4.8.08 11:26
Hello everyone. The IIPES program officially ended last night and the US Men's National Soccer Team officially begins their bid for Olympic Gold in 3 days. Talk about bitter sweet! I mention that because the US soccer team has been a huge source of American pride while I've been here. I knew that as an American soccer player, I would stick out to the internationals as not the normal American. And this was very true. The first time we played soccer here, everyone was surprised when I showed some skill on the ball and a nice shot (though it's still rusty). I have had tons of conversations with guys about football (which now sounds more normal to me than soccer) since I've been here. If you are not a fan of football, then you aren't aware of the tremendous respect shown by players after games. Unless nations are bitter rivals (US v Mexico; England v Scotland) each major game is followed by an exchange of jerseys. It's a cool thing to see. In the football community, respect grows with continuing success, which is something kind of foreign to American football, with the exception of 2002. Football is an area where the US is completely and totally catching up to the world, but we are getting there. I have never been more proud to support US soccer. Football has once again proven to be a connector of people. I played with a Kosovar, a Lebanese (Karim, the goal scoring machine!!!), Egyptians, Americans, Serbians, Israeli's and Greeks. But on the pitch, we're all just playing.
I saw a Nike commercial online yesterday. It shows US soccer players, a couple goals and the fan group, Sam's Army. The commercial ends with this: America. The world no longer looks forward to playing you.
The last two nights of IIPES were the essence of bitter sweet. I have delayed my good-byes with any excuse I can make, but I have said many and will say more this afternoon. After our test on Saturday morning, we all went downtown to hang out with Sarantis. He had to leave early to attend a 4-day conference in Italy, but I will see him again in Athens. That evening, we went to a really nice seafood restaurant on the harbor. We were all a little glum, missing Sarantis already, but decided to head out afterward anyways, as it was our last available night. So to Mambo club we went...at 1 AM!!!!!! I was dead tired, but it was a lot of fun.
It was so much fun, in fact, that waking up the following morning at 9 for a 4-hour guest lecture panel was not fun at all. But we made it through, enjoyed an afternoon nap, and went to the graduation ceremonies. This graduation was truly amazing. My best man Mohamed, gave one of the best speeches I have ever heard. He finished to a standing ovation. He was followed by Nungari, from Kenya. She struggled to detail how a club owner would not let her in until she walked in with a white person. Yet the next night, she is able to talk of love and hope because the coming generation has less racism and more acceptance than the last. And then came Tal, from Israel. This one got to me a bit.
There is a row of flags of the countries that participated in IIPES hanging in one of the courtyards here. It has been a neat site the past three weeks. But as Tal walked past it last night before graduation, he noticed that the Israeli flag had been torn down. The white base of the flag still hung with small blue tatters from the felt. He decided to give a speech, telling us all about the situation. He talked to us about his conflict of emotions, whether to be upset, or to look forward. He related this to attacks between nations when they are trying to negotiate. "When Israel is attacked, it is our decision; do we stop negotians, or do we accelerate them." His message was clear, and it is a message that many of us from IIPES will take home. Love conquers all, and hope is the root of that love. If 80 students from countries who actively fight each other can become such a tight knit group, than maybe there is hope for my grandkids.
So if I have learned anything from the past 3 weeks, it is that we are all, when it comes down to the basics, very similar. Many of our nations are at conflict, but individually, we love football, we love food, we love dancing, we love drinking, we love beautiful sights and sounds, and we now love each other. I'm going to stop know, and a last afternoon with my new friends before heading to Santorini, Athens and London with Colin. Thanks for reading, and thanks for the comments. I'll see you all soon I hope.
Alec
Monday, August 4, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
A Bit of Economics
29.7.08 13:10
The lunch line is long, we've had a full morning and the computer room is by far the most air conditioned room in all of Chania, so I think I'll spend a couple cool minutes talking about political economics. I want to begin, though, with a bit of advice from an American trying to survive three very political weeks amongst some of the brightest minds of Europe. My roomate mentioned to me this morning that he's been e-mailing his professors with ideas, wondering if any of his thoughts might have enough quality to make up an op-ed piece for publication, just to prove my point. So my advice is: Read about international events as much as you can, and think about how conflicts abroad (such as Israel's right to exist in the eyes of many Arab nations) can relate to conflicts at home (such as America's role in the Middle East). The lack of knowledge of the American delegation is astounding compared to the rest of the world. I have spent much of the past two weeks listening, taking in new information that these young individuals know in depth. Let me name the conflicts about which I have taken part in extensive conversation:
The lunch line is long, we've had a full morning and the computer room is by far the most air conditioned room in all of Chania, so I think I'll spend a couple cool minutes talking about political economics. I want to begin, though, with a bit of advice from an American trying to survive three very political weeks amongst some of the brightest minds of Europe. My roomate mentioned to me this morning that he's been e-mailing his professors with ideas, wondering if any of his thoughts might have enough quality to make up an op-ed piece for publication, just to prove my point. So my advice is: Read about international events as much as you can, and think about how conflicts abroad (such as Israel's right to exist in the eyes of many Arab nations) can relate to conflicts at home (such as America's role in the Middle East). The lack of knowledge of the American delegation is astounding compared to the rest of the world. I have spent much of the past two weeks listening, taking in new information that these young individuals know in depth. Let me name the conflicts about which I have taken part in extensive conversation:
- Israel-Palestine
- Israel-Lebanon
- Israel-Syria...I could go on with Israel-______, but you get the point
- Greece-Turkey
- Greece-Macedonia
- Cyprus: Greek-Cypriots/Turkish-Cypriots
- Kosovo-Serbia
- America-Iraq
- America-Iran
- Lebanese Civil War 1975-1990 (I watched "West Beirut" last night. It was a very moving film about life during war.
- Egyptian power process under Gamal Abd al-Nassar, Anwar al-Sadat and now Mohammed Hosni Mubarak and the conflict between Muslims and Coptic Christians
- Divisions between Shia, Sunnia and Kurdish Muslims, along with a sect that I had never heard of - Suffi Muslim
- Countless conflicts in the countries of the former Soviet Union
If a professor asked a class to raise their hands if they had knowledge of all of these conflicts, I would not have raised my hand. In fact, I probably would have put my hands on the floor, perhaps trying to dig into the carpet to get as low as possible. These are important issues in the world. Thesis papers waiting to be written, as Dr. Armstrong would probably say. Yet Americans, for the most part, do not even have basic knowledge of what most of these conflicts are about. I am coming back to the States with many goals, not least of which is to encourage the people I am around to become more knowlegeable about the world around us. It will make us better American citizens and better people.
Now, on to political economics! We began classes yesterday (Monday) and will continue until Friday. Our exam over Political Economics with Professor Morriss and Intelectual History with Professor Sullivan will be on Saturday, and the program concludes on Sunday. Economics is a very interesting topic, and one that is important to honestly, everyone. I am really glad that I was convinced to take a basic economics course last semester, or I would be completely lost in this course. The article we are currently working on discusses the reasons why some nations embrace capitalism and thrive economically (United States, Britain, Japan) while others make the attempt and seem to fail miserably (Latin America, many countries of the former Soviet Union, China). Americans consistently give advice to other countries on how to legalize practices and make economic decisions more logical, yet the advice often seems to fail.
The theory proposed in controversial at best, flat wrong at worst. Every piece of America is owned. Likewise in much of western Europe and Japan. Every tool is inventoried, every piece of property legally recognized, every credit action accounted for. This is not true in much of the undeveloped world, much as it was not true in America 150 years ago. And this is the key difference. If an individual wants to start a business in Kansas City, she can mortgage her house, take out a loan, sell shares of investments that she may own, etc... This can be done because all of her assets are legally recognized. If an individual in undeveloped Africa, for instance, wants to do the same, it is impossible. The land that his family has developed and farmed for generations is not officially or legally his, so he cannot use it for collateral to take out a loan. The house he built is not legally recognized, so it cannot be remortgaged. The individual in Africa has just as much in terms of assets as the individual in America, but his assets are not legally recognized like hers are. The African's capital is "dead", so to say, because it cannot be used to generate more capital. On the other hand, the American's capital is "living", because it is the basis for generating more capital.
There are more readings in the coming days and more lectures that will hopefully clarify this theory. I, personally, have a couple immediate issues with it. Unfortunately, though, I'll save those arguments for sometime later, hopefully tonight. For now, it is lunch and the line is no longer long. And Iman just came in and told me lunch is souvlaki. No offense my friends, but my stomach is setting the priorities right now! Kali Orexi!
Sunday, July 27, 2008
First Exam
27.7.08 13:16 Chania, Greece
Hello again. I've had a busy couple days here with our first set of exams and our cultural presentations yesterday. All were thoroughly entertaining and thoroughly long! Today's day of relax is very welcome.
I have done a good job taking notes during class lectures and keeping up with my readings, so when it came time to begin serious studying for the exam on Thursday evening, I felt well prepared. Thursday, I studied for 4 or 5 hours over the Good Society materials, trying to engrain in my mind the idea of the marvelous and the murderous, and how their tension leads to the formation of a good society. Friday, starting around 3, I began studying conflict management, which I was not as comfortable with. I re-read each reading, taking careful notes and talking with people about how they interpreted texts. The studying ended around midnight, marking the most intense day of studying in my life up to this point. (Europeans definitely have better academic work ethics than your average American)
After studying was finished, Mohamed (I call him Ashiri) Iman and I found ourselves hanging out on the roof! It felt like a television show. But it was a lot of fun. Sarantis joined us the night before, and we went up again Saturday night, so it's becoming something of a tradition. Stars here are pretty nice, definitely better than in Kansas City (though probably not as clear as Bartle) So Ashiri, Iman and I talked the night away until around 2, when we decided we should probably get some sleep before the test the next day.
The test began at 11am, so I had time for a good breakfast and a quick final review. I'll admit, I was a bit nervous going into the test, until about 10 minutes before. I convinced myself that if I didn't know the information by now, I would not know it in 10 minutes. And if I did know the information now, 10 more minutes of studying would not keep me from forgetting anything. So I threw on the iPod, started dancing around like an idiot, and I think aced the test. We'll see what the grades say, but I was very confident walking out of the room. I was the second to finish, even though I re-read all of my answers 2-3 times and made some changes.
And then came cultural presentations. Hopefully, a video of the American performance is on the way. I'm told there were multiple people who got it on camera. The Americans decided the best way to show our very diverse culture was a presentation of the evolution of dance (a popular YouTube video) We danced our way from the 50's with Surfin' USA and The Twist to the 2000's with Crank dat Soldier Boy. I know I'm a bit biased, but it was freaking awesome!!! The Americans were one of the few countries that decided to go purely for entertainment. We did not give any information about our country, we did not try to explain our invasion of Iraq - we just danced. We had the entire group up, clapping and everything. Very fun. Then I got the honor of joining in the Greek presentation. They performed a traditional Greek wedding, so I was the chanter. After the wedding was complete, we began some traditional greek dances (which Katerina, the other Greek American and I taught to the actual Greeks...) The plates began to break, the music continued the play and we all had an incredible night of dancing. By 4am or so, I was dead tired and headed to bed.
I'm heading into town today to get some food and look for Addison's baptism dress. The concept of buying a dress for your goddaughter is harder to explain than I expected! I usually try for a couple of minutes, then end up just saying that I need to go shopping for a gift for the family.
IIPES is officially one week from being complete. I won't lie, I'm not looking forward to the end. I have met many incredible people, and I hope to continue the friendships once the program is done. But like all things, nothing usually quite lives up to the actual experience when everyone first met. I guess all good things must really come to and end....
Except family :-)
Much Love
Alec
Hello again. I've had a busy couple days here with our first set of exams and our cultural presentations yesterday. All were thoroughly entertaining and thoroughly long! Today's day of relax is very welcome.
I have done a good job taking notes during class lectures and keeping up with my readings, so when it came time to begin serious studying for the exam on Thursday evening, I felt well prepared. Thursday, I studied for 4 or 5 hours over the Good Society materials, trying to engrain in my mind the idea of the marvelous and the murderous, and how their tension leads to the formation of a good society. Friday, starting around 3, I began studying conflict management, which I was not as comfortable with. I re-read each reading, taking careful notes and talking with people about how they interpreted texts. The studying ended around midnight, marking the most intense day of studying in my life up to this point. (Europeans definitely have better academic work ethics than your average American)
After studying was finished, Mohamed (I call him Ashiri) Iman and I found ourselves hanging out on the roof! It felt like a television show. But it was a lot of fun. Sarantis joined us the night before, and we went up again Saturday night, so it's becoming something of a tradition. Stars here are pretty nice, definitely better than in Kansas City (though probably not as clear as Bartle) So Ashiri, Iman and I talked the night away until around 2, when we decided we should probably get some sleep before the test the next day.
The test began at 11am, so I had time for a good breakfast and a quick final review. I'll admit, I was a bit nervous going into the test, until about 10 minutes before. I convinced myself that if I didn't know the information by now, I would not know it in 10 minutes. And if I did know the information now, 10 more minutes of studying would not keep me from forgetting anything. So I threw on the iPod, started dancing around like an idiot, and I think aced the test. We'll see what the grades say, but I was very confident walking out of the room. I was the second to finish, even though I re-read all of my answers 2-3 times and made some changes.
And then came cultural presentations. Hopefully, a video of the American performance is on the way. I'm told there were multiple people who got it on camera. The Americans decided the best way to show our very diverse culture was a presentation of the evolution of dance (a popular YouTube video) We danced our way from the 50's with Surfin' USA and The Twist to the 2000's with Crank dat Soldier Boy. I know I'm a bit biased, but it was freaking awesome!!! The Americans were one of the few countries that decided to go purely for entertainment. We did not give any information about our country, we did not try to explain our invasion of Iraq - we just danced. We had the entire group up, clapping and everything. Very fun. Then I got the honor of joining in the Greek presentation. They performed a traditional Greek wedding, so I was the chanter. After the wedding was complete, we began some traditional greek dances (which Katerina, the other Greek American and I taught to the actual Greeks...) The plates began to break, the music continued the play and we all had an incredible night of dancing. By 4am or so, I was dead tired and headed to bed.
I'm heading into town today to get some food and look for Addison's baptism dress. The concept of buying a dress for your goddaughter is harder to explain than I expected! I usually try for a couple of minutes, then end up just saying that I need to go shopping for a gift for the family.
IIPES is officially one week from being complete. I won't lie, I'm not looking forward to the end. I have met many incredible people, and I hope to continue the friendships once the program is done. But like all things, nothing usually quite lives up to the actual experience when everyone first met. I guess all good things must really come to and end....
Except family :-)
Much Love
Alec
Sunday, July 20, 2008
A Little Fun In The Sun
21.7.08 0:12
What's up?!
I realized today how much I miss hearing that! No one here says it, so I decided I would start. Maybe I'll get a trend going...
Contrary to what it may seem like from my posts, they actually do let us out of the classroom every once in a while. Today was especially, well, AWESOME, so I thought I could tell some stories.
Most days, we get out of class sometime in the early to late afternoon, around 3-5. If we are done at 3, we try to head to a beach, but I've only been twice. The beaches here are crouded. They are very different from what we see in the states (granted, living in a KC I'm not really an expert on beaches...) The beaches are covered with seats that have umbrellas. They are sectioned off and decorated to different themes and colors. These are how we describe to each other where we are, because they are on every portion of every beach. So we hang out by the "Mythos" umbrellas, or the "Distijl" umbrellas, or near the "Milos" club. Each set has a bar attached to it, which is the catch. The umbrellas and chairs look wonderful, but to enjoy them, you're expected to also enjoy a nice drink or two or seven. Which wouldn't be bad if the drinks did not cost 7.50 euros ( a little over 11 USD)
So the beach is really nice, though it's not really my favorite. We all hang out and play games in the water, and usually drop by a bar for a drink - emphasis on singular here!!! I fell asleep listening to music on Saturday...
Alec - 0
Grecian Sun - 1
My back hurts quite a bit now! Yes, mom, I did wear sunscreen :-) Saturday ended with a formal dinner. It was the last night for a high school group that was doing a program at MAICh as well. The menu was great - and very international. Regular salad, greek salad, feta, guacamole dip, salsa, lamb, barbecque ribs and greek potatoes. And of course, since we are in Greece, bountiful bread and wine! The dinner ended around 11 PM. Some people went downtown, but I decided to stay. The greeks started dancing, so I joined that for a while. We walked around campus. I had an hour or so conversation with Saef, an Egyptian, about how to organize a Model United Nations convention. Dr. Armstrong, get ready. I'm coming back to the states motivated to get one of these organized at Jewell. Saef, Mohammed al-Ashiri and Sarantis Michaelopolous have all agreed to come to America and help if it works out. How about those names???
Anyways, Saturday night finished about the normal time for a night to finish here in Greece...maybe 4 or 5 AM! Sunday morning brought a bus ride to Iraklion and Knossos to see the ruins of the ancient Minoan civilization. I have some incredible pictures of a culture that was so advanced for its time. The most impressive technology was their pipe system. There is a water spring 10 KM away from the palace. The Minoans dug a pipe system from the mountain spring to Knossos with clay pipes buried 4-6 ft. deep. This brought running spring water to the entire palace year-round. And when they were done with the water, they could simply put it into a bowl-looking thing that drained into a nearby river. The drainage system was something else! It weaved all around the palace, going into rooms and under walkways. Very neat stuff. We had lunch at a cafe in Iraklion and got to walk around the harbor area for a couple hours before heading back. I've made friends with some Egyptians: Mohammed - I probably spend more time with him than anyone! Yasmine - she looks like Mimi from rent, and really likes Aladin...:-) Iman - She calls me her guardian, even though she's 23. Shahir - he has probably the biggest smile I've ever seen to go along with a cackling laugh. Saef - funny, funny guy. He's like my Egyptian Theo... Jayla - Jayla is so much fun. We chill like there isn't a care in the world. And a Lebanese guy named Ralph - he does unbelievable voice impressions. He started talking today like he was California, and I would never have guessed that his first language was Arabic.
So we all hung out in downtown Iraklion before catching the bus back to Chania. A pretty terrible dinner, a shared cigar and just a little studying followed. And then we sang! I felt like I was at EOYC singing with Lynn. Probably 40 0f us were circled up, huddling around sporadic lyric sheets. Tal from Israel, Edward from the States and Ralph from Lebanon were on the guitars. Chris Carr, if you're reading this, we sang "Killing Me Softly", and I wished you were here at that moment!!!
All in all, a wonderful day in a wonderful place. I think I forgot to mention that we had a day off of classes today, which made it even better. But it's back to grind tomorrow....today, actually....with the beginning of our Conflict Management course. We have finished the course on the Good Society and will have our exam over that this coming Saturday, along with the exam for Conflict Management. Good times here in Chania!
Good night!
What's up?!
I realized today how much I miss hearing that! No one here says it, so I decided I would start. Maybe I'll get a trend going...
Contrary to what it may seem like from my posts, they actually do let us out of the classroom every once in a while. Today was especially, well, AWESOME, so I thought I could tell some stories.
Most days, we get out of class sometime in the early to late afternoon, around 3-5. If we are done at 3, we try to head to a beach, but I've only been twice. The beaches here are crouded. They are very different from what we see in the states (granted, living in a KC I'm not really an expert on beaches...) The beaches are covered with seats that have umbrellas. They are sectioned off and decorated to different themes and colors. These are how we describe to each other where we are, because they are on every portion of every beach. So we hang out by the "Mythos" umbrellas, or the "Distijl" umbrellas, or near the "Milos" club. Each set has a bar attached to it, which is the catch. The umbrellas and chairs look wonderful, but to enjoy them, you're expected to also enjoy a nice drink or two or seven. Which wouldn't be bad if the drinks did not cost 7.50 euros ( a little over 11 USD)
So the beach is really nice, though it's not really my favorite. We all hang out and play games in the water, and usually drop by a bar for a drink - emphasis on singular here!!! I fell asleep listening to music on Saturday...
Alec - 0
Grecian Sun - 1
My back hurts quite a bit now! Yes, mom, I did wear sunscreen :-) Saturday ended with a formal dinner. It was the last night for a high school group that was doing a program at MAICh as well. The menu was great - and very international. Regular salad, greek salad, feta, guacamole dip, salsa, lamb, barbecque ribs and greek potatoes. And of course, since we are in Greece, bountiful bread and wine! The dinner ended around 11 PM. Some people went downtown, but I decided to stay. The greeks started dancing, so I joined that for a while. We walked around campus. I had an hour or so conversation with Saef, an Egyptian, about how to organize a Model United Nations convention. Dr. Armstrong, get ready. I'm coming back to the states motivated to get one of these organized at Jewell. Saef, Mohammed al-Ashiri and Sarantis Michaelopolous have all agreed to come to America and help if it works out. How about those names???
Anyways, Saturday night finished about the normal time for a night to finish here in Greece...maybe 4 or 5 AM! Sunday morning brought a bus ride to Iraklion and Knossos to see the ruins of the ancient Minoan civilization. I have some incredible pictures of a culture that was so advanced for its time. The most impressive technology was their pipe system. There is a water spring 10 KM away from the palace. The Minoans dug a pipe system from the mountain spring to Knossos with clay pipes buried 4-6 ft. deep. This brought running spring water to the entire palace year-round. And when they were done with the water, they could simply put it into a bowl-looking thing that drained into a nearby river. The drainage system was something else! It weaved all around the palace, going into rooms and under walkways. Very neat stuff. We had lunch at a cafe in Iraklion and got to walk around the harbor area for a couple hours before heading back. I've made friends with some Egyptians: Mohammed - I probably spend more time with him than anyone! Yasmine - she looks like Mimi from rent, and really likes Aladin...:-) Iman - She calls me her guardian, even though she's 23. Shahir - he has probably the biggest smile I've ever seen to go along with a cackling laugh. Saef - funny, funny guy. He's like my Egyptian Theo... Jayla - Jayla is so much fun. We chill like there isn't a care in the world. And a Lebanese guy named Ralph - he does unbelievable voice impressions. He started talking today like he was California, and I would never have guessed that his first language was Arabic.
So we all hung out in downtown Iraklion before catching the bus back to Chania. A pretty terrible dinner, a shared cigar and just a little studying followed. And then we sang! I felt like I was at EOYC singing with Lynn. Probably 40 0f us were circled up, huddling around sporadic lyric sheets. Tal from Israel, Edward from the States and Ralph from Lebanon were on the guitars. Chris Carr, if you're reading this, we sang "Killing Me Softly", and I wished you were here at that moment!!!
All in all, a wonderful day in a wonderful place. I think I forgot to mention that we had a day off of classes today, which made it even better. But it's back to grind tomorrow....today, actually....with the beginning of our Conflict Management course. We have finished the course on the Good Society and will have our exam over that this coming Saturday, along with the exam for Conflict Management. Good times here in Chania!
Good night!
Thursday, July 17, 2008
What is Justice?
17.7.08 23:07 - Chania, Greece
Welcome back.
Classes continue here in Greece, and for the most part, they continue to impress me and my colleagues. Our first week is focused on the class taught by Drs. Collins and Ambrosio - The Good Society. Overall, it discusses the question of what goes into constructing a society that functions to provide justice to its citizens. Collins and Ambrosio do a wonderful job of connecting each days lessons and structuring the lecture so that ideas build upon each other. This helps make connections between theories, like the theory of the marvelous and the murderous that I discussed in my last post. We have all been walking around Crete, seeing a beautiful beach and commenting, "That's marvelous!" It has become something of a joke, but it is also the basis of a set of theories on justice that make a lot of sense.
Let me provide a few definitions as I see them before I continue. They are, by all means, up for debate. However it is important to understand how I use these words to proceed with this dialogue:
1.) Dialogue - Structured bi-lateral communication that, unlike debate, requires that each side understand the others opinions and arguments. Agreement is not necessary, but empathy is.
2.) Education - The devolopment of one's conscience through the family, the local community, formal educational institutions and life experiences.
3.) Deliberation - The very real act of taking into consideration the theory/ideal (what should/would/could happen in the best circumstances and without human error) and the practice (what happens when ideal is completely forgotten) to make a decision concerning any individual situation.
4.) Conscience - Our individual belief system and education that guides what we view as marvelous and what we view as murderous. We hope that for any instance, we have the time to deliberate. If that time is not available, however, we hope like hell that our education has brought our conscience to a point where we make the right decision on instinct.
OK, continuing on...
It is important in our lives to accept that no decision we make will be completely obvious. That is the ideal (marvelous), but it is not realistic. Likewise is the knowledge that no decision, when thought about unemotionally, is entirely impossible to make (murderous), which gives hope. How then can humans living in a society full of stupid, often ignorant men and women, come to conclusions that make sense not in a bubble of individuality, but in our relationship to society as a whole and other individuals who fill our lives? The theory proposed from Greece here is best described a sequential growth. The individual first must be a philosopher (a lover of wisdom), in order to question everything in his world. These questions have no concrete answers, but we hope to live our lives as an answer to these questions. Difficult concept, I know. From this constant state of questioning, individuals proceed to make the attempt at being as whole an individual as possible by questioning ourselves and questioning those around us. The questioning of those around us leads to a dialogue, when it becomes absolutely vital to have empathy towards the opposition. The lack of empathy between sides is what keeps conflicts like Israel-Lebanon and Serbia-Kosovo so volatile.
I was unsure about the theory up to this point the first couple days. I saw Plato's theory that those in political power should live like a philosopher, a lover of wisdom, a constant questioner. However, in Plato's "Apology", which covers Socrates trial, Socrates says that "human wisdom is worthless". I made this connection: politicians should be philosophers, which are lovers of wisdom. Wisdom is inherently the admission that we, as humans, do not have the answers to the questions that we are required to ask, and is therefore worthless. I concluded that this could only mean that constant questioning would lead to innaction. This is where the concept of deliberation becomes relevant.
Deliberation is the acceleration of dialogue to a process of making a decision, with the full knowledge that your decision will not live up to the ideal, but it will also not live down to the practice. As individuals, we must take ownership of our education so that we can form our own consciences and make wise decisions in moments of trial. For example, Martin Luther Kind Jr., when deciding to disobey what he viewed as an unjust law, deliberated the consequences. The ideal was political and social equality for all peoples, but the practice was segregation. To break the segregation law would mean a period in jail, but this period had the potential to awaken the public to the issue. King asked the question of the American people, "This brutality, this segregation of humans, is occuring in your country. Are you OK with that?" Inherent in his decision to break this law is the acceptance that the answer from the community may be "no". The solution may not occur in the lifetime of those who try to change cultures. But if, based on our conscience and our education, you as an individual belive that your action will open an opportunity for the betterment of society (not of your individualality, necessarily), then it is your duty to take that action, accepting the consequences of the rule of law.
If every individual lives by these principles, democratically electing leaders who govern and decide policy by these principles, we will (ideally, of course) build the Good Society.
I would love to hear comments or questions (which I give no guarentee of providing a good answer for!) to these ideas. Eventually, this will all turn into a research paper back in the States so your comments will greatly help me (and hopefully you!)
Kalinikta.
Welcome back.
Classes continue here in Greece, and for the most part, they continue to impress me and my colleagues. Our first week is focused on the class taught by Drs. Collins and Ambrosio - The Good Society. Overall, it discusses the question of what goes into constructing a society that functions to provide justice to its citizens. Collins and Ambrosio do a wonderful job of connecting each days lessons and structuring the lecture so that ideas build upon each other. This helps make connections between theories, like the theory of the marvelous and the murderous that I discussed in my last post. We have all been walking around Crete, seeing a beautiful beach and commenting, "That's marvelous!" It has become something of a joke, but it is also the basis of a set of theories on justice that make a lot of sense.
Let me provide a few definitions as I see them before I continue. They are, by all means, up for debate. However it is important to understand how I use these words to proceed with this dialogue:
1.) Dialogue - Structured bi-lateral communication that, unlike debate, requires that each side understand the others opinions and arguments. Agreement is not necessary, but empathy is.
2.) Education - The devolopment of one's conscience through the family, the local community, formal educational institutions and life experiences.
3.) Deliberation - The very real act of taking into consideration the theory/ideal (what should/would/could happen in the best circumstances and without human error) and the practice (what happens when ideal is completely forgotten) to make a decision concerning any individual situation.
4.) Conscience - Our individual belief system and education that guides what we view as marvelous and what we view as murderous. We hope that for any instance, we have the time to deliberate. If that time is not available, however, we hope like hell that our education has brought our conscience to a point where we make the right decision on instinct.
OK, continuing on...
It is important in our lives to accept that no decision we make will be completely obvious. That is the ideal (marvelous), but it is not realistic. Likewise is the knowledge that no decision, when thought about unemotionally, is entirely impossible to make (murderous), which gives hope. How then can humans living in a society full of stupid, often ignorant men and women, come to conclusions that make sense not in a bubble of individuality, but in our relationship to society as a whole and other individuals who fill our lives? The theory proposed from Greece here is best described a sequential growth. The individual first must be a philosopher (a lover of wisdom), in order to question everything in his world. These questions have no concrete answers, but we hope to live our lives as an answer to these questions. Difficult concept, I know. From this constant state of questioning, individuals proceed to make the attempt at being as whole an individual as possible by questioning ourselves and questioning those around us. The questioning of those around us leads to a dialogue, when it becomes absolutely vital to have empathy towards the opposition. The lack of empathy between sides is what keeps conflicts like Israel-Lebanon and Serbia-Kosovo so volatile.
I was unsure about the theory up to this point the first couple days. I saw Plato's theory that those in political power should live like a philosopher, a lover of wisdom, a constant questioner. However, in Plato's "Apology", which covers Socrates trial, Socrates says that "human wisdom is worthless". I made this connection: politicians should be philosophers, which are lovers of wisdom. Wisdom is inherently the admission that we, as humans, do not have the answers to the questions that we are required to ask, and is therefore worthless. I concluded that this could only mean that constant questioning would lead to innaction. This is where the concept of deliberation becomes relevant.
Deliberation is the acceleration of dialogue to a process of making a decision, with the full knowledge that your decision will not live up to the ideal, but it will also not live down to the practice. As individuals, we must take ownership of our education so that we can form our own consciences and make wise decisions in moments of trial. For example, Martin Luther Kind Jr., when deciding to disobey what he viewed as an unjust law, deliberated the consequences. The ideal was political and social equality for all peoples, but the practice was segregation. To break the segregation law would mean a period in jail, but this period had the potential to awaken the public to the issue. King asked the question of the American people, "This brutality, this segregation of humans, is occuring in your country. Are you OK with that?" Inherent in his decision to break this law is the acceptance that the answer from the community may be "no". The solution may not occur in the lifetime of those who try to change cultures. But if, based on our conscience and our education, you as an individual belive that your action will open an opportunity for the betterment of society (not of your individualality, necessarily), then it is your duty to take that action, accepting the consequences of the rule of law.
If every individual lives by these principles, democratically electing leaders who govern and decide policy by these principles, we will (ideally, of course) build the Good Society.
I would love to hear comments or questions (which I give no guarentee of providing a good answer for!) to these ideas. Eventually, this will all turn into a research paper back in the States so your comments will greatly help me (and hopefully you!)
Kalinikta.
Monday, July 14, 2008
First Questions First
15 June 2008 - 1:48 Chania, Greece
Hello everyone! This post marks the end of my first academic day in IIPES. It consisted of formal orientation, and 3 lectures lasting a total of nearly 4 and a half hours. All but the last were very interesting and I had no problems maintaining focus. The last, however, given by an Italian foreign policy expert, rough. I explain in a second.
The professors for this first section are Dr. Collins and Dr. Ambrosio. Both are long-time professors at Georgetown University, meaning that are both very articulate, intelligent and passionate about what they teach - Dr. Collins, Philosophy, Dr. Ambrosio, Shakespeare. Today's lectures, which are tag team taught by the two, covered ancient Greek philosophy. We discussed the basis of philosophy, which literally means to love wisdom. To love wisdom, one must seek truth and justice by asking questions, seeking the reality of the circumstances that we are found in. Every question, every situation can be simplified many times over. For example, we can look at the question, should abortion be legalized? Before this can be answered, we must ask what is abortion? What stage of conception? Are there exceptions for extreme situations? Each of those questions can be simplified further? Is the definition of abortion related to religion or secularism? When, in the development of a fetus, does fetus become human? (Continuing on this question, what is human?) If abortion is related to religion, which one? If not, what set of laws? This can go on and on, but the idea from Plato, a student of Socrates, is that the act of questioning is more wise than the action of those in power, who have not yet found answers. We must continue to ask the first questions first, in hope that we will possibly live our lives into the answers. This is why Plato and Socrates never became involved in politics, resisting the urgings of the Athenian population.
For every situation, there is an ideal, a theory that explains what will happen in the most perfect of situations. Then there is the practice, what will happen when humans live these situations, and essentially mess up the ideal theory. Reality is somewhere in between the two. Reality is the decisions that those in government must make without fully answering the first questions first. Marvelous and murderous. Ideal is marvelous, but practice is often murderous.
One of our readings was simply beautiful, in describing the constant conflict between the marvelous and the murderous. I will paraphrase as best as I can. There is, as you most likely know, conflict between the Catholics and Protestants in Ireland. So the story goes, a bus of workers was stopped by an armed group. There was only one Catholic worker among those being bussed home. When the group was taken off the bus and lined up, the armed fighters asked if there were any Catholics. The one made a motion forward, but felt the touch of a hand, "as if to say 'Stay in line. We will not betray you.'" This touch of the hand, the connection between two ethnicities so at odds, is the marvelous. And yet it is so closely connected to the rifles in the arms of the soldiers, the murderous. The story continues, the Catholic made his step forward, and was pulled away. Immediately the row of Protestants remaining were shot dead by the Catholit militants. Marvelous and murderous, seperated by seconds in time.
I get chills reading that last paragraph over, mostly because of the essense of its message, but also a little because it comes from my mind. So rarely does information come into our lives that is so gripping, so intense that a wooden chair with very little space in a room that is at times too cold and at times to hot very like home. But this is what I experienced today, and hopefully is what I will continue to experience for the next 2 and a half weeks.
The conversation is wonderful, the people are unique, the beaches are breathtaking and the future visits are already being planned :-)
Καλινίχτα φιλεναδά (Good night friends)
Alec
Hello everyone! This post marks the end of my first academic day in IIPES. It consisted of formal orientation, and 3 lectures lasting a total of nearly 4 and a half hours. All but the last were very interesting and I had no problems maintaining focus. The last, however, given by an Italian foreign policy expert, rough. I explain in a second.
The professors for this first section are Dr. Collins and Dr. Ambrosio. Both are long-time professors at Georgetown University, meaning that are both very articulate, intelligent and passionate about what they teach - Dr. Collins, Philosophy, Dr. Ambrosio, Shakespeare. Today's lectures, which are tag team taught by the two, covered ancient Greek philosophy. We discussed the basis of philosophy, which literally means to love wisdom. To love wisdom, one must seek truth and justice by asking questions, seeking the reality of the circumstances that we are found in. Every question, every situation can be simplified many times over. For example, we can look at the question, should abortion be legalized? Before this can be answered, we must ask what is abortion? What stage of conception? Are there exceptions for extreme situations? Each of those questions can be simplified further? Is the definition of abortion related to religion or secularism? When, in the development of a fetus, does fetus become human? (Continuing on this question, what is human?) If abortion is related to religion, which one? If not, what set of laws? This can go on and on, but the idea from Plato, a student of Socrates, is that the act of questioning is more wise than the action of those in power, who have not yet found answers. We must continue to ask the first questions first, in hope that we will possibly live our lives into the answers. This is why Plato and Socrates never became involved in politics, resisting the urgings of the Athenian population.
For every situation, there is an ideal, a theory that explains what will happen in the most perfect of situations. Then there is the practice, what will happen when humans live these situations, and essentially mess up the ideal theory. Reality is somewhere in between the two. Reality is the decisions that those in government must make without fully answering the first questions first. Marvelous and murderous. Ideal is marvelous, but practice is often murderous.
One of our readings was simply beautiful, in describing the constant conflict between the marvelous and the murderous. I will paraphrase as best as I can. There is, as you most likely know, conflict between the Catholics and Protestants in Ireland. So the story goes, a bus of workers was stopped by an armed group. There was only one Catholic worker among those being bussed home. When the group was taken off the bus and lined up, the armed fighters asked if there were any Catholics. The one made a motion forward, but felt the touch of a hand, "as if to say 'Stay in line. We will not betray you.'" This touch of the hand, the connection between two ethnicities so at odds, is the marvelous. And yet it is so closely connected to the rifles in the arms of the soldiers, the murderous. The story continues, the Catholic made his step forward, and was pulled away. Immediately the row of Protestants remaining were shot dead by the Catholit militants. Marvelous and murderous, seperated by seconds in time.
I get chills reading that last paragraph over, mostly because of the essense of its message, but also a little because it comes from my mind. So rarely does information come into our lives that is so gripping, so intense that a wooden chair with very little space in a room that is at times too cold and at times to hot very like home. But this is what I experienced today, and hopefully is what I will continue to experience for the next 2 and a half weeks.
The conversation is wonderful, the people are unique, the beaches are breathtaking and the future visits are already being planned :-)
Καλινίχτα φιλεναδά (Good night friends)
Alec
Saturday, July 12, 2008
12 July 2008 - 15:44
What an incredible first day! With my travels completely...and I mean COMPLETELY behind me, I have met some incredible people already. I will profile a few very quickly:
Vasileios - Vasileos (surely my dad is a big fan!) is from Athens. He is the first Greek that I met in the program, and is very nice. I was introduced to him as a fellow Greek the last night after orientation. He is helping me learn Greek!
Babi - pronounced like Bobby, he is taller and also from Athens. For anyone who knows him, Babi reminds me a lot of Devon Groussis (PC Cosmos).
Fay - Local product of Chania. She is your stereotypical Greek woman - mix between the energy of a girl my age and the warmth of a yaya. But we could not talk too much...her and Babi became quick friends last night :-)
Saranta - Saranta arrived late yesterday and hasn't slept in 2 days. Maybe this is why we connected so easily this morning! We have been talking all morning about Greek politics, Greek soccer teams and everything in between.
Niko and Sofia - Both are also Greek students, but we haven't been able to talk much. Niko probably speaks the least English of any of them. It is very broken, so he remains quiet when I am participating in the conversation. When I am not in the conversation, the group quickly switches back to Greek, with Vassili or Saranta filling me in on what I do not understand.
I could continue this list for pages. But I won't today. I am sure I will make many more friends outside the Greek community. They all spend most of their time together, which I think is unfortunate for them. It is a comfort to be around people who speak your native tongue and can converse about things of which you are very knowledgeable. It is hard to start meaningful conversations in a language which not everyone speaks very well. Conversations require your full attention and lots of questions. But this is good. My Brazilian friend, Armando, who studies in Italy, and I like to jump between groups of people to make sure we are never in the same group for too long. I seem to be making good connections so far, and have only had a few conversations with Americans. Ariel, my roommate, also joins in the on the group-hopping. He is absolutely fascinating. And he has a girlfriend who lives in Chicago, so I am already hoping that that will result in a visit to Kansas City for him in the future.
Orientation began last night and continued this morning. We learned the history of the island of Crete from a Greek woman who spoke only broken English. It was a session that repeated itself far too often and went on far too long. I hope future sessions are more interesting!
Tomorrow (Sunday) we have an early breakfast followed by a bus tour of the Island. We are staying on the western side of Crete this week, but next Sunday will travel to Knossos in the middle to east side of Crete, near the port city of Heraklion (pronounced Iraklion). The tours should provide more great bonding time and wonderful picture opportunities.
Classes are done for the day, so I think I'm off to the beach! Yes, be jealous. :-) Crete is beautiful, and you should all try to make it here sometime in your lives. I have been thinking a lot already about the personal value of traveling abroad, but I will discuss that in a later post.
Kalinichta (Good night!)
What an incredible first day! With my travels completely...and I mean COMPLETELY behind me, I have met some incredible people already. I will profile a few very quickly:
Vasileios - Vasileos (surely my dad is a big fan!) is from Athens. He is the first Greek that I met in the program, and is very nice. I was introduced to him as a fellow Greek the last night after orientation. He is helping me learn Greek!
Babi - pronounced like Bobby, he is taller and also from Athens. For anyone who knows him, Babi reminds me a lot of Devon Groussis (PC Cosmos).
Fay - Local product of Chania. She is your stereotypical Greek woman - mix between the energy of a girl my age and the warmth of a yaya. But we could not talk too much...her and Babi became quick friends last night :-)
Saranta - Saranta arrived late yesterday and hasn't slept in 2 days. Maybe this is why we connected so easily this morning! We have been talking all morning about Greek politics, Greek soccer teams and everything in between.
Niko and Sofia - Both are also Greek students, but we haven't been able to talk much. Niko probably speaks the least English of any of them. It is very broken, so he remains quiet when I am participating in the conversation. When I am not in the conversation, the group quickly switches back to Greek, with Vassili or Saranta filling me in on what I do not understand.
I could continue this list for pages. But I won't today. I am sure I will make many more friends outside the Greek community. They all spend most of their time together, which I think is unfortunate for them. It is a comfort to be around people who speak your native tongue and can converse about things of which you are very knowledgeable. It is hard to start meaningful conversations in a language which not everyone speaks very well. Conversations require your full attention and lots of questions. But this is good. My Brazilian friend, Armando, who studies in Italy, and I like to jump between groups of people to make sure we are never in the same group for too long. I seem to be making good connections so far, and have only had a few conversations with Americans. Ariel, my roommate, also joins in the on the group-hopping. He is absolutely fascinating. And he has a girlfriend who lives in Chicago, so I am already hoping that that will result in a visit to Kansas City for him in the future.
Orientation began last night and continued this morning. We learned the history of the island of Crete from a Greek woman who spoke only broken English. It was a session that repeated itself far too often and went on far too long. I hope future sessions are more interesting!
Tomorrow (Sunday) we have an early breakfast followed by a bus tour of the Island. We are staying on the western side of Crete this week, but next Sunday will travel to Knossos in the middle to east side of Crete, near the port city of Heraklion (pronounced Iraklion). The tours should provide more great bonding time and wonderful picture opportunities.
Classes are done for the day, so I think I'm off to the beach! Yes, be jealous. :-) Crete is beautiful, and you should all try to make it here sometime in your lives. I have been thinking a lot already about the personal value of traveling abroad, but I will discuss that in a later post.
Kalinichta (Good night!)
Friday, July 11, 2008
Hello from Greece
Hello from the homeland!
Today is 11 June 2008 - 14:19 local Chania time (2:19 PM) It is my first day of IIPES (International Institute for Political and Economic Studies) in Chania, Greece. The journey here, both literally and physically, has been long. But it appears to be worth the struggles.
A wise man once said that the first time is always the hardest. I do not know who this wise man is and I do not want to meet him! His prophecy has made life very difficult for the past couple of days!!!
Suffice to say, my travels were not so smooth. I am in Chania, at the University safely now, and very relieved about that. This morning brought an early bus ride to the University, made more difficult by the signs all being in Greek, a language which I unfortunately cannot read or speak well. But I am here and moved in. I have met my roommate. His name is Ariel Baum, and he is from Israel. We have been walking around campus most of the day, talking about our backgrounds and such. We have already had a very insightful conversation of socialism vs. democracy vs. autocracy and compared each others religions. We both admitted very quickly that we were concerned about meeting others with harshly clashing views. We also played ping-pong (he won) and ate lunch together - Moussaka :-). Sorry mom, it was better than we have at the festival!
Well I'm dead tired, so I'm off for a nap in my luxurious living quarters. Yasas from Greece!
Alec
Today is 11 June 2008 - 14:19 local Chania time (2:19 PM) It is my first day of IIPES (International Institute for Political and Economic Studies) in Chania, Greece. The journey here, both literally and physically, has been long. But it appears to be worth the struggles.
A wise man once said that the first time is always the hardest. I do not know who this wise man is and I do not want to meet him! His prophecy has made life very difficult for the past couple of days!!!
Suffice to say, my travels were not so smooth. I am in Chania, at the University safely now, and very relieved about that. This morning brought an early bus ride to the University, made more difficult by the signs all being in Greek, a language which I unfortunately cannot read or speak well. But I am here and moved in. I have met my roommate. His name is Ariel Baum, and he is from Israel. We have been walking around campus most of the day, talking about our backgrounds and such. We have already had a very insightful conversation of socialism vs. democracy vs. autocracy and compared each others religions. We both admitted very quickly that we were concerned about meeting others with harshly clashing views. We also played ping-pong (he won) and ate lunch together - Moussaka :-). Sorry mom, it was better than we have at the festival!
Well I'm dead tired, so I'm off for a nap in my luxurious living quarters. Yasas from Greece!
Alec
Monday, February 25, 2008
Essay One
Greetings Ladies and Gents,
The following is an essay that I have written on the motivation of radical Islamic terrorists. In it, use two texts: Walter Laqueur's essay, To Cut a Throat Slowly and Lawrence Wright's The Looming Tower. Both are very interesting texts with strong arguments. The formatting is a little weird...sorry for that. Enjoy.
Motivations of Radical Islam
Perhaps the greatest struggle for America in its War on Terror is to understand the mindset of those with whom we are fighting. Never before in American history, with the possible exception of Japan in the 1940’s, have we fought an enemy that was so unknown to everyday American citizens and leadership. The enemy today takes the form of Islamic terrorists, or Jihadis, who have gone from devout, practicing Muslims to violent religious fanatics. In To Cut a Throat Slowly, Walter Laqueur details that there is no proven explanation as to what causes an Islamic individual to make the radical turn from devotion to terrorism and martyrdom. Early in his essay, he writes, “Social and political factors should not be neglected, but they can take us only up to a certain point and not further. They cannot explain why, out of a group of people believing with equal intensity in their cause, feeling equally aggrieved, oppressed, antagonized, downtrodden, marginalized and so on, only a few will become terrorists whereas the others are not.”[1] I disagree, and will argue that there is a state of emotional vulnerability common among all Muslims who take the radical turn. This turn is more often than not made during a Jihadis childhood or when he is a young adult lacking direction and opportunity in his life. This vulnerability can be taken advantage of if a message of radicalism and violence is delivered by a religious leader who has gained respect amongst a following. Lawrence Wright, in The Looming Tower, provides examples of soldiers who were given this message at a time when they were most vulnerable, from leaders like Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri. Both men are figures in the forefront of the global Jihad movement. Although this war is twisted by American media to not be a war against a religion, and the Bush Administration works hard to show support for peaceful Muslims[2], it is nonetheless a war against a group of religious radicals who practice the Islamic faith. Because of this, one who studies the motivation of terrorists must first understand the peaceful religion that can seem so easy to pervert into a violent religion that promotes suicide bombing tactics. The work or Lawrence Wright can then be understood in a better context, and patterns may begin to emerge as to what motivates radical Islamic militants, such as members of the most notorious group, al Qaeda.
In order to understand the motivation of Islamic Jihadis, some basic information must first be known about the religion of Islam and its foundations:
Islam’s fundamental duties, practices, and beliefs are summarized in the “five pillars” of the faith, laid down in one of the Prophet’s hadith [the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad], and accepted by all Muslims. The five pillars are the profession of faith (There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God.), daily prayer (five times daily), payment of the zakat (alms-tax), fasting in the month of Ramadan, and the pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj). These are religious obligations. By themselves they are not sufficient to define a virtuous life, because a good Muslim must also observe a relationship of charity and justice with other members of his community, but the five pillars are the obligatory fundamentals of Islamic practice.[3]
Possibly the most misused and misunderstood word in Islam is jihad. The common interpretation is “holy war”, though that is incorrect. The meaning of the word is wider than simply “holy war”. It includes any effort made in furtherance of the cause of Islam.[4] Muslims believe that one who gives his life defending or fighting for the faith will go immediately to heaven at the time of death. In order to want this reward, the martyr-to-be must be a fervent follower of Islam. Osama bin Laden’s ability to twist the meaning of this word is his greatest recruiting tool. He is able to turn the word, jihad, into a commitment and demand to kill any non-Muslim. This word can only be used as motivation for radical Jihadis, whom do not make up the majority of Muslims in the world. This is an important thought to keep in mind when studying why Islamic individuals take a turn towards the radical. Although the War on Terror, as coined by the Bush Administration, is in fact a battle against a religious ideology, it is not a battle against the religion of Islam, and most individuals who practice Islam are opposed to terrorism. It is this religious background that Islamic leaders can then draw on, harkening to a period of purity that can be brought back only through Jihad. Islam is a hard religion. To follow its tenets strictly requires a great amount of dedication and self-discipline. Jihadis will also generally take a message from an Islamic leader – a cleric or skeikh - and live their life based strictly on the Koran and that leader’s message. This willingness to follow is vital to understanding why individuals decide terrorism is an ideal path.
Now, with a basic understanding of the practice of Islam, we can continue with our attempt to understand what makes a practicing Muslim take a turn for the radical. Although it is argued by Walter Laqueur that we likely cannot know the answer to this, I believe that The Looming Tower shows a significant amount of consistency in the area of emotional instability as Wright details the motivation of men such as Osama bin Laden. A pattern begins to show that young Muslims are increasingly in mental states that are vulnerable to influence from one seen as “older and wiser”. This state of vulnerability is common at two points in life, both of which are tragic situations. The first age range is really from birth to elementary school age. These are only children and are susceptible to whatever information their parents and teachers deem appropriate. It is commonly thought that basic math, basic reading and writing skills and basic social skills should be taught around the elementary school age. However, the more radical thinking parents will teach messages of hate and violence towards America and Israel. The documentary, Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against the West, shows video of young children marching with guns, celebrating the attacks of September 11 and reciting poetry passionately: “When I wander into the entrance of Jerusalem, I’ll turn into a suicide warrior! I’ll turn into a suicide warrior, in battledress!”[5] Watching this video, one realizes quickly that children who are raised in a culture of radicalism are not children at all; they are raised to hate, to desire death through Jihad, to kill kuffars, or non-Muslims. Their mindsets are those of adults, and they are treated by other Islamic radicals as such. Two young boys, for example, were taken by the Egyptian police and taught to hate al Qaeda. Their fathers were both members of al Qaeda, meaning that these young boys were not only indoctrinated to hate a group, but their own families. The indoctrination led the kids to attempt an assassination on Ayman al-Zawahiri, a radical Islam leader. Zawahiri caught the children, interrogated them, videotaped their confessions, convicted them of sodomy, treason and attempted murder, and had them shot.[6] This indoctrination, fueled by twisted passages from the Koran, the holy book of Islam, is the center of these children’s lives. The radical education given at this age does not give these children a chance to become regular, moderate practicing Muslims. They are born and raised fanatical.
There is another group of Muslims who are especially susceptible to a message of radicalism. This is the group that is young, decently educated, but poor and unemployed. This unemployment often means that a man will not be able to afford to get married, which for Muslim men is of the utmost importance. These young men have no opportunities in sight for social mobility. Often, young men in this situation will turn to the mosque looking for answers to the problems in their lives. Either they find an Islamic religion of love, peace and tolerance, or an Islamic religion of hate, violence and Jihad. Those individuals who find the peaceful Islam likely will become simple, practicing Muslims similar to most Muslims around the world. But for those few who come across a radical mosque, or an angry, impassioned cleric, the road may end up leading straight to an al Qaeda training camp.
It is at this point in an individual’s Islamic path that Laqueur becomes mistaken. There is a pattern for individuals who make the turn towards radical Islamic Jihad and terrorism, and the commonality is the Islamic leader who is preaching the radical message. Likewise, the cleric or sheik who is proclaiming a message of hate and violence was at some point years ago a young man looking for direction in a life of despair. During that time, they heard a message from another man that they felt they could look up to as a leader. Take Osama bin Laden as an example. When bin Laden was young, he was certainly rich, but strived for a life lacking in materialistic goods. So although he monetarily had social mobility, he stayed away from this mobility. He then heard the message of Sheikh Abdullah Azzam. Azzam, known through the Muslim world as a warrior priest (similar to a Samurai in Japan), was known to “…mesmerize audiences with his vision of an Islam that would dominate the world through the force of arms.”[7] In this way, through sermons filled with passion, radical Islam is spread. Other leaders of the Islamic world played large roles in the advancement of the radical Islamic message. One such actor is Ayman al-Zawahiri:
The only example he [Zawahiri] could point to in Islamic tradition was that of a group of Muslims, early in the history of the faith, who were captured by “idolaters” and forced to choose between recanting their religion or being killed by their captors. They chose to become martyrs to their beliefs. It was, Zawahiri argued, a suicidal choice. Other Muslims did not condemn them at the time because they were acting for the glory of God and the greater good of Islam. Therefore, anyone who gives his life in pursuit of the true faith – such as the bombers in Islamabad – is to be regarded not as a suicide who will suffer the punishment of hell but as a heroic martyr whose selfless sacrifice will gain him an extraordinary reward in Paradise. With such sophistry, Zawahiri reversed the language of the Prophet and opened the door to universal murder.[8]
Zawahiri, bin Laden, Abu Ubaydah, Saif al-Adl are only four of the leaders, and more importantly, indoctrinators, of the radical Islamic movement that is taking a strangle-hold of Islam. Wright describes their abilities, especially those of bin Laden, as a kind of artistry that enlisted the imagination of the many men whom he would require for his global Jihad.[9]
This message can only spread, however, if it is allowed to spread by all Muslims. It would seem that if the majority of the Muslim world were against this radicalism, then a message of hate and terrorism would not be allowed to be delivered in a mosque, a place of community prayer. Edmund Burke, an Irish Philosopher and statesman, is quoted in an Islamic documentary on radical Islam saying, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”[10] This is a fitting saying for what is happening in mosques around the Middle East. The average Muslim is not standing up to something that they are against. Perhaps these “average Muslims” are in fact opposed to American troops in Saudi Arabia and the existence of Israel, they just do not want to see innocent men, women and children killed to get the message across. Perhaps these “average Muslims” are scared that they or their family will be targeted if they raise their voice against Islamic radicalism. Perhaps these “average Muslims” simply do not know that this message is being delivered because of who they are surrounded by and from whom they get their information. For whatever reason, good, Muslim men and women are standing by quietly as their religion is twisted into one of hate towards America and Israel. Young Muslim men have a hard time finding reason for their lives in today’s ever more modern world. This leads to radicalism. Some parents raise their children to hate America and strive for death. These are surely problems that must be accounted for when figuring out how to go about fighting the radical threat. But one cannot overlook the importance of Muslims around the world, standing up against terrorist attacks. America need not be named – we are the victim of a small number of attacks compared to other areas of the world. These average Muslims need only to stand as one and give the message to their radical sect of Islam: “No! We will not stand for this violence and hatred to happen in the name of our religion. Allah is a God of love, and Mohammed a messenger of peace. We will stand for this killing no more!”
[1] Laqueur, Walter. To Cut a Throat Slowly. http://www.timesonline.co.uk. 9 December 2005. Pg. 2.
[2] http://www.muslimsforbush.com/muslims/index.html
[3] Lippman, Thomas W. Understanding Islam: And Introduction to the Muslim World. Third Revised and Updated Edition. Plume Publishers. New York, NY. October 2002. 6.
[4] Lippman, Thomas W. Understanding Islam: And Introduction to the Muslim World. Third Revised and Updated Edition. Plume Publishers. New York, NY. October 2002. 111.
[5] http://www.obsessionthemovie.com/trailer-12min.php
[6] Wright, Lawrence. The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11. Alfred A. Knopf Publishers. New York, NY. 2006. Pg. 215-216.
[7] Wright, Lawrence. The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11. Alfred A. Knopf Publishers. New York, NY. 2006. Pg. 96.
[8] Wright, Lawrence. The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11. Alfred A. Knopf Publishers. New York, NY. 2006. Pg. 219.
[9] Wright, Lawrence. The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11. Alfred A. Knopf Publishers. New York, NY. 2006. Pg. 332.
[10] Kopping, Wayne. Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against the West. Peter Mier. January 2007.
The following is an essay that I have written on the motivation of radical Islamic terrorists. In it, use two texts: Walter Laqueur's essay, To Cut a Throat Slowly and Lawrence Wright's The Looming Tower. Both are very interesting texts with strong arguments. The formatting is a little weird...sorry for that. Enjoy.
Motivations of Radical Islam
Perhaps the greatest struggle for America in its War on Terror is to understand the mindset of those with whom we are fighting. Never before in American history, with the possible exception of Japan in the 1940’s, have we fought an enemy that was so unknown to everyday American citizens and leadership. The enemy today takes the form of Islamic terrorists, or Jihadis, who have gone from devout, practicing Muslims to violent religious fanatics. In To Cut a Throat Slowly, Walter Laqueur details that there is no proven explanation as to what causes an Islamic individual to make the radical turn from devotion to terrorism and martyrdom. Early in his essay, he writes, “Social and political factors should not be neglected, but they can take us only up to a certain point and not further. They cannot explain why, out of a group of people believing with equal intensity in their cause, feeling equally aggrieved, oppressed, antagonized, downtrodden, marginalized and so on, only a few will become terrorists whereas the others are not.”[1] I disagree, and will argue that there is a state of emotional vulnerability common among all Muslims who take the radical turn. This turn is more often than not made during a Jihadis childhood or when he is a young adult lacking direction and opportunity in his life. This vulnerability can be taken advantage of if a message of radicalism and violence is delivered by a religious leader who has gained respect amongst a following. Lawrence Wright, in The Looming Tower, provides examples of soldiers who were given this message at a time when they were most vulnerable, from leaders like Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri. Both men are figures in the forefront of the global Jihad movement. Although this war is twisted by American media to not be a war against a religion, and the Bush Administration works hard to show support for peaceful Muslims[2], it is nonetheless a war against a group of religious radicals who practice the Islamic faith. Because of this, one who studies the motivation of terrorists must first understand the peaceful religion that can seem so easy to pervert into a violent religion that promotes suicide bombing tactics. The work or Lawrence Wright can then be understood in a better context, and patterns may begin to emerge as to what motivates radical Islamic militants, such as members of the most notorious group, al Qaeda.
In order to understand the motivation of Islamic Jihadis, some basic information must first be known about the religion of Islam and its foundations:
Islam’s fundamental duties, practices, and beliefs are summarized in the “five pillars” of the faith, laid down in one of the Prophet’s hadith [the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad], and accepted by all Muslims. The five pillars are the profession of faith (There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God.), daily prayer (five times daily), payment of the zakat (alms-tax), fasting in the month of Ramadan, and the pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj). These are religious obligations. By themselves they are not sufficient to define a virtuous life, because a good Muslim must also observe a relationship of charity and justice with other members of his community, but the five pillars are the obligatory fundamentals of Islamic practice.[3]
Possibly the most misused and misunderstood word in Islam is jihad. The common interpretation is “holy war”, though that is incorrect. The meaning of the word is wider than simply “holy war”. It includes any effort made in furtherance of the cause of Islam.[4] Muslims believe that one who gives his life defending or fighting for the faith will go immediately to heaven at the time of death. In order to want this reward, the martyr-to-be must be a fervent follower of Islam. Osama bin Laden’s ability to twist the meaning of this word is his greatest recruiting tool. He is able to turn the word, jihad, into a commitment and demand to kill any non-Muslim. This word can only be used as motivation for radical Jihadis, whom do not make up the majority of Muslims in the world. This is an important thought to keep in mind when studying why Islamic individuals take a turn towards the radical. Although the War on Terror, as coined by the Bush Administration, is in fact a battle against a religious ideology, it is not a battle against the religion of Islam, and most individuals who practice Islam are opposed to terrorism. It is this religious background that Islamic leaders can then draw on, harkening to a period of purity that can be brought back only through Jihad. Islam is a hard religion. To follow its tenets strictly requires a great amount of dedication and self-discipline. Jihadis will also generally take a message from an Islamic leader – a cleric or skeikh - and live their life based strictly on the Koran and that leader’s message. This willingness to follow is vital to understanding why individuals decide terrorism is an ideal path.
Now, with a basic understanding of the practice of Islam, we can continue with our attempt to understand what makes a practicing Muslim take a turn for the radical. Although it is argued by Walter Laqueur that we likely cannot know the answer to this, I believe that The Looming Tower shows a significant amount of consistency in the area of emotional instability as Wright details the motivation of men such as Osama bin Laden. A pattern begins to show that young Muslims are increasingly in mental states that are vulnerable to influence from one seen as “older and wiser”. This state of vulnerability is common at two points in life, both of which are tragic situations. The first age range is really from birth to elementary school age. These are only children and are susceptible to whatever information their parents and teachers deem appropriate. It is commonly thought that basic math, basic reading and writing skills and basic social skills should be taught around the elementary school age. However, the more radical thinking parents will teach messages of hate and violence towards America and Israel. The documentary, Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against the West, shows video of young children marching with guns, celebrating the attacks of September 11 and reciting poetry passionately: “When I wander into the entrance of Jerusalem, I’ll turn into a suicide warrior! I’ll turn into a suicide warrior, in battledress!”[5] Watching this video, one realizes quickly that children who are raised in a culture of radicalism are not children at all; they are raised to hate, to desire death through Jihad, to kill kuffars, or non-Muslims. Their mindsets are those of adults, and they are treated by other Islamic radicals as such. Two young boys, for example, were taken by the Egyptian police and taught to hate al Qaeda. Their fathers were both members of al Qaeda, meaning that these young boys were not only indoctrinated to hate a group, but their own families. The indoctrination led the kids to attempt an assassination on Ayman al-Zawahiri, a radical Islam leader. Zawahiri caught the children, interrogated them, videotaped their confessions, convicted them of sodomy, treason and attempted murder, and had them shot.[6] This indoctrination, fueled by twisted passages from the Koran, the holy book of Islam, is the center of these children’s lives. The radical education given at this age does not give these children a chance to become regular, moderate practicing Muslims. They are born and raised fanatical.
There is another group of Muslims who are especially susceptible to a message of radicalism. This is the group that is young, decently educated, but poor and unemployed. This unemployment often means that a man will not be able to afford to get married, which for Muslim men is of the utmost importance. These young men have no opportunities in sight for social mobility. Often, young men in this situation will turn to the mosque looking for answers to the problems in their lives. Either they find an Islamic religion of love, peace and tolerance, or an Islamic religion of hate, violence and Jihad. Those individuals who find the peaceful Islam likely will become simple, practicing Muslims similar to most Muslims around the world. But for those few who come across a radical mosque, or an angry, impassioned cleric, the road may end up leading straight to an al Qaeda training camp.
It is at this point in an individual’s Islamic path that Laqueur becomes mistaken. There is a pattern for individuals who make the turn towards radical Islamic Jihad and terrorism, and the commonality is the Islamic leader who is preaching the radical message. Likewise, the cleric or sheik who is proclaiming a message of hate and violence was at some point years ago a young man looking for direction in a life of despair. During that time, they heard a message from another man that they felt they could look up to as a leader. Take Osama bin Laden as an example. When bin Laden was young, he was certainly rich, but strived for a life lacking in materialistic goods. So although he monetarily had social mobility, he stayed away from this mobility. He then heard the message of Sheikh Abdullah Azzam. Azzam, known through the Muslim world as a warrior priest (similar to a Samurai in Japan), was known to “…mesmerize audiences with his vision of an Islam that would dominate the world through the force of arms.”[7] In this way, through sermons filled with passion, radical Islam is spread. Other leaders of the Islamic world played large roles in the advancement of the radical Islamic message. One such actor is Ayman al-Zawahiri:
The only example he [Zawahiri] could point to in Islamic tradition was that of a group of Muslims, early in the history of the faith, who were captured by “idolaters” and forced to choose between recanting their religion or being killed by their captors. They chose to become martyrs to their beliefs. It was, Zawahiri argued, a suicidal choice. Other Muslims did not condemn them at the time because they were acting for the glory of God and the greater good of Islam. Therefore, anyone who gives his life in pursuit of the true faith – such as the bombers in Islamabad – is to be regarded not as a suicide who will suffer the punishment of hell but as a heroic martyr whose selfless sacrifice will gain him an extraordinary reward in Paradise. With such sophistry, Zawahiri reversed the language of the Prophet and opened the door to universal murder.[8]
Zawahiri, bin Laden, Abu Ubaydah, Saif al-Adl are only four of the leaders, and more importantly, indoctrinators, of the radical Islamic movement that is taking a strangle-hold of Islam. Wright describes their abilities, especially those of bin Laden, as a kind of artistry that enlisted the imagination of the many men whom he would require for his global Jihad.[9]
This message can only spread, however, if it is allowed to spread by all Muslims. It would seem that if the majority of the Muslim world were against this radicalism, then a message of hate and terrorism would not be allowed to be delivered in a mosque, a place of community prayer. Edmund Burke, an Irish Philosopher and statesman, is quoted in an Islamic documentary on radical Islam saying, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”[10] This is a fitting saying for what is happening in mosques around the Middle East. The average Muslim is not standing up to something that they are against. Perhaps these “average Muslims” are in fact opposed to American troops in Saudi Arabia and the existence of Israel, they just do not want to see innocent men, women and children killed to get the message across. Perhaps these “average Muslims” are scared that they or their family will be targeted if they raise their voice against Islamic radicalism. Perhaps these “average Muslims” simply do not know that this message is being delivered because of who they are surrounded by and from whom they get their information. For whatever reason, good, Muslim men and women are standing by quietly as their religion is twisted into one of hate towards America and Israel. Young Muslim men have a hard time finding reason for their lives in today’s ever more modern world. This leads to radicalism. Some parents raise their children to hate America and strive for death. These are surely problems that must be accounted for when figuring out how to go about fighting the radical threat. But one cannot overlook the importance of Muslims around the world, standing up against terrorist attacks. America need not be named – we are the victim of a small number of attacks compared to other areas of the world. These average Muslims need only to stand as one and give the message to their radical sect of Islam: “No! We will not stand for this violence and hatred to happen in the name of our religion. Allah is a God of love, and Mohammed a messenger of peace. We will stand for this killing no more!”
[1] Laqueur, Walter. To Cut a Throat Slowly. http://www.timesonline.co.uk. 9 December 2005. Pg. 2.
[2] http://www.muslimsforbush.com/muslims/index.html
[3] Lippman, Thomas W. Understanding Islam: And Introduction to the Muslim World. Third Revised and Updated Edition. Plume Publishers. New York, NY. October 2002. 6.
[4] Lippman, Thomas W. Understanding Islam: And Introduction to the Muslim World. Third Revised and Updated Edition. Plume Publishers. New York, NY. October 2002. 111.
[5] http://www.obsessionthemovie.com/trailer-12min.php
[6] Wright, Lawrence. The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11. Alfred A. Knopf Publishers. New York, NY. 2006. Pg. 215-216.
[7] Wright, Lawrence. The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11. Alfred A. Knopf Publishers. New York, NY. 2006. Pg. 96.
[8] Wright, Lawrence. The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11. Alfred A. Knopf Publishers. New York, NY. 2006. Pg. 219.
[9] Wright, Lawrence. The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11. Alfred A. Knopf Publishers. New York, NY. 2006. Pg. 332.
[10] Kopping, Wayne. Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against the West. Peter Mier. January 2007.
Financial Aid Progress
Hey everyone!
I am still working on getting enough money to travel to Greece this summer. No fears, the money will come! I am in the process of applying for the Hall Family Grant through William Jewell. It is a grant solely for Jewell students who are studying abroad during the summer months, so there is a relatively small pool. The application is due in a couple days on March 1, so I am finalizing my application these next couple days. I will find out about this grant by April 1...fingers crossed!
The grant has been generous in the past, so I am hopeful. One of my best friends at Jewell and my fraternity brother, Roy Abdo, attended the program last summer. He was able to get the entire program paid for through scholarships from IIPES and the Hall Grant. We are very similar in our studies and hopeful career paths, among other things: we are both Greek Orthodox and both very proud of our heritages (he was born and raised in Lebanon before moving to America in the Fall of 2006). He has nothing but great things to say about IIPES. It was actually him who originally introduced me to the program, so I am in debt to him for that. Thanks buddy.
I have also decided to begin to post essays from my studies this semester that have to do with conflict resolution in the Middle East. I am taking a class on how War and Peace is made in the modern era. Of course, a large part of both has to do with learning about and dealing with radical Islam. I have been reading texts that are very, very interesting: Lawrence Wright's The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 and Robert Pape's Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism. What is commonly concluded when one begins to study Islam and its relation to terrorism is that the Muslim religion as we know it is severely misunderstood. This misunderstanding is the base problem of why we are in all likelyhood losing the "War on Terror". I have a theory about that "War", which, as I told one of my professors, will likely form the bulk of a Master's Thesis someday. I will hopefully write an essay on the subject by the end of the semester, but I'm still working through the basic concepts of the theory. More to come on that in the future.
I have realized that you must have a registered google.com account to post a reply...sorry for that. If you would like to discuss any of my blog posts without subscribing to a google account, I'd love to hear from you. E-mail me at chambersa@william.jewell.edu.
Adios
I am still working on getting enough money to travel to Greece this summer. No fears, the money will come! I am in the process of applying for the Hall Family Grant through William Jewell. It is a grant solely for Jewell students who are studying abroad during the summer months, so there is a relatively small pool. The application is due in a couple days on March 1, so I am finalizing my application these next couple days. I will find out about this grant by April 1...fingers crossed!
The grant has been generous in the past, so I am hopeful. One of my best friends at Jewell and my fraternity brother, Roy Abdo, attended the program last summer. He was able to get the entire program paid for through scholarships from IIPES and the Hall Grant. We are very similar in our studies and hopeful career paths, among other things: we are both Greek Orthodox and both very proud of our heritages (he was born and raised in Lebanon before moving to America in the Fall of 2006). He has nothing but great things to say about IIPES. It was actually him who originally introduced me to the program, so I am in debt to him for that. Thanks buddy.
I have also decided to begin to post essays from my studies this semester that have to do with conflict resolution in the Middle East. I am taking a class on how War and Peace is made in the modern era. Of course, a large part of both has to do with learning about and dealing with radical Islam. I have been reading texts that are very, very interesting: Lawrence Wright's The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 and Robert Pape's Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism. What is commonly concluded when one begins to study Islam and its relation to terrorism is that the Muslim religion as we know it is severely misunderstood. This misunderstanding is the base problem of why we are in all likelyhood losing the "War on Terror". I have a theory about that "War", which, as I told one of my professors, will likely form the bulk of a Master's Thesis someday. I will hopefully write an essay on the subject by the end of the semester, but I'm still working through the basic concepts of the theory. More to come on that in the future.
I have realized that you must have a registered google.com account to post a reply...sorry for that. If you would like to discuss any of my blog posts without subscribing to a google account, I'd love to hear from you. E-mail me at chambersa@william.jewell.edu.
Adios
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
I'm In!
Hello everyone. Thanks for checking my blog out. I won't post on this regularly until right before, and during my stay in Greece. I'll post pictures and let everyone know what Greece is like. (I'm guessing it will be amazing...just a guess)
I got online and did some research as to where I'll be when I'm in Greece. I will be studying at the University of Crete in Chania. Chania is a small city on the Northwestern coast of Crete. The dorms are 0.6 miles away from the beach...:-) This is the library where I'll be studying. The campus looks pretty neat. It has a student population during the year of 2,600 undergraduate students and 600 graduate students, though it will be mostly empty during the summer save the few students who stay over the summer for various reasons.
Needless to say, I'm really, really, really excited. I accepted my spot in the program today, so it's 100% official. The International Institute for Political and Economic Studies (IIPES) gave me $1,500 scholarship, which is a great help. The program costs a total of $3,500, plus approximately $1,750 for travel and other expenses. I am applying for the Hall Family Grant, which helps fund Jewell students studying overseas during the summer months. I am hopeful that scholarship will provide the rest of the money that I need, but I am also ready to work quite a bit while I'm still in the states this summer to make enough money to go.
If you have any questions about the program or why I am going, shoot me an e-mail or reply to this post. My e-mail is chambersa@william.jewell.edu.
Later!
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