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| 'We are already well into a World War' | |
| 2006-03-15 | |
[The following was delivered by Haim Harari, Chair of the Davidson Institute of Science Education and Past President of the Weizmann Institute of Science Talk, at a meeting of the International Advisory Board of a large multi-national corporation in April, 2004.] As you know, I usually provide the scientific and technological "entertainment" in our meetings, but, on this occasion, our Chairman suggested that I present my own personal view on events in the part of the world from which I come. I have never been and I will never be a Government official and I have no privileged information. My perspective is entirely based on what I see, on what I read and on the fact that my family has lived in this region for almost 200 years. You may regard my views as those of the proverbial taxi driver, which you are supposed to question, when you visit a country. I could have shared with you some fascinating facts and some personal thoughts about the Israeli-Arab conflict. However, I will touch upon it only in passing. I prefer to devote most of my remarks to the broader picture of the region and its place in world events. I refer to the entire area between Pakistan and Morocco, which is predominantly Arab, predominantly Moslem, but includes many non-Arab and also significant non-Moslem minorities. Why do I put aside Israel and its own immediate neighborhood? Because Israel and any problems related to it, in spite of what you might read or hear in the world media, is not the central issue, and has never been the central issue in the upheaval in the region. Yes, there is a 100 year-old Israeli-Arab conflict, but it is not where the main show is. The millions who died in the Iran-Iraq war had nothing to do with Israel. The mass murder happening right now in Sudan, where the Arab Moslem regime is massacring its black Christian citizens, has nothing to do with Israel. The frequent reports from Algeria about the murders of hundreds of civilian in one village or another by other Algerians have nothing to do with Israel. Saddam Hussein did not invade Kuwait, endangered Saudi Arabia and butchered his own people because of Israel. Egypt did not use poison gas against Yemen in the 60's because of Israel. Assad the Father did not kill tens of thousands of his own citizens in one week in El Hamma in Syria because of Israel. The Taliban control of Afghanistan and the civil war there had nothing to do with Israel. The Libyan blowing up of the Pan-Am flight had nothing to do with Israel, and I could go on and on and on. The root of the trouble is that this entire Moslem region is totally dysfunctional, by any standard of the word, and would have been so even if Israel had joined the Arab league and an independent Palestine had existed for 100 years. The 22 member countries of the Arab league, from Mauritania to the Gulf States, have a total population of 300 millions, larger than the US and almost as large as the EU before its expansion. They have a land area larger than either the US or all of Europe. These 22 countries, with all their oil and natural resources, have a combined GDP smaller than that of Netherlands plus Belgium and equal to half of the GDP of California alone. Within this meager GDP, the gaps between rich and poor are beyond belief and too many of the rich made their money not by succeeding in business, but by being corrupt rulers. The social status of women is far below what it was in the Western World 150 years ago. Human rights are below any reasonable standard, in spite of the grotesque fact that Libya was elected Chair of the UN Human Rights commission. According to a report prepared by a committee of Arab intellectuals and published under the auspices of the U.N., the number of books translated by the entire Arab world is much smaller than what little Greece alone translates. The total number of scientific publications of 300 million Arabs is less than that of 6 million Israelis. Birth rates in the region are very high, increasing the poverty, the social gaps and the cultural decline. And all of this is happening in a region, which only 30 years ago, was believed to be the next wealthy part of the world, and in a Moslem area, which developed, at some point in history, one of the most advanced cultures in the world. It is fair to say that this creates an unprecedented breeding ground for cruel dictators, terror networks, fanaticism, incitement, suicide murders and general decline. It is also a fact that almost everybody in the region blames this situation on the United States, on Israel, on Western Civilization, on Judaism and Christianity, on anyone and anything, except themselves. A word about the millions of decent, honest, good people who are either devout Moslems or are not very religious but grew up in Moslem families: They are double victims of an outside world, which now develops Islamophobia and of their own environment, which breaks their heart by being totally dysfunctional. The problem is that the vast silent majority of these Moslems are not part of the terror and of the incitement, but they also do not stand up against it. They become accomplices, by omission, and this applies to political leaders, intellectuals, business people and many others. Many of them can certainly tell right from wrong, but are afraid to express their views. The events of the last few years have amplified four issues, which have always existed, but have never been as rampant as in the present upheaval in the region. A few more years may pass before everybody acknowledges that it is a World War, but we are already well into it. .... | |
| Posted by:lotp |
| #16 The "Phony War" or SitzKrieg in Europe is still considered by most to be part of WW2, as is Japan's war against China and Manchuria. As for any "real" war, i.e. involving Russia-China or China, we'll know when the shit hits the fan vv IRAN, NORTH KOREA, and TAIWAN, andor any new 9-11's aimed at Dubya and Washington. I wasd watching the flick THE MAGNIFICIENT YANKEE last night about the life of Republican, Supreme COurt Judge, and Intellectual Oliver Wendell Holmes - his character near the end of the movie said he believed in the worth of Government, but he himself believed more in the people and ideals behind America's form of government, "Holmes" closes by saying "YOUNG MAN, WE ARE IN A WAR [WW2], DO YOUR BEST AT ALL TIMES AND NEVER, EVER GIVE UP", or words to that effect. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2006-03-15 21:26 |
| #15 Thanks for the great read. Zenster, nice comments. |
| Posted by: Captain America 2006-03-15 20:08 |
| #14 Dratted cookie going |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-03-15 18:19 |
| #13 That's how you know it's a World War. Pity how the Muslims just don't seem to have a clue. This will probably keep me laying awake during the long winter nights. |
| Posted by: Thinemble Snemble1456 2006-03-15 16:14 |
| #12 Wait, WG said "Wrold War". All clear. |
| Posted by: Glert Thetch2165 2006-03-15 15:45 |
| #11 the World War that's coming is going to be particularly nasty. That's how you know it's a World War. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-03-15 15:37 |
| #10 Islam had better hope like he|| this is the actual World War. If this is just a Phoney War, the World War that's coming is going to be particularly nasty. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-03-15 15:25 |
| #9 Uh oh. This could go either way... |
| Posted by: Glert Thetch2165 2006-03-15 15:03 |
| #8 We are not in a World War. We are in the Phoney War that precedes a Wrold War. |
| Posted by: Wheting Glereting1773 2006-03-15 14:55 |
| #7 Trust me, I'm printing it out and bringing it to my liberal friends (as mentioned above). It is rock-solid exposés of this sort that turn the spotlight on Arab and Islamic perfidy. Thank you, KBK, for doublechecking the entire piece, it's a keeper. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-03-15 14:03 |
| #6 Zenster, it is a great article. |
| Posted by: KBK 2006-03-15 13:55 |
| #5 A Fantastic article well worth the read. I have commented on this at my website to spare Fred's bandwidth. I think I started to read this, then forgot about it, but I'm glad to see it again. |
| Posted by: Ptah 2006-03-15 13:08 |
| #4 KBK, if you look back on my history of personal posting patterns, you'll see that I rarely do such a thing. You'll also find that I am one of the very few posters here who scrupulously adheres to the moderators' requests that people submitting articles condense single sentence paragraphs to eliminate white space and edit for length. All you need to do is compare some of my original postings to the actual linked article and you will see. In this particular case, I felt that the talking points given by the author were vital in terms of debunking Israel's overinflated role as a pivot point in so many of the Arab conflicts. Muslims are so busy slaughtering each other, they barely have time to address Israel, save as a stalking horse or red herring for political purposes. The author's use of single sentence paragraphs as bullet points was lamentable but of great importance in conveying the needed impact with respect to just how screwed up Arab politics are. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-03-15 13:01 |
| #3 Um, Zenster, I love you like a son, but do you really need to use Fred's bandwidth quoting the quote at length? |
| Posted by: KBK 2006-03-15 12:43 |
| #2 I knew I had already read it on RB and elsewhere => http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=37372&D=2004-07-07 Good read, though; still, he has one thing wrong : suicide bombing has indeed come to western Europe, and they (we) still don't "get it", at least our Enlightened Elites, and that's because they actually are on the other side. It would (will?) take a large, large event to actually shift things. |
| Posted by: anonymous5089 2006-03-15 12:15 |
| #1 Absolutely superb article. Required reading for anyone seeking talking points on how and why the war on terror needs to be fought. What is behind the suicide murders? Money, power and cold-blooded murderous incitement, nothing else. It has nothing to do with true fanatic religious beliefs. No Moslem preacher has ever blown himself up. No son of an Arab politician or religious leader has ever blown himself. No relative of anyone influential has done it. Wouldn't you expect some of the religious leaders to do it themselves, or to talk their sons into doing it, if this is truly a supreme act of religious fervor? Aren't they interested in the benefits of going to Heaven? Instead, they send outcast women, naive children, retarded people and young incited hotheads. They promise them the delights, mostly sexual, of the next world, and pay their families handsomely after the supreme act is performed and enough innocent people are dead. A few other salient excerpts: I refer to the entire area between Pakistan and Morocco, which is predominantly Arab, predominantly Moslem, but includes many non-Arab and also significant non-Moslem minorities. Why do I put aside Israel and its own immediate neighborhood? Because Israel and any problems related to it, in spite of what you might read or hear in the world media, is not the central issue, and has never been the central issue in the upheaval in the region. Yes, there is a 100 year-old Israeli-Arab conflict, but it is not where the main show is. The millions who died in the Iran-Iraq war had nothing to do with Israel. The mass murder happening right now in Sudan, where the Arab Moslem regime is massacring its black Christian citizens, has nothing to do with Israel. The frequent reports from Algeria about the murders of hundreds of civilian in one village or another by other Algerians have nothing to do with Israel. Saddam Hussein did not invade Kuwait, endangered Saudi Arabia and butchered his own people because of Israel. Egypt did not use poison gas against Yemen in the 60's because of Israel. Assad the Father did not kill tens of thousands of his own citizens in one week in El Hamma in Syria because of Israel. The Taliban control of Afghanistan and the civil war there had nothing to do with Israel. The Libyan blowing up of the Pan-Am flight had nothing to do with Israel, and I could go on and on and on. The root of the trouble is that this entire Moslem region is totally dysfunctional, by any standard of the word, and would have been so even if Israel had joined the Arab league and an independent Palestine had existed for 100 years. The 22 member countries of the Arab league, from Mauritania to the Gulf States, have a total population of 300 millions, larger than the US and almost as large as the EU before its expansion. They have a land area larger than either the US or all of Europe. These 22 countries, with all their oil and natural resources, have a combined GDP smaller than that of Netherlands plus Belgium and equal to half of the GDP of California alone. Within this meager GDP, the gaps between rich and poor are beyond belief and too many of the rich made their money not by succeeding in business, but by being corrupt rulers. The social status of women is far below what it was in the Western World 150 years ago. Human rights are below any reasonable standard, in spite of the grotesque fact that Libya was elected Chair of the UN Human Rights commission. According to a report prepared by a committee of Arab intellectuals and published under the auspices of the U.N., the number of books translated by the entire Arab world is much smaller than what little Greece alone translates. The total number of scientific publications of 300 million Arabs is less than that of 6 million Israelis. Birth rates in the region are very high, increasing the poverty, the social gaps and the cultural decline. And all of this is happening in a region, which only 30 years ago, was believed to be the next wealthy part of the world, and in a Moslem area, which developed, at some point in history, one of the most advanced cultures in the world. It is fair to say that this creates an unprecedented breeding ground for cruel dictators, terror networks, fanaticism, incitement, suicide murders and general decline. It is also a fact that almost everybody in the region blames this situation on the United States, on Israel, on Western Civilization, on Judaism and Christianity, on anyone and anything, except themselves. A word about the millions of decent, honest, good people who are either devout Moslems or are not very religious but grew up in Moslem families: They are double victims of an outside world, which now develops Islamophobia and of their own environment, which breaks their heart by being totally dysfunctional. The problem is that the vast silent majority of these Moslems are not part of the terror and of the incitement, but they also do not stand up against it. They become accomplices, by omission, and this applies to political leaders, intellectuals, business people and many others. Many of them can certainly tell right from wrong, but are afraid to express their views. From examining the points made, it is apparent that this was probably published here, at Rantburg, on a previous occasion. For anyone who has not read this, it is critical that this content be carried out to liberal doubters and the ignorant (I know, what's the difference?), alike. Recently, I used the important talking points I have gathered here, along with the cartoon jihad nonsense to finally begin swaying some devout liberals I know over to understanding that Islam is a political ideology masquerading as a religion. It has taken me years to do this, with much frustration, but the cracks in thinking that America deserved 9-11 have formed and will never mend. Now, if I could only cure that pesky self-loathing problem so many of these liberals have. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-03-15 11:27 |