Category: Americana

The U.S. and the Arabs: so similar, yet so democratically different

Special to The Daily Star

Popular beliefs and perceptions aside, Arabs and Americans have much more in common than they like to think. Selective historical memories and a growing sense of insecurity are only two glaring examples in this regard.

Just consider the way Arabs talk about Saddam Hussein these days. Consider the way they treat his surviving family members, his daughter Raghad for instance. Her face has recently been splashed on the covers and pages of many society magazines. Reading these publications, one is tempted to imagine that the mad tyrant was actually a national hero who did many great things for Iraqis and Arabs in general.  Continue reading “The U.S. and the Arabs: so similar, yet so democratically different” →

The Imperium between East and West

A Heretic’s Log: A series of philosophical essays written between September 20, 2002 and July 15, 2004.

It may not be so important to know the exact date on which the American Western Imperium, with all its pretensions at universality [1], had its real beginning. After all, the beginning is no longer with us, and the way the Cold War ended, i.e. with the utter ideological defeat of the other side, if anything, denotes the improbability of its abortion. The genie is out of the lamp and no Aladdin is in sight. Dealing with the consequences at this stage is, therefore, much more urgent than dealing with the causes. Or so it appears, at least for those interested in “crisis management.” Continue reading “The Imperium between East and West” →