rssIn a ‘Society of Resistence,’ Peace Is Hell
Thursday, November 20, 2008 at 6:24 pm
- 19 Comments
Reflecting on today’s New York Times story about how Hezbollah’s youth corps are part of a planned holistic “society of resistance” built by the Shiite Lebanese militant group, Andrew “Abu Muqawama” Exum has a really profound insight:
My worry is that the greatest danger in creating a society of resistance is that you might actually succeed. [Boston University professor Andrew] Bacevich may talk about American militarism, but I worry more about these non-state actors who build up armed conflict as their raison d’être. If peace in suddenly in your best interest a year or so down the road, for example, how are you going to tell these kids to stand down? Are they going to be happy working in a cell phone kiosk in Tyre?
That’s exactly right. The cynic will want to say that organizations like Hezbollah have no intention of standing down, and the society-of-resistance crap represents a fairly thorough strategy.
My guess is kind of a modified view of that: they’re building the equivalent of an ideological perpetual-motion-machine, where their raison d’etre might be the realization of specific, not metaphysical, goals — like gaining control of Lebanon or the reconquest of Israel or what-have-you — but their ethic or espirit d’corps is based around being implacable.
Call it a condition of permanent hysteria. Maybe it’s the case that in Year X, their best interests are to make peace. But they’re creating a mindset where they’ll never perceive peace as being in their interests in any long-term sense.
To paraphrase Chris Hedges, a culture of resistance is a force that gives us meaning. To return to a bourgeoise life, or to choose one — selling cellphones in Tyre, for example — is meant, I’d submit, to be a foreclosed option. The building of the society of resistance, says the recruiter to the youth-scout-in-training — now that is the honorable profession. There’s time enough to sell cell phones in paradise.
It’s almost as if these guys are bad people or something.
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19 Comments
Comment posted November 21, 2008 @ 4:43 am
I am not a determinist, but is there not an underlying economy of … what?
“Terrorists” hired-out like Swiss pikemen, to Saudi divan-Jihadists?
“Pirates” collecting “taxes” off the Somali coast?
“Technicals” working for multi-national concession-holders and extractive industries?
Isn't there a bloody “carry trade” out there, including a “Silk Road” in small arms?
Comment posted November 21, 2008 @ 10:29 am
What's funny about this is that the main difference, in the context of this post, between Hezbollah and Israel is one is a non-state actor and the other is a state actor. Israel takes the necessary steps to ensure that they are constantly surrounded by aggression, and thus can continue to provide reason for their actions.
Comment posted November 21, 2008 @ 12:43 pm
I am not a determinist, but is there not an underlying economy of … what?
“Terrorists” hired-out like Swiss pikemen, to Saudi divan-Jihadists?
“Pirates” collecting “taxes” off the Somali coast?
“Technicals” working for multi-national concession-holders and extractive industries?
Isn't there a bloody “carry trade” out there, including a “Silk Road” in small arms?
Comment posted November 21, 2008 @ 6:29 pm
What's funny about this is that the main difference, in the context of this post, between Hezbollah and Israel is one is a non-state actor and the other is a state actor. Israel takes the necessary steps to ensure that they are constantly surrounded by aggression, and thus can continue to provide reason for their actions.
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