Sunday, April 13, 2008
A Historian's View of the Middle East Conflict
Cambridge-educated Benny Morris is widely regarded as one of Israel's pre-eminent historians and political analysts. He has just published a new book, 1948-A History of the First-Arab Israeli War in which he offers a bleak analysis of both the Arab-Israel and the Israeli-Iranian conflicts. He also offers a hardline analysis of Israel's probable response. His views are summarized in an interview he gave to the Jerusalem Post recently with the title It Was Always A Jihad.
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When stripped down to its essence, as Morris has purported, the conflict is a one-way war against Arab Muslim philosophy. This very well may be true … but the premise of Israel troubles me (only because it is newer to me than the already troubling premise of Jihadism). They are both playing a very, very dangerous game of poker. Perhaps Israel has better cards (IDF), but the Arab world has much more money (“the Arabs have 22 states and the Jews have 1”). Sometime soon, Israel may not be able to pull off a military miracle, and/or the strength of their Zionist philosophy (pillared by the fear of a future Holocaust) can not outlast the Muslim world. Liberalism has tried to permeate that world, and failed in many respects. Morris says a nuclear strike might “curb radical Islam for a few generations.” Have the Israelis ever thought about folding their cards, and leaving the Middle East game? Is it really better to say that you are right, and begin a nuclear war? …. Quite frankly, Israel was created because Jews needed strength. They have it now, but the new fight may not be worth it.
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