Transcript Distorted and emotional view of the Middle East

THE MIDDLE EAST
and the MIDDLE EASTERN CONFLICTS
MAREK ČEJKA
Middle East or Near East?
„The Greater Middle East“
Umayyad CALIPHATE
(661 - 750)
Ottoman Empire
„The Greater Middle East“
and Islam
Distorted and emotional view
of the Middle East
- Not only the public but also experts have a
distorted view of the conflict.
Several different reasons:
 1. superficiality in the information about the
Middle East provided by the media – only the
bloodiest, most tragical events are reported on
but not regular life.
- The propaganda from all the sides of the
conflict has an influence on the media.
2. Prejudices and stereotypes
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Against Muslims (Islamophobia) and Arabs
(anti-Arabism)
– especially after 9/11
Posílení po 11. září 2001
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Against Jews (anti-Semitism)
and against Israel (anti-Zionism)
Misunderstanding of terms like
"anti-Semitism", "anti-Zionism", "anti-Judaism" and
"anti-Israelism"
Specific issues of the Czech
(and the East-European) view:
Recent (Communist) past
until 1989 Czech (and many Eastern-European)
communist governments uncritically supported
some Arab states which were allied to the Soviet
Bloc (e.g. Syria, Iraq, Palestine) and condemned
the "imperialist" Israel and Western allies in the
Middle East (Saudi Arabia, Jordan, etc.).
 An ideologically distorted view of the Middle East
(contrary to West Europe)
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after 1989 (the fall of Communism) the
views and the policies in regard to the
Middle East were diametrically overturned
– this turning was reflected by many
Czechs and Slovaks: what was previously
seen as "Good" came to be seen as "Bad",
and vice versa (e. g. now Israel was seen
as purely good, while Palestinians were
viewed as a nation of terrorists);
 Black/White turned into White/Black;
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in fact the Middle East is not and never has been
Black/White but the situation is rather more
complicated;
the contemporary complicated situation is due to
various different reasons (internal tensions, the
policies of the UK and France since WW1, the
policies of the USA and the USSR since 1945,...);
for understanding the Middle East the simplified,
distorted or Black/White sources of information
are not sufficient;
a distorted or emotional view of the conflict is
acceptable only in cases of person who are
personally connected to it (e.g. Jews, Holocaust
survivors, Muslims);
but such a view is unacceptable when it is
expressed by politicians, experts, political
scientists, diplomats, etc.
Middle Eastern Conflict or Conflicts?
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Israeli-Palestinian - since 1948 (1920)
Israeli-Arab (since 1948)
Conflicts in Persian Gulf (since 1990, 2003)
Conflict in Lebanon (1975 – 1990)
Conflict between Muslim States, Civil Wars
(Jordan, Yemen, Iraq vs. Iran etc.)
Afghanistan (XIX. – XXI. Century)
The Kurdish Question
The Middle Eastern Conflicts: Many
differences but also many Common
Things
In most of the cases are not religious conflict
but TERRITORIAL – NATIONALIST conflicts
 Religion started to play key role not since their
beginning but later
 They do not have roots in ancient times but
emerged in XIX. or XX. century (they are NOT
since „Biblical“ or „immemorial“ times)
 Most of them are connected with activities of the
Western Superpowers (especially GB, FR, later
USSR, USA, Israel) – tactics of divide et impera
(„divide and conquer“)
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For more see:
http://blizky-vychod.blogspot.com
Marek´s books:
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Judaism and politics in Israel (2002, 2009)
Israel and Palestine (2005)
Encyclopedia of the Middle Eastern Terrorism (2007)
Rabbis of our Time (2010, co-author)
History of Modern Israel (2011)