Nelson Ascher is promising us a series in which will show the seriousness of the crisis we now face. The problem is not just the Islamists: it’s us. Nelson points out:
When the first Gulf War was fought, there was no lack of people who opposed it. But that opposition didn’t become a worldwide hysteria. So, let us forget 9/11 for a moment: what was so unexpected or scandalous about invading Iraq and deposing Saddam? Left-wingers would have complained and protested, but saving Saddam’s head wouldn’t have turned into a mainstream obsession. Who, except fringe lunatics, would have taken to the streets to save Saddam? I mean: there was no worldwide hysteria when the US intervened in Somalia. Most people couldn’t care less. Were American troops to go openly into Mogadishu again, there’d be a veritable earthquake now resembling the one that preceded the invasion of Iraq. So, in a way, the international reaction to this invasion is what was really amazing, though in a post-9/11 world that seemed quite natural.My intention is to weave these threads together in order to try and grasp the whole. I’m not sure I’ll manage to do it, but I’ll do my best. Doing this maybe I’ll be able to show rationally, point by point, that the crisis we’re going through is serious, huge indeed.
My contribution: In the west religion gave way to secular modernism which gave way to nihilism. And that has made us unfit to fight Islamism. In the east religion gave way to fascism which gave way to Islamism. The experience of the modern world has been different, but in each case it led to dismay and rejection – interestingly, for different reasons: in the west it didn’t deliver happiness, while in the east it didn’t deliver prosperity.
Posted by David Boxenhorn at October 25, 2004 01:05 AMReligious and cultural traditions embody large amounts of moral knowledge. Historically, they have been the mechanism by which values are transmitted down the generations.
Unfortunately it seems that secular moral values are having a hard time transmitting themselves. And, yes, the result has been a great deal of nihilistic apathy and moral relativism :(
Posted by: Tom Robinson at October 25, 2004 08:12 AM PermalinkOne of the most haunting books I have read recently is "Harvard and the UnaBomber" which goes into depth about the personal life of the professor who designed a psychological experiment to which Ted Kazinski and other outsider Harvard students trying to scarf up a few bucks were subjected. The author's premise leads one to think that this experiment and the social isolation he experienced at Harvard influenced Ted to get rid of the world according to Harvard profs. Private evil metatastized. Rus
Posted by: rus at October 25, 2004 08:30 AM PermalinkInteresting piece and a lot of meat to chew on. I don't think that there are many people who have the ability to really wrap their heads around this.
They don't want to believe in the boogie man, they are looking for simple explanations for terror like Israel stole land from the Palestinians and the US supports Israel.
Posted by: Jack at October 25, 2004 08:45 AM PermalinkI don't remember the level of opposition for Gulf War 1 being anything like the resistance this time around. The two cases are not comparable. As was for Gulf War 1 and against this one for completely seperate reasons.
Posted by: ExpatEgghead at October 26, 2004 01:01 PM PermalinkI think a lot of people that are opposed to US action in Iraq were in favor of action in the former Yugoslavia, and vice versa. I think that's a big clue.
Posted by: George Weinberg at October 26, 2004 09:28 PM Permalink