Archive for November 16th, 2008
A Nation, a State, or a Redundant community? (November 17, 2008)
There are over 190 States recognized by the UN. How many of these States can we establish to constitute Nations? Since the 19th century till today the world experienced “Nationalist” ideologies and most of the resistance movements to foreign invaders claim to be national resistance. I will attempt to define the elements that characterize claim to a Nation by first enumerating what I consider to be Nations and then fine tune the progressive synthesis to capture the main characteristics.
Since antiquity and going strong till now I have in mind the following nations as category 1: China, India, Iran, and Egypt. From the Medieval Age till now we have category 2: Russia, France, England, Sweden, Mexico, Morocco, and Turkey. From the Renaissance till now we have category 3: USA, Japan, Germany, Italy, and Spain. In the last century we accumulated the following nations in category 4: Brazil, Australia, Pakistan, Indonesia, South Africa, Nigeria, Norway, and maybe Canada.
The recent list of nations suggests that size of the population and then the size of the land are big factors. I listed Canada for two reasons: the size of the land and the fact that the USA is guaranteeing its independence and economical prosperity. The nations in category 4 are large enough in human and natural resources that they may survive blockades or natural calamities for an extended period if no external assistance is offered. The large islands such as Indonesia, the Philippines and Australia are self contained and managed to form a rather homogeneous population in culture and tradition.
The nations in category 3 have earned their status as nations through arm struggle and reconstitution based on language and common culture. The nations in category 2 have proven their endurance as entities through arm struggle and countless battles and revolutions to unify the population under one banner and one language. Nations in category 1 are prime nations that constituted the foundations for all cultures and civilizations. Ancient Iraq of the Babylonian, Assyrian, and Acadian civilizations could not hold their empires (which included the “Fertile Crescent” City-States in Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine) long enough without serious interruptions to be included as a nation. Present Iraq had the potentials in human and natural resources for being inducted a full nation if it had avoided the invasions of the USA through democratic processes.
Thus, what are the elements that enhance the constitution of nations?
First, the geographic location with natural borders (such as deserts, high mountain ranges, large rivers) that limited foreign incursions, until our modern times. (Islands such as England and Japan are prime examples)
Second, the construction of transport infrastructure to encourage trade and communication among communities.
Third, a formal and central language even if not all the population speaks it.
Fourth, a formal and central religion within a diversity of religions and sect.
Fifth, frequent arm struggles that unite the population under one banner and one central government.
Sixth, size of the resources in population and land that permit renewal of the energy after calamities and warfare.
If I missed a criterion, please remind me. For now I have listed 23 nations and I can foresee nations in the making such as Ukraine, Argentina, Poland, Viet Nam, Thailand, Mali, Philippines, and Malaysia which might enlarge the list to 31 nations. Yes, we have rich European States such as the Netherlands, Denmark, and Switzerland. Yes, we have a few oil rich States such as Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Sudan, and Algeria but the stability of these societies for the duration are doubtful for now. Maybe Algeria is a strong candidate with the guarantee of the European Union for its stability.
In short, I decided that we have 23 nations and 8 more potential nations and 6 super Nations (USA, China, India, Russia, Brazil, and the EU). The European Union is definitely a new type of generalized nation based on common culture, a culture that the “other people” would have the task of defining explicitly through the actions and policies of the EU. That is fine and dandy; how to reach World Peace and Stability? How to secure a viable and durable future for the next generation? Check my article “Sabbaticals for thinking”.
Wild Goose Chase into the Old World: Persia 4th century BC
Preface
Ever since I have read the life story of the so-called Alexander the Great I have been restless. I keep considering alternative circumstances of how this mad and impossible incursion into the Old Eastern World could have been stopped. I felt that writing a historical fiction novel about this period would do me good. It should be historical because people are shying away from current news: They don’t listen to news, they don’t read newspapers, they have no ideas what is happening around them and yet, they feel superior to all politicians and far more capable.
It has to be a fiction because the so-called facts are bitter pills and not so reliable:
They are the facts of the victors and petty facts after all. I needed to delve and know more about the ancient world. I need to imagine that a few of its leaders and scholars could have foreseen how political systems and technologies would have developed. How they would dare change the world according to their new visions; Whether they would have been better equipped, spiritually and morally to improve their world, people and environment, at their own snail pace
Alexander’s upbringing
Alexander was brainwashed since childhood. He was made insidiously to believe by his mother Olympia that he was the descended of the God Hercules. His mother kept telling him that the Highest Priest of Egypt was convinced that he is the expected World King for the end of the Aries period (The Belier or two horned mammal).
Alexander was actually a bastard. His father Phillip, King of Macedonia, strongly suspected that his wife Olympia has given birth to an illegitimate son. At the time, the kingdom of Persia extended from the borders of India to Turkey to Libya in Africa. It included the current countries of Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Egypt, Libya and the coast of North Africa.
Background on the motives of Alexander
Alexander’s goal was to conquer Egypt and receive from its High Priest the crown reserved for the expected son of God so that he can secure legitimacy. As one of Alexander mentors explained it to him “If you want wealth you steal it by force and if you want legitimacy then you have to snatch it by the sword”.
As the story of history goes, while in Egypt, Alexander received a letter from the King of Persia. The King was proposing to Alexander to accept the coastal land of Turkey to settle their disputes. It seems that the King of Persia was in a chatting mood and he added a threat that if his proposal is turned down then he will keep retreating before Alexander’s troops, to the confines of his vast Empire until Alexander gives up the chase. The letter warned Alexander that this task would be impossible to carry through.
The King of Persia had just handed Alexander a sweet excuse and a new purpose.
So much for making sense to a hot headed and crazy young adversary! Alexander barely visited any city twice and intended to advance further east to China.
What old “history books” told us
For thirteen years, Alexander barely backtracked in his wild push forward. His military travel took him beyond the Persian Empire to the Southern parts of Russia, Kashmir, Pakistan and parts of India. As matter of fact, Alexander could not have advanced that far if not for the fresh recruits coming from Greece to replace the losses. The new recruits adored him and wanted to have a share of the glory. Alexander crossed deserts in summers, the highest mountains in winters and most of his soldiers died of hunger, thirst and diseases rather than from wars. Alexander died in Babylon at the age of 30 something and his fiefdoms were divided among his officers after many years of a long civil war.
Lesser known stories
The officers of Alexander, battle worn, sick with disease and confused as to the purpose of this incomprehensible campaign, finally expressed bluntly their unwillingness to go any further and confronted him. Alexander had to stop his advance and convinced his officers to navigate the Indus River and then reach Egypt by sea. To punish his officers for foiling his dream of reaching the confines of the ancient world, Alexander made his army to cross the southern desert of Persia for 60 days where thousands of soldiers died of thirst.
Sabbaticals for thinking
Posted on: November 16, 2008
Sabbaticals for thinking and disseminating thoughts (November 16, 2008)
There is this system among universities to offer sabbaticals (a paid period of one year after seven years of work) for the tenured teachers and professors. Most of the intellectuals spend the year teaching in other universities abroad in order to save more money, which should not be the purpose for taking sabbaticals. I am not acquainted with the various conditions for sabbaticals but I would suggest to rich States to allocate funds for those intellectuals to focus the sabbatical year on studying and reading in other fields of their specialties, and most importantly, to disseminate their thoughts in writing or audio-visual mediums. It would be of more interest to humanity if the researches in the sabbatical years are oriented toward human rights, the frequency of genocides, the environment and those fields that need closer attention for our survival in this century and the next.
I would suggest that instead of waiting seven years to offering a sabbatical that intellectuals be permitted the alternative of taking a semester off after two or three years of work for the following reasons. First, a whole year out of teaching might be counter productive for the teacher when he returns to his job emotionally and practically. Second, spending a whole year on subjects not connected to the specialty might not encourage much focus or sustain enthusiasm. Third, the world is changing so fast and the moral values degrading so sharply that more minds should be involved in thinking out our difficulties at any period of time. I also hope that the system of sabbatical be generalized to all kinds of professions.
I believe that any one who re-publishes excerpts of manuscripts that contributed to changing emotional behavior of the reader and felt the need to disseminate the corresponding idea then he should be considered a co-author with rights. It is our responsibility to read and disseminate what contribute to our survival and elevate the quality of our moral values. The key work is to “disseminate” the need to think, think, and reflect as individuals away from the prevailing paradigms.
Juntas of theocratic castes
Posted on: November 16, 2008
Juntas of theocratic castes: the under-developed States (November 15, 2008)
There is this general tendency of categorizing the under-developed States on the basis of their economical production of GNP or other criteria related to the economy such as infra-structure, mechanization, availability financial sources, mobility in transportation and others. These kinds of categorizations are based on consequences and thus obliterate the need to investigate the sources of this under-developed condition.
I am inclined to believe that under-development is fundamentally a socio-political structure. All the under-developed States adopt to certain extent “junta of theocratic caste” systems in governing and running their States. I insist on the term theocratic because whatever predominant religions they claim to legally recognize these religions are at best skin deep. The true religions and sects in under-developed States are variations on “paganism” (I am not offering a bad connotation for the term pagan but a description for the fundamental differences with the religious monotheist system in developed States, including atheism as a right). Thus, the various tribes are attached to ancestral system of beliefs that are not officially or publicly stated. These tribes or castes are closed autonomous communities that tend to regard the other tribes as enemies to the survival of their autonomies. The frequent occurrences of genocides in Africa or in Central Europe are fundamentally based on deep rooted theocratic caste systems. Governments in under-developed States are formed of select castes and the rebellions, revolutions and genocides are outlets to re-shape the institutions according to the victors and governing under a different set of theocratic castes.
The State of Lebanon has undergone several civil wars because its 19 recognized theocratic castes refused to change to a modern structure for governing the State. Most of the under-developed States that are not predominantly dominated by one recognized religion or sect will be facing recurring civil disturbances and thus lost opportunities for economical stability and development regardless of the magnitude of foreign infusions of money.
Late Mai Ghoussoub mentioned the case of Ngoyambi, a 17-year old of the Hutu tribe in Rwanda, who is facing trial for mass genocide against the Tutsi tribe. Ngoyambi has no remorse and claimed that he won’t be afraid “if the judge is from the Hutu tribe because then he would not be wrongly found guilty”
Before the colonial mandates in Africa or the Soviet hegemony in Eastern and Central Europe there was many skirmishes among the “tribes” but they were governed by social rules and very localized and of countable casualties. Nowadays, these frequent skirmishes have acquired large scale magnitude in horrors and efficiency because of the despotism of theocratic juntas of castes after the “independence” of these States and the availability of efficient killing equipments sold by arm merchant connections that are themselves subsidized and managed by the superpower central States.
The liberal press and TV networks, in the Western “civilization”, loath to pinpoint the causes of these genocides; they claim that they don’t comprehend how human kind can reach such a low level of behavior. What don’t you understand?!
Adonis Diaries 