Western intervention helped to create Israel, but also destabilized the entire region by installing and supporting brutal dictators. The chickens have come home to roost with the rise of anti-Western terrorists. Now, it would seem, the chickens are dying. Gaddafi is a symbol of the years during which American interventionism in the Middle East reached a peak.
Zakaria focuses on Egypt but the article pertains equally as well to Libya. Fears of Muslim extremism are, as Zakaria notes, overblown. The author states, "Asking women to wear veils is different from making men wear suicide belts. If the U.S. is opposed to every expression of religiosity, it will find itself unable to understand or work with a new, more democratic Middle East," (p. 4).
This article also shows that Americans especially have deep-rooted misperceptions about the Middle East and its cultural geography. Americans are guilty of the following fallacies. First, Americans are unaware of how diverse the region is; most probably...
Shiia majority populations. Second, the revolutions are proving that ordinary citizens in the Middle East are no different from ordinary citizens in the United States, Great Britain, or Canada. The people want peace. Most are not terrorists. Almost all are peace-loving people who love their families and simply want to live in a world in which they can be free. Cultural geography teaches about the beauty in diversity and also illustrates the remarkable similarities that span different cultures.
Talking Points:
Zakaria talks about Egypt, but the concepts pertain to the entire region
Fears of Islamic fundamentalism are largely unfounded because the movements are genuinely democratic.
Cultural geography reveals the greater trends in light of historic context such as imperialism and colonialism.
Cultural geography also reveals the interconnectedness of humanity.
