East of Suez

The Norman Transcript

September 01, 2007 01:23 am

— For The Transcript

The people living in the belt between Morocco and east to Japan have been a puzzle for Americans from the
beginning. Their languages are different; their religions are a mystery; their customs seem awkward; and their
geography swings between extremes. They have brought us, as well as our British and French cousins, into
financial adventures, explorations and wars. The magic appeal of the East was well put by a Bombay born
Nobel prize winner, a poet and unabashed imperialist. Writing in the dialect of a lower class Londoner he
reminisced, "If you've 'eard the East a-callin you won't never 'eed naught else." That appeal has been
widespread. In the case of the United States it has entailed not palm trees, temple bells or girls; rather it has
been money, oil and power. And now we have substituted the Euphrates for the Irriwaddy, war for romance.
In less that a hundred years, and discounting several skirmishes, we have been engaged in five "eastern" wars
-- World War II with Japan, the Korean War, Vietnam, the Gulf War and now Iraq. How and why we got into
each of these is debatable. But under any circumstance each was a tragedy, a signal that rationality had fled.
Perhaps it is true that some progress results from every war; still, there is nothing produced by it that could
not be achieved more efficiently and humanely by thoughtful cooperation. And one way to achieve this
accommodation is with a sincere effort to understand the culture of the "enemy."
Look at that portion of the Middle East -- from Syria, Lebanon and Israel to Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan -- that
is in such a state of turmoil. We have been contributing to that disorder, yet what the American public
understands about these countries is questionable. And the imperception of some of our leaders is
inexcusable. Listen to them critically with a geography book in your lap. Or ask your neighbor or the next
politician you meet to answer a few questions. What is the population of Israel? Iraq? Iran? Which is the
largest country? What countries border them? What languages do they speak? What is their level of
industrialization? What natural resources do they have besides oil? Who are the Turkomans? The Baluch?
Druz? And who are the Kurds and where do they live? Many Americans would be hard pressed to find Iraq on
a map. And could our pro-war politicians find it on an unlabeled topographical map? There is plenty of
intelligence and creative talent in Middle Eastern culture yet our government often deals with these countries
in a condescending and domineering way. We add insult to injury by posturing concern for democracy when
our principal interests are oil and protecting allies.
Tribal and factional divisions as well as religious cleavages make Middle East unity and order exceedingly
difficult if not impossible. The self-centered innocence that has characterized American intrusion into their
affairs is an embarrassment to those who study cultural history and geography. Some of the policy makers in
Washington including those who authorized the invasion of Iraq -- and some of them are now agitating for
extending the war to Iran -- make decisions in what frequently seems to be a moral and intellectual vacuum. A
few decision makers appear to be well informed although they sometimes let their fears and ambitions
override critical judgment. Regrettably, six figure salaries, status and presidential favor can be more
persuasive than reality. Basic to thoughtful judgment is knowledge of Middle Eastern religions, geography,
history, family customs, social psychology, languages and literature. One must know these things to know the
people. Deficiencies on this score largely explain why our war pronouncements are more emotionally
motivated than reflectively initiated and guided.
One of the curious and tragic qualities of the present Washington camarilla -- "the in group," the dominant
clique -- is their disinclination to call on the talents of the informed mind rather than the political mind. The
nearby university is rich in intellectual proficiency. There are students in anthropology, government and
geography better qualified to make international decisions than many who legislate from the inner councils.
And think of the enriched perception if we add their teachers!
The countries just east of Suez -- Israel, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan -- are in an unstable relationship. And
their neighbors -- Saudi Arabia with its uncertain future, and Iraq where we have promoted so much disorder,
confront an unpredictable future. One of the tragedies of this era is so many American policymakers confuse
their values with eternal verities. This leads to misunderstanding and failure to see that the ethnic, political
and religious differences among the Middle Eastern people are not only difficult to resolve among themselves
but they are equally or more difficult to reconcile with those of the United States. The American ideology --
the "American Way of Life" -- with its verbal worship of "democratic idealism" and its unacknowledged
worship of materialism satisfies most Americans, but is alien to the Islamic-Arabic turn of mind. What many
Muslims find attractive about the U.S. is the ready availability of consumer goods, not our social-religious-
political theory and customs. There is a twofold difficulty here. First, to understand the high standard of living
in America one must see that it is predicated on waste. Yankee capitalism is remarkably productive but it has
been so and continues to be so at a high and self-destructive price. Failure to see this is one cause of our
present difficulties. Second, few Americans see and even fewer Muslims do so, but with the breakdown of
immigration controls, urban congestion, increasing population and diminishing resources the American
standard of living will go down. When, how fast and to what degree is conjectural. One evolving consequence
of this -- and it will be accelerated and exacerbated as China's industrial power grows and as Middle Eastern
nuclear technology expands -- is that American influence east of Suez now revealing so many flaws will
further diminish.
Kipling's Tommy wanted to be shipped "somewhere east of Suez ... where there aren't no Ten
Commandments an' a man can raise a thirst...." We can understand that young soldier's tastes but they
contribute little to the peace of the world. Abiding peace will come not only east of Suez but across the globe
when people outgrow their fantasies and when they mature enough to let other people and other nations alone.
Peace will come when religions become pathways to justice rather than excuses for war. And peace will come
when education is devoted to realistically civilizing our young barbarians who are so rich in moral and
creative potential. And peace will come when humankind understands who trifling is its role in the solar
system, and how inconsequential in the cosmos. Then humans may learn truly to appreciate their brief sojourn
on earth while living with a sense of kindness toward everyone. The alternative is continuation of our
senseless aggressions and the tragedies they entail.
Lloyd Williams is a retired educator. His column is published monthly in The Transcript.

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