The interesting thing, to me, is that the workings that led to the conundrum were not personal. Demjaniuk did not make the situation in which he had to act; he was born into it. So to understand what he did--and whether or to what extent he was "evil" or a "war criminal"--we need to understand that situation, IMHO.

Thanks for your good comments. I agree with most of them. It think the think Gat is trying to say--and I agree completely here--is that the propensity to what might be called generic nationalism is not out there but in us. The political preference for people who look and act like "us" has appeared countless times and in countless places independently. Unlike, say Communism, it did not spread from a single place and time. Like the idea of "family," "friend, or "enemy" it is common enough to be a human universal. Of course it appears in various guises and is stronger or weaker at different times. But it is almost always there. That isn't to say it won't go away--it's just not likely to very soon.

Hi NG,

Thanks for your kind words. We take requests. Alas, the book you suggested was published in 2006, so it's a bit out of our range. If you could suggest something newer, I'll do it (or have it done). Warmest, MP

I ran through a plate glass window when I was about 8. He was the doctor who put me back together.