Tehran Times -By our staff writer
| Who likely is a Yale student... |
The identity crisis in international relations is closely interlinked with the issue of political enemies and rivals.
| Brilliant! Such insight! Cuts right to the heart of the matter with a statment of the patently obvious! |
Hostilities between nations date back to time immemorial.
| Almost immemorial. The first wall of Jericho dates to about 8000 B.C. Presumably it was built to keep bad guyz out, rather than the local Natufians in. |
In ancient times, we saw epic confrontations, such as the wars between the Persians and the Greeks and the Punic Wars between the Romans and the Carthaginians. Later, the Crusades became one of the most relentless symbols of hostility in history.
| stuck in the Middle Ages, as always. |
| They're jealous. They missed out on the 100 Years War, the 30 Years War, and the 7 Years War. They didn't get to go to war over Jenkins' Ear. Having delusions of adequacy, they think that their war's more important than the other ones, just because they were involved... |
Shortly afterwards, the Mongol invasions of Iran, Iraq, and Europe injected a great sense of horror and hostility into the history of humanity. The main question that arises is: Why have enmity and war always existed?
| "Ogg not like Grook! Ogg conk Grook!" |
Furthermore, why have some societies felt compelled to define their identity through their enemies?
| because Allan told us to??? |
| I think it's kind of the reverse the vampire phenomenon, where if they didn't have the reflection they'd lack any substance at all. |
Do opposition of interests or lack of resources cause animosity?
| "Ogg not have woman! Ogg conk Grook and take Oola!" |
Is the existence of an enemy, or, if one does not exist, the creation of a phantom menace enemy, a vital necessity for all societies in the world? Although their enemies actually do take violent and hostile measures, in their quest for an identity, nations usually attribute negative characteristics like cowardice, violence, lust, and dishonesty to their enemies but regard themselves as free of such deficiencies.
| Maybe because it's those enemies who seem hellbent on taking violent and hostile measures? |
| "Ogg not cowardly, violent, lustful and dishonest! Ogg merely sneak up on Grook, conk him, rape Oola, and then deny whole thing!" |
Unfortunately, societies often do define their identity through their enemies, and a great number of societies experience an identity crisis when they have no enemy.
"We have no enemies!"
"We are nothing!"
"Help! Help! I'm declining!"
"I'm fallllllinnnnnggggg!" |
In order to resolve their identity crises, nations actually use the concept of the enemy to define their policies and objectives.
| Sounds like a good description for most Islamic countries these days |
| ... whether it makes any sense or not. |
For example, the existence of an enemy of any kind was a constructive necessity for the Romans.
| "Aye, Crassus! I find those Gauls to be a constructive necessity!... By the way, would you like something to eat? You've got a lean and hungry look!" |
The endurance and scope of the Roman Empire was in large part due to its constant conflicts with enemies. | "And inshallah our empire will last even longer!!!" |
When the existence of an enemy becomes a constructive element for a society, real and illusory enemies arise.
| Like Ostrogoths and Muslims... |
Yet there are different kinds of hostility.
The clash between Greece and Iran in ancient times was an authentic animosity, whereas the animosity between North Korea and South Korea is in some ways illusory, since the citizens of the two countries belong to the same ethnic group and have a common cultural background.
| ah, yes .. if only those recalcitrant southern Koreans had realized this - what's a little tyranny among friends? |
Meanwhile, the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States, although based on the ideological differences of the two sides, was also defined by certain cultural differences. They actually could have posed no threat to each other.
| Damn. You mean my husband spent a career in the Air Force defending against a strategic nuclear threat for no good reason. Hell - his mother was right, he should have gone to medical school instead. Just think how much richer we'd be right now. Man am I pissed .... |
However, when each side advocated the superiority of its political theories and challenged the otherÂ’s definitions of certain fundamental economic and social concepts, hostilities arose, triggering an identity crisis in each country. Later, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States could no longer justify its military presence in the Persian Gulf and other parts of the globe. Thus, the West felt obliged to create an enemy for itself. At first, differences between the Islamic and Western civilizations were exaggerated.
| I mean, what's a little beheading among friends? Why all the fuss about stoning women to death for being raped? And really, those Americans are WAY too uptight about sermons calling for their destruction. |
This facilitated U.S. efforts to fabricate an illusory enemy.
| "Simkins! Conjure me an illusory enemy! Have him in my office by 10 o'clock!" |
Then 9/11 provided a vague but new enemy for the United States.
"Mr. President! The twin towers have collapsed and 3000 people are dead! The Pentagon was attacked! Muslims are dancing in the streets in celebration!"
"Hmmm... Sounds like a vague but new enemy, Karl!" |
Although terrorism is a great threat for the West, and particularly for the United States, it is at the same time the best kind of enemy, in that it helps the West define its identity.
"We may have our faults, but we don't lop people's heads off!"
"Kinda the definition of our side, isn't it, Karl?" |
Terrorism is also the best pretext for U.S. intervention in any country.
| He's conflating "pretext" and "reason," a condition known as "conflatulence." |
By magnifying the threat of terrorism and introducing it as not only the enemy of the United States but rather as the enemy of all humanity, the U.S. thus justifies its policy of aggression.
| Since everybody's head comes off in pretty much the same manner, I don't see how it's not the enemy of all humanity. |
This act has helped some nations and governments temporarily overcome their identity crises. The introduction of the phantom menace enemy has also created a seemingly endless global war with no clear goals, an astronomical rise in the U.S. defense budget, and windfall profits for the U.S. military-industrial complex, which may have been the original goal in the first place.
| And that's just the opening moves, buddy. |
|