The Traditional Faith System and the Challenges of the Modern World

The text of a paper delivered to a conference on democratization in Europe that took place in August, 2003.

Abstract

While it seems a reasonable argument to point out to the dialectic nature of the monotheistic traditions in the ME, at least as far as the daily communal aspects are concerned, as offering an opportunity for integration and mutual acceptance between the various existing religious and secular currents, we should not, however, neglect the historical context which allowed for the success of this system of dialectic compromise, a context that was completely shattered with the advent in Modernity. This paper will attempt to shed some lights on the contemporary psychosis that seems to make the reintroduction of the aforementioned system of dialectical compromise well-nigh impossible. Continue reading “The Traditional Faith System and the Challenges of the Modern World” →

Empire and Conspiracy

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

Does the abundance and proliferation of conspiracy theories preclude the actual existence of conspiracies? Or are conspiracies an established fact of our political subsistence, a fact which we cannot afford to ignore? Continue reading “Empire and Conspiracy” →

From Nationalism to Country-Building: A Necessary Shift in Emphasis

Introduction

Observers of Middle East contemporary politics have always contended that the Palestinian cause has often been used by the various ruling Arab regimes to distract the minds of their oppressed peoples from the need for internal political, economic and social reforms. There is an urgent need, however, now that the region seems to be undergoing conditions similar to those that existed in the early twentieth century, to flesh out this argument even further. Continue reading “From Nationalism to Country-Building: A Necessary Shift in Emphasis” →

The Aftermath of Conquest: Two Possible Scenarios and a Simple Must

The problem with modern Arabs, peoples and governments alike, is not that they have been consistently defeated in almost every war they fought, ever since gaining independence in the second part of the twentieth century. Rather, it is the continuing incredulity with which they choose to deal with these defeats. The central role that the Arab collective memory still assigns to Arab peoples, in both the historical process and the divine scheme, is so out of touch with contemporary reality that Arabs have almost no choice but to continue to fall back upon conspiracy theories to explain this seemingly illogical situation to themselves and make it more acceptable somehow.

Continue reading “The Aftermath of Conquest: Two Possible Scenarios and a Simple Must” →