Mehdi Hasan perplexes Israeli guest to expose Israel’s unprincipled politics: willing to sleep with the devil if it benefits her.
Not many politicians dare stick to their principles in times of mediocracy and hypocrisy. Tony Benn did, and he did it well. May you rest in peace.
A documentary explaining of Orientalism by the creator of the concept Edward Said.
This video presents a textbook example of the orientalist view on the Middle East.
The scholars, Kaplan and Friedman, perceive identities in these regions as primordial. The main message is that these diverse groups are inherently contradictory to one another, leaving them no hope to create a state built on citizenship.
That is why they need a strong authoritarian regime to keep them together.
In the beginning of their video while introducing the different civilizations they completely ignore the Levant and reduce it to Israel being the only cohesive country there. No mention of the Canaanites, the Phoenicians and other cultures.
They also do not approach sectarianism as a layer of identity that can be strengthened or weakened depending on the narrative they function in. It is very important to know the perspectives of such thinkers because they drive most of the policies of some western governments, especially the United States of America.
George Friedman and Robert D. Kaplan on the Rise of Sectarianism in the Middle East