The Struggle Between the Arab World and the Christian West - Book Report/Review Example

The struggle between the Arab world and the Christian West. Milton Viorst’s Storm from the East: The Struggle Between the Arab World and the Christian West is primarily an explanation why it has been difficult for America to realize its objective of freeing the Middle East from oppression. The main handle to which this point has been explored was the war in Iraq and the Bush doctrine, wherein a regime was toppled in order to establish a democratic government. Milton’s argument is that the American objective has encountered strong resistance because its strategy forgot the most important variable, that about the fact that the Arab’s resentment towards the American hegemony and the American intrusion in its affairs form part of the 1,400 plus years of struggle between Islam and Christian. The issue is not about America and the Arabs or American hegemony against Arab extremism. The United States is just a recent player in the entire experience of the conflict between the East and West based on religious grounds. The author cited the long narrative of the Middle Eastern experience. He pointed to the establishment of the many governments of each the states in the Middle East – from the establishment of military authoritarian governments, to democracies and constitutional monarchies. For Viorst, these developments in this century are characterized by foreign involvement and that the war being waged from the perspective of the Arabs (at least those who engage in extremism and with the current permeation of anti-American sentiment) is the natural reaction in order to liberate their homeland. Their campaign and desire are not unlike what has been waged in the Middle Ages for control of the Holy Land. The Viorst text has helped me understand world affairs and world history in several ways. The first of these is the fact religion is a vital force behind the Arab nationalism. Certainly, this point has been cited by several authors and historians several times already but, in this case, I learned a deeper understanding why this is so. The potency of religion in influencing conviction is due to the fact that it forms part of the belief and value systems of a community. Islam has been known to combine politics and religion that is why nationalism has been reinforced in such a way that the Western concept of it pale in comparison. Arabs can talk about death to oppressors and claim religious righteousness but Western societies cannot accept this from its people. The differences are glaring and these underscored the irreconcilable conflicts in the perspectives of the East and the West. In Chapter 2 of the Stearns text, colonies emerge as new nations and that the reader is offered the simplistic analysis about nation-building for those territories that has been part of European imperialism and how the West took an active role in paving the road for them towards democracy. Viorst arguments made me realize that they could emerge as another version of the Middle East, with a particular hatred to the West because of two factors: one, Islam dominated some of these states; and, the other being the West’s intervention in the self-determination of these nations. These former colonies could still harbor deep resentment from the exploitation of their resources and their wealth. Then, there is also the way I understood the current American foreign policies as exemplified best by the Bush doctrine. Ideally, these policies look good and noble – that there is a need for freer societies in other parts of the world. As with the examples cited by Stearn in the newly-emergent nations of the Sub-Saharan Africa, the West took an active role in shaping the way they veered towards democracy. But the experiences of these countries with democracy have been troublesome. Many have descended into political chaos and authoritarianism, with constant bouts of civil wars. This is reminiscent of the brand of American democracy that is imposed upon under threats or promises of military and economic actions. This has been highlighted in the Cold War when the US expected these postcolonials to ally with the country in its campaign or as an enemy that is part of the Soviet sphere of influence. Foreign intervention has so far muddled much of the chances of postcolonial Africa and imposing democracy is not as easy as it appears to be or that it would always have a happy ending. More recently, there is the case of Iraq: Saddam Hussein’s regime was replaced, with Iraq running on new constitution and newly elected parliament. According to Viorst, these new democratic mechanisms had not only failed to produce stability but also had triggered a descent into social and political chaos because Iraqis learned they could serve their sectarian interests by rejecting Western democracy not exactly on its own merits but with the idea that by doing so, they are turning the tables on the occupiers1 Finally, Viorst was able to enlighten me with the way America and the West is perceived around the world. Throughout much of the world’s history, the West has dominated the rest of the globe. In the past, they have conquered and sucked in wealth and natural resources to fuel its own industrialization. Afterwards, they have set demarcation lines to separate and determine their territories and relationships. Then, they impose a brand of government and try to interfere how these new states should live and run their affairs. Viorst underscored this last variable when he said that democracy may not be exportable after all because in order to succeed, it “requires individuals to make their own judgments,” and that sectarianism, tribalism, and regionalism – characteristics of many societies around the world – are its enemies.2 And so, it is not so surprising to find that that there are just so many people who resent America and the West. With all the things I learned, I have come to realize that America or the Western policy towards other countries should be modified or altered in such a way that they change the attitude of the rest of the world. And this should be done by threatening people and states with military and economic might. Bullying has so far been the policy ever since and the consequence is evident in the degree of antagonism that the West has earned from many sectors around the world. I think that there are many good intentions in the American policies, specifically. However, these are jeopardized by wrong strategies and wrong readings of the dynamics of foreign social, cultural and political dynamics. Works Cited Stearns, Peter. World history in brief: major patterns of change and continuity. Pearson/Longman, 2006. Viorst, Milton. Storm from the East: The Struggle Between the Arab World and the Christian West. New York: Random House Publishing Group, 2007. Read More