12.1.04
Ha'aretz interview with Benny Morris
If you haven't read it yet, take a look at this long Ha'aretz interview with Israeli "new historian" Benny Morris.
There is a lot to say about the historical issues and the contemporary problems Morris brings up, as well as his overall worldview, but I don't have time at the moment to get into it all. One point for now: Morris expresses a deep belief in the thesis of the "clash of civilizations" - or, more accurately, a desperate "war of civilizations" - between the West and the Muslim world.
It would be an interesting sociological exercise to examine what kinds of people believe in this idea and their reasons for doing so. There might be some surprising results. In any case, an idea of this sort which attracts believers as diverse as Benny Morris and Osama bin Laden deserves to be looked into seriously.
If you haven't read it yet, take a look at this long Ha'aretz interview with Israeli "new historian" Benny Morris.
There is a lot to say about the historical issues and the contemporary problems Morris brings up, as well as his overall worldview, but I don't have time at the moment to get into it all. One point for now: Morris expresses a deep belief in the thesis of the "clash of civilizations" - or, more accurately, a desperate "war of civilizations" - between the West and the Muslim world.
It would be an interesting sociological exercise to examine what kinds of people believe in this idea and their reasons for doing so. There might be some surprising results. In any case, an idea of this sort which attracts believers as diverse as Benny Morris and Osama bin Laden deserves to be looked into seriously.
