the dogs and the fire hoses and the footage of marchers beaten within an inch of their lives; who knew it was probably smarter and safer to stay at home, but still decided to take those Freedom Rides down south – who still decided to march.

And because they did, they changed the world.

I bring this up because today, you are about to enter a world that makes it easy to get caught up in the notion that there are actually two different stories at work in our lives.

The first is the story of our everyday cares and concerns – the responsibilities we have to our jobs and our families – the bustle and busyness of what happens in our own life.

And the second is the story of what happens in the life of our country – of what happens in the wider world.

It’s the story you see when you catch a glimpse of the day’s headlines or turn on the news at night – a story of big challenges like war and recession; hunger and climate change; injustice and inequality. It’s a story that can sometimes seem distant and separate from our own – a destiny to be shaped by forces beyond our control.

And yet, the history of this nation tells us this isn’t so. It tells us that we are a people whose destiny has never been written for us, but by us – by generations of men and women, young and old, who have always believed that their story and the American story are not separate, but shared. And for more than two centuries, they have served this country in ways that have forever enriched both.

I say this to you as someone who couldn’t be standing here today if not for the service of others, and wouldn’t be standing here today if not for the purpose that service gave my own life.

You see, I spent much of my childhood adrift. My father left my mother and I when I was two. When my mother remarried, I lived in Indonesia for a time, but was mostly raised in Hawaii by her and my grandparents from Kansas . My teenage years were filled with more than the usual dose of adolescent rebellion, and I’ll admit that I didn’t always take myself or my studies very seriously. I realize that none of you can probably relate to this, but there were many times when I wasn’t sure where I was going, or what I would do.

But during my first two years of college, perhaps because the values my mother had taught me –hard work, honesty, empathy – had resurfaced after a long hibernation; or perhaps because of the example of wonderful teachers and lasting friends, I began to notice a world beyond myself. I became active in the movement to oppose the apartheid regime of South Africa . I began following the debates in this country about poverty and health care. So that by the time I graduated from college, I was possessed with a crazy idea – that I would work at a grassroots level to bring about change.

I wrote letters to every organization in the country I could think of.

And one day, a small group of churches on the South Side of Chicago offered me a job to come work as a community organizer in neighborhoods that had been devastated by steel plant closings. My mother and grandparents wanted me to go to law school. My friends were applying to jobs on Wall Street. Meanwhile, this organization offered me $12,000 a year plus $2,000 for an old, beat-up car.

And I said yes.

Now, I didn’t know a soul in Chicago , and I wasn’t sure what this community organizing business was all about. I had always been inspired by stories of the Civil Rights Movement and JFK’s call to service, but when I got to the South Side, there were no marches, and no soaring speeches. In the shadow of an empty steel plant, there were just a lot of folks who were struggling. And we didn’t get very far at first.

I still remember one of the very first meetings we put together to discuss gang violence with a group of community leaders. We waited and waited for people to show up, and finally, a group of older people walked into the hall. And they sat down. And a little old lady raised her hand and asked, “Is this where the bingo game is?”

It wasn’t easy, but eventually, we made progress. Day by day, block by block, we brought the community together, and registered new voters, and set up after school programs, and fought for new jobs, and helped people live lives with some measure of dignity.

But I also began to realize that I wasn’t just helping other people. Through service, I found a community that embraced me; citizenship that was meaningful; the direction I’d been seeking. Through service, I discovered how my own improbable story fit into the larger story of America .

Each of you will have the chance to make your own discovery in the years to come. And I say “chance” because you won’t have to take it.

There’s no community service requirement in the real world; no one forcing you to care.

You can take your diploma, walk off this stage, and chase only after the big house and the nice suits and all the other things that our money culture says you should by.

You can choose to narrow your concerns and live your life in a way that tries to keep your story separate from America ’s.

But I hope you don’t. Not because you have an obligation to those who are less fortunate, though you do have that obligation. Not because you have a debt to all those who helped you get here, though you do have that debt.

It’s because you have an obligation to yourself. Because our INDIVIDUAL salvation depends on COLLECTIVE salvation.

Because thinking only about yourself, fulfilling your immediate wants and needs, betrays a poverty of ambition.

Because it’s only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential and discover the role you’ll play in writing the next great chapter in America ’s story.

There are so many ways to serve and so much need at this defining moment in our history. You don’t have to be a community organizer or do something crazy like run for President. Right here at Wesleyan, many of you have already volunteered at local schools, contributed to United Way , and even started a program that brings fresh produce to needy families in the area. One hundred and sixty-four graduates of this school have joined the Peace Corps since 2001, and I’m especially proud that two of you are about to leave for my father’s homeland of Kenya to bring alternative sources of energy to impoverished areas.

I ask you to seek these opportunities when you leave here, because the future of this country – your future – depends on it.

At a time when our security and moral standing depend on winning hearts and minds in the forgotten corners of this world, we need more of you to serve abroad.

As President, I intend to grow the Foreign Service, double the Peace Corps over the next few years, and engage the young people of other nations in similar programs, so that we work side by side to take on the common challenges that confront all humanity.

At a time when our ice caps are melting and our oceans are rising, we need you to help lead a green revolution. We still have time to avoid the catastrophic consequences of climate change if we get serious about investing in renewable sources of energy, and if we get a generation of volunteers to work on renewable energy projects, and teach folks about conservation, and help clean up polluted areas; if we send talented engineers and scientists abroad to help developing countries promote clean energy.

At a time when a child in Boston must compete with children in Beijing and Bangalore , we need an army of you to become teachers and principals in schools that this nation cannot afford to give up on. I will pay our educators what they deserve, and give them more support, but I will also ask more of them to be mentors to other teachers, and serve in high-need schools and high-need subject areas like math and science.

At a time when there are children in the city of New Orleans who still spend each night in a lonely trailer, we need more of you to take a weekend or a week off from work, and head down South, and help rebuild. If you can’t get the time, volunteer at the local homeless shelter or soup kitchen in your own community. Find an organization that’s fighting poverty, or a candidate who promotes policies you believe in, and find a way to help them.

At a time of war, we need you to work for peace.

At a time of inequality, we need you to work for opportunity.

At a time of so much cynicism and so much doubt, we need you to make us believe again.

Now understand this - believing that change is possible is not the same as being naïve.

Go into service with your eyes wide open, for change will not come easily. On the big issues that our nation faces, difficult choices await. We’ll have to face some hard truths, and some sacrifice will be required – not only from you individually, but from the nation as a whole.

There is no magic bullet to our energy problems, for example; no perfect energy source - so all of us will have to use the energy sources we have more wisely. Deep-rooted poverty will not be reversed overnight, and will require both money and reform at a time when our federal and state budgets are strapped and Washington is skeptical that reform is possible.

Transforming our education system will require not only bold government action, but a change in attitudes among parents and students. Bringing an end to the slaughter in Darfur will involve navigating extremely difficult realities on the ground, even for those with the best of intentions.

And so, should you take the path of service, should you choose to take up one of these causes as your own, know that you’ll experience frustrations and failures.

Even your successes will be marked by imperfections and unintended consequences. I guarantee you, there will certainly be times when friends or family urge you to pursue more sensible endeavors with more tangible rewards. And there will be times when you are tempted to take their advice.

But I hope you’ll remember, during those times of doubt and frustration, that there is nothing naïve about your impulse to change this world.

Because all it takes is one act of service – one blow against injustice – to send forth that tiny ripple of hope that Robert Kennedy spoke of.

You know, Ted Kennedy often tells a story about the fifth anniversary celebration of the Peace Corps. He was there, and he asked one of the young Americans why he had chosen to volunteer.

And the man replied, “Because it was the FIRST time someone asked me to do something for my country.”

I don’t know how many of you have been asked that question, but after today, you have no excuses. I am asking you, and if I should have the honor of serving this nation as President, I will be asking again in the coming years. We may disagree on certain issues and positions, but I believe we can be unified in service to a greater good. I intend to make it a cause of my presidency, and I believe with all my heart that this generation is ready, and eager, and up to the challenge.

We will face our share of cynics and doubters. But we always have.

I can still remember a conversation I had with an older man all those years ago just before I left for Chicago . He said, “Barack, I’ll give you a bit of advice. Forget this community organizing business and do something that’s gonna make you some money. You can’t change the world, and people won’t appreciate you trying. But you’ve got a nice voice, so you should think about going into television broadcasting. I’m telling you, you’ve got a future.”

Now, he may have been right about the TV thing, but he was wrong about everything else. For that old man has not seen what I have seen.

He has not seen the faces of ordinary people the first time they clear a vacant lot or build a new playground or force an unresponsive leader to provide services to their community.

He has not seen the face of a child brighten because of an inspiring teacher or mentor.

He has not seen scores of young people educate their parents on issues like Darfur , or mobilize the conscience of a nation around the challengeof climate change.

He has not seen lines of men and women that wrap around schools and churches, that stretch block after block just so they could make their voices heard, many for the very first time.

And that old man who didn’t believe the world could change – who didn’t think one person could make a difference – well he certainly didn’t know much about the life of Joseph Kennedy’s youngest son.

It is rare in this country of ours that a person exists who has touched the lives of nearly every single American without many of us even realizing it. And yet, because of Ted Kennedy, millions of children can see a doctor when they get sick. Mothers and fathers can leave work to spend time with their newborns. Working Americans are paid higher wages, and compensated for overtime, and can keep their health insurance when they change jobs. They are protected from discrimination in the workplace, and those who are born with disabilities can still get an education, and health care, and fair treatment on the job. Our schools are stronger and our colleges are filled with more Americans who can afford it. And I have a feeling that Ted Kennedy is not done just yet.

But surely, if one man can achieve so much and make such a difference in the lives of so many, then each of us can do our part. Surely, if his service and his story can forever shape America ’s story, then our collective service can shape the destiny of this generation.

At the very least, his living example calls each of us to TRY . That is all I ask of you on this joyous day of new beginnings; that is what Senator Kennedy asks of you as well, and that is how we will keep so much needed work going, and the cause of justice everlasting, and the dream alive for generations to come.

Thank you so much to the class of 2008, and congratulations on your graduation.

Besto Regardo,
No doubt Senator Barack Obama is one of the great orators. His speeches always strike a chord of mine.

以上です。

My Sacrifice by Creed : Tribute to Anwar Ibrahim

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia Prime Minister in waiting. By god's will.

After many relentless ordeals he endured, passed, and still keep on surviving with an earnest gesture of goodwill, i am very pleased to have this charismatic leader as the next Premier of Malaysia. For the time being, i can't think of other better candidate except him. Well, the perception can change anytime though. But for now, he's the man.

以上です。

Let's get works done

My fellow gentlemen,

Malaysia has decided and the verdict is out. It is already evenly one week after this beloved country of ours, outrageously smitten by what all those political analysts and pundits termed it as a 'political tsunami'.

Flashing back on the day of March 9th as a day after the fateful polling date, i woke up from my atrocious sleep with full of anticipation and excitement. It felt like a new world was born, with new fresh air to breath and it appeared to be a such wonderful day.

I'm so delight and grateful because above all, the 12th General Election was successfully conducted and changes for the new government to step into several certain states are being done orderly with out so much immense trouble. Of course there are few unwanted events occured, initiated by a few quarters of selfish 'dickheads' and 'nincompoops', which unconsciously propelled things to be more complicated, as some have gone too far in their attempt to turn a state into a bloodbath turmoil by agitating the fire of racial polemic on street.

Undeniably, i was disgusted with Lim Kit Siang's credulous statement which issued impulsively in response to PAS YB Ir Mohd Nizar's appointment by the royal household of Perak as the new MB of the state even though Kit Siang had revoked it back and apologized later on. Fortunately, blessed with the wisdom of Perak's King, the tussle has been loosen out. DAP should have been aware that it alone without any strong backup by PAS and PKR supporters will never ever managed to accumulate such magnanimous votes it is enjoying now. Therefore PAS-PKR-DAP coalition must at utmost, put the interest of the people and country above theirs. They must work diligently together as a proof to the people that they are reliable and there would be no regret on people's side for putting them at where they are standing now.

We, the people who put you there, and we, the people can kick you down from there. So watch out and don't try us! There's no more time for hanky panky dowry and bickering among yourselves but let's get down to work and start serving the people!! Rakyat has been so hungry for too long for a credible and clean governance and rakyat want you to act and walk your talk.

So far, i tend to see that Lim Guan Eng seems to be a professional leader. I haven't heard yet any policy or suggestion coming out from his mouth that to marginalize or deprive any race or quarters off their rights. Let's give him his grace chance since he just being at the helm for merely a week for god sake!
Thus, what UMNO Penang has done to take things to the street, while they are the ones who slammed the oppositions all this while is very unwelcome.

Besides that, what Ali Rustam the Vice President of UMNO said that the federal government should stop all the development projects which have been planned for Penang hence the Penangites are deemed to be realized who's the boss now, is only reveal the true colours of this man. On the other hand, i really applaud Koh Tsu Khoon stance who hits out with his statement that all the projects must be proceeded for the benefit of people and UMNO Penang shouldn't did as what they have done recently in front of Komtar's building as it was so improper.

For all i care now is i want the best for Malaysia and i don't give shite whether it comes from UMNO, PAS, PKR, DAP, MCA, GERAKAN, MIC, PPP or whatsoever. I'll hail the one who speaks, acts and thinks for the betterment of rakyat and i'll screw up the one who serves the rakyat like pariah but he himself thinks and acts like the worst pariah of all pariah in this world.

Last but not least, i would like to congratulate all the people regardless their political affiliations who is able to think deliberately and to stay calm in a peaceful manner despite being provoked by irresponsible groups. Banzai Malaysia!!

Besto Regardo,
Ingenuity and maturity is our culture.
Peace and Love Malaysia.

以上です

The Truce declared in Langkawi

Following the cancellation of the 'Crooked Second Link Bridge' project perpetuated by current premier's administration and varied dilemmas haunting the fate of Proton, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad has been frequently condemning and furiously criticizing Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.It has become public's acknowledgment since then.

However, seems like the wind has changed its direction suddenly.The harsh noisy 'Hard Rock' beats has been switched to the cool and steady 'Contemporary Jazz'.The two above mentioned figures had likely declared a truce during both presence in an event pertaining to the 'Langkawi International Dialogue' which held in the legendary fabulous island recently.

What i could see, the unexpected outcome has sent us a signal.The signal tells us that the General Election is imminent.It would be anytime soon that the parliament and all state assemblies in Malaysia are dissolved by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong upon the advice of the Prime Minister.

Certainly Mahathir and Pak Lah would spare awhile their bickering to ensure that National Front which is leaded by UMNO, is in solid form and undivided in order to secure the landslide victory achieved in 2004.Of course Mahathir was harsh against Pak Lah on certain issues but to concluded Mahathir is going to walk with opposition parties, holding hand in hand to fight for his unsatisfactory against Pak Lah is just another amateur's daydream.


Besto Regardo,
Still could recall the song..."Marilah mari, pergi mengundi, jangan lupa kewajipan pada negara.." And the another one would sounds like this.."Bersatu kita bersatu...lalala lalalala lala..." Ops sorry, that's only all i can remember.

以上です。

Raja Petra, talk of the town.

What was the hit news within the Malaysian bloggers' society for the past few days if not about the Malaysia most popular political website - Malaysia Today's illustrious editor Raja Petra Kamarudin been summoned to KL's Dang Wangi Police HQ. Raja Petra who is well known among people as simply as RPK, Pete, Pet, or Raja, had been detained and questioned by the police for as long as eight hours following a complaint made by the main governing party.

Raja Petra turned himself in to police on Wednesday, to answer allegations that he had insulted DYMM Seri Paduka Baginda Yang Dipertuan Agong - Malaysia supreme ruler, mocked Islam and threatened racial harmony.Raja Petra is known for his frequent criticism of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and other government figures.

Malaysia Today is believed to attract around 2 million visitors a day, giving it more readers than most Malaysian newspapers. However the access traffics increased up to 5 million at its peak which caused accessibility constraint after RPK's detention got wide coverage in domestic and international media.


RPK who is 57, also known for his strong support for the ex-DPM Anwar Ibrahim during the latter's controversial arrest and involved in the struggle on free Anwar's campaigns and activities. He has strong connection with Selangor royalty since the late Agong and Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Salehudin is his uncle and the current Sultan is his cousin. His father, a royal Selangor descendant had married with her mother a Welsh woman. RPK himself married to a Thai woman of Chinese origin, namely Marina Lee Abdullah.He had a chance to study at MCKK for certain time but quited afterward to further his study at Victoria Institution in KL instead. His reason for quitting is "I could not tahan an all-Malay environment. In VI my 'best friends' were Malays, Chinese, Indians and Sikhs...Make sense that I would raise racial issues in Malaysia Today?" RPK makes his living as a businessman and if i am not mistaken, one of his businesses is as Harley Davidson's dealer & distributor in Malaysia whilst coincidentally he posseses great passion on motorbike. Hoho you must be damn rich RPK, well good to have a person like you being around especially in Malaysia.

Besto Regardo,

Apparently i can talk so much about Malaysia political arena but i tend not to. I don't want to touch it here in my sacred blog since Malaysian politic would drive me mad and increase my blood pressure awkwardly. Simply say, i should be smarter for my own survival..hahahaha. By the way i think RPK looks much damn cool and macho with his beard on than not. Cheers mate !! May the truth prevail and God bless us.

以上です。

Tun Mahathir Warisan Negara

Regardless of whatever ideology we embrace and our political stands, none of Malaysian can deny the relentless effort delivered by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammed to modernize our beloved mother land, Malaysia. He was a great chief engineer who designate the prosperity of the country.

Once as a practitioner Medicine Doctor and graduated from the prestigious King Edward Medical College Singapore, Tun Mahathir the 4th Prime Minister of Malaysia was in office from 1981 until 2003.
Even most Malaysians respect and love him for his leadership, expertise, proficiency and capability of steering the country from the poor 3rd world nation to the globally respected developing country, several controversial events and scandals during his reign had dreadfully tarnished his image and diminished the support and love from people.

Not to exaggerate much of his blunders, now i realize how much i respect him as a man of visionary, diligent, creativeness, industrialist, charismatic, great thinker, wisdom and the prime architect of modernizing Malaysia. Upon took over the position from then late Tun Hussein Onn, Tun Mahathir proactively introduced and implemented a few policies that fasten his endeavour in boosting the country economy and social fairness. The Look East Policy, Nation Privatization Policy, National Automotive Manufacturers such as PROTON and PERODUA which resulted hundreds of thousands of employment opportunities and simultaneously as a spring board to produce many Malays mega automotive parts manufacturers and distributors, PLUS, DRB-HICOM, MSIC, PNB, MSC, LRT, PTP, Putrajaya, KLIA, and many more had been established where he was the mastermind. He brought up the image of country to be respected of its economic surge and prowess among muslim countries and developing nations. Worldly renowned as the voice of 3rd world, muslim and southern communities, he'd never be afraid to stand up against Western super power in order to spread out the equal rights and confidence in enhancing economic cooperation to the poors. During his tenure then, our nearest island neighbour felt threaten and frightened with his cunning strategies and firmness. He was a man who dedicated and devoted himself to uphold the country especially Malays dignity by veering the Malays inferiority dogma that has been contemptuously regarded as a nation who even haven't ability to produce a needle to a nation which now not only manufactures its own national cars but more than that became a country with firm and strong fundamental of manufacturing and industrial capabilities. 10 or 15 years ago nobody could believe that now we can find a lot of Muslim Malays operating vehicle service centers whereas the job has been known to be monopolized by only one race before.

Today without him in action, Malaysia seems too much different and lost the tempo. We could hear a lot of talking everywhere regarding uncertainty and a slump of country economy. Some said Malaysia is no more an attractive notch for investment. Many companies, industrialist, investors and even native Malaysian businessmen shift their multi billion market capitalization to another new ports such as Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Viatname and no need to say certainly in the list are China and India. People are noting that current Malaysia has no clear direction to move forward. I reckon that it's unnecessarily for me to criticize current administration here as i believe all of you are cognisant well adequately of what's going on in the country. Say it in the perspective of economy woes, social problems, fragility of races unity, nation catastrophe; yet no appearance of the PM !!, some effort to sell off country strategic asset to outsiders, government administration, ineptness and slowness of producing results and actions. FULL STOP.

Tun Dr Mahathir, it is now then most of the industry players, corporate figures, businessmen regardless of what races and of course including my humble self are really realize..we miss you !!

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammed, i vehemently salute you as a capacity of Father of Modern Malaysia, the magnificent Salesman and CEO of Malaysia and of course as a Legacy of the country.

Encyclopedia of Tun Dr Mahathir

My Trivia of Tun Dr Mahathir
1. The first serious political book written in English which i had ever read was Malay Dilemma by Mahathir Mohammed or well known with his pen name as 'Che Det'.

2.When i was a small school kid, my father often combed my hair into the style of Dr Mahathir. I still remember every early in the morning when i tried to split my hair, he will come and give me a favour of how to do with my hair and said.." Now this is smarter...looks like Dr Mahathir's style."

3.Tun Dr Mahathir is among Malaysian leaders who i admire the way he conveys his speech either in Malay language or English. Text is unnecessary for him and he can give an awesome talk for hours where you'll never feel deadening of listening. Another one is Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Both of them are magnificent orator. Regretfully from a mentor and protege they ended as furious foe.

以上です。

Out of the Cage: The other side of Tamerlane

On rainy sunday morning, i have came across with this article written by Khairy Jamuluddin in the New Sunday Times dated 1/10/2006. I personally regard the article to be very interesting and it provided me with something new that never came to my acknowledgement previously. It tells the historically event and life pertaining one of the greatest muslim conqueror, king and army commander - TAMERLANE. I think there is no harm to share this article with you out there. Well it is quit lengthy though yet it is worth to be read. Now enjoy your reading as it should be...


HE was the last of the great conquerors of the world. He walked in the lineage of those with names that echo throughout history — Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan.Arguably he achieved much more than them in terms of geopolitical reach, military prowess and personal strength. But his life remains in the shadows of history.Even his name as recorded in the annals of Western literature is unglamorous — Tamerlane, derived from the Persian moniker Timur-e- Lang which means Timur the Lame. Lame because an injury to his right leg early in his life made it shorter than the left, leaving him with a pronounced limp. But lame he wasn’t on the battlefield.His military campaigns and conquests between 1370 and 1405 stretched from east of the Karakorum range (the present day border between China and Pakistan), across the Indus river to Delhi, to the Bosphorus covering all of the Ottoman lands and everything in between.He was a Muslim and didn’t hesitate to use the banner of Islam when it suited him. He conquered lands in the name of Islam riding under the standard of a crescent moon.Yet, he also rooted himself in customary laws of Genghis Khan, staking his claim as a spiritual if not biological heir of the great Mongol.Timur was responsible for some of the most wicked atrocities in history, leaving behind his trademark towers of human skulls amid the ash and debris of once-great cities plundered and crushed by his hordes. He did this to strike fear in the hearts of those who might dare to oppose him and to send a message to those that may try to resist his advance that it was far better to surrender than to face the his wrath in conquest.His military genius and traits of terror aside, Timur was a thoughtful intellectual who delighted in the company of scholars.He may have ruled with an iron fist but he respected and rewarded men of letters, something that has eluded many tyrants throughout history who think their ideas to be the best. His capital in Samarkhand was a centre of culture and learning with Timur as a despotic yet benevolent patron.No less an intellectual than Ibn Khaludn came away from his meeting with Timur with a profound respect for "one of the greatest and mightiest of kings".The success that met Timur in almost every battle he waged is testament to his brilliance as a leader of men.He knew that it would not be easy to retain the loyalty of nomadic tribes under his command. Only by keeping his men busy with raids and by equitably dividing the spoils of war could he continue to motivate those beneath him.Although generous as a leader, he did not tolerate corruption among those who served him, brutally punishing them as an example to others. For all his historical significance, Timur scarcely features in Western (even Islamic) history.In fact, his bloody massacres of fellow Muslims in repeated conquests has resulted in extremely unflattering accounts throughout Islamic historical records. In one of the best biographies I have ever read, Justin Marozzi brings Timur back to life in Tamerlane — Sword of Islam, Conqueror of the World. Not only has Marozzi provided us with a recent summary of historical accounts recording Timur’s life, he has also traced the steps of the great conqueror conjuring a magnificent travelogue of Timur’s empire as it is today. The lack of Western perspectives on Timur has motivated this textured and contextual recreation of his life which challenges caricatures based on Orientalist studies.In particular, Marozzi cites the "popular image of a … God-defying Oriental despot, fearless in conquest, unforgiving in triumph," as depicted in Christopher Marlowe’s Tamburlaine the Great but dismisses that image by saying that "it is one of history’s small ironies that a man who took such care to ensure his place in posterity by having his civil and military record meticulously chronicled should find his posthumous reputation in the hands of an Elizabethan playwright with a taste for the sensational".What emerges from this book is the story of a man of his time. He was no more nor less brutal and oppressive than other leaders of his age.His religious and ethical compass that oscillated freely between the obligations of Islam and the tribal customs of Mongols is typical of leaders who appropriate symbols for their own ambitions. Marozzi says that "(Timur) was interested in either code insofar as it supported his designs of conquest".Ironically, more than 600 years after his death Islam Karimov, another Uzbek leader with similar ambitions but different capabilities, can be seen appropriating Timur’s image to give historical credibility to his presidency. But after having conquered all that he set his eyes on, Timur’s greatest failure was his system of government. Although unparalleled as a strategist employing divide and rule tactics, forging alliances with enemies and motivated by a sense of his own place in history, Timur never left behind any meaningful political apparatus in places he conquered.It was almost as if what happened post-conquest was not important. What emerged as important in Timur’s life itself was the conquest. Because he didn’t leave behind any organised political occupation that would cement his grip on these lands, Timur often found himself going back to conquer again the same territories that had once fallen to his army.As Marozzi puts it, "the structure of (Timur’s) government was less important than the fact that power was exercised personally, rather than through institutions. (Timur’s) life was spent in the saddle campaigning. His energies were not given over to formalising the mechanics of government."His lack of interest in creating a political legacy would also ensure the inevitable fratricide after his death. Without institutions that could codify and exert power on his behalf, what became important in the wake of his demise was personal strength. But leaders like Timur do not come every generation and it was not until his great-great-great grandson Babur that the Timurid dynasty saw continuum into the Mughal dynasty.Marozzi’s book ends with Timur’s last campaign. After conquering the Ottoman lands and Syria, he was already at the gates of Europe. Had he decided to cross the Bosphorus, there is no doubt that the ensuing conquest would have led to a completely different Western civilisation today. But for Timur, just as it is for us today, he was called by the destiny of conquering the Middle Kingdom. It was for him the ultimate service to his religion to claim China. But the ageing conqueror succumbed to the cold near his beloved Samarkand.Marozzi’s book is a delicious portrait of a man so misunderstood in history — vilified, cursed and feared — that seeks to put into context his motivations, ambitions and fears. It is not just a readable biography of one of the greatest conquerors in history but also a study of political strategy and warfare that continues to echo throughout history.

以上です。