[whataretheysaying] Mary Madigan: Richard Landes at Herzliya

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Posted by Mary Madigan:
Richard Landes at Herzliya
http://whataretheysaying.powerblogs.com/posts/1169862038.shtml


   As Solomonia says, this [1]this would be the real, big Herzliya
   Conference, not the one I spoke at..

   [2]Richard Landes analyzes the West's tendency to slouch towards
   defeatism:

     First of all, as a historian of civil society, of the
     millennium-long struggle in the West to achieve this extraordinary
     marvel of the modern world, this experiment in human freedom, I
     want to say: European democratic civilization can fall before the
     Islamic challenge. Something similar happened before, in the 5th
     century, when a culturally superior Roman civilization fell to a
     primitive tribal Germanic culture. And if Europe continues on its
     current path, that will happen sooner rather than later.

     Second, this is going to get worse before it gets better. Starting
     in October 2000, the most terrible form of apocalyptic movement,
     active cataclysmic â we are the agents in the vast destruction that
     precedes our millennial victory â entered the public sphere of
     world culture and rather than being beaten back, took hold and grew
     stronger. Once these movements, which in the past have killed 10s
     of millions, âtake,â they are like forest fires. They cannot be
     stopped, at best they can be channeled. We are in for a long and
     unpleasant conflict that will demand a great deal from us.

     Third, modern media play a critical role in Global Jihadâs success.
     Not just the use Jihadis make of modern technology to spread their
     message, but the role our modern MSM play in both disguising and
     encouraging the phenomenon. And the core of the problem, the ground
     upon which this dysfunctional relationship between Jihad and MSM
     first emerged, but also the most dramatic on which it plays out, is
     the MSMâs treatment of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

     There has been much discussion of whether or not the MSM has been
     unfair to Israel, including formal investigations into particularly
     obnoxious organizations like the BBC, and, by and large the answer
     is, âwell, maybe⦠but itâs not so bad.â And Israelis, like the
     protagonist in Richard Farinaâs novel, have been down so long it
     looks like up to them. âIt could be worse⦠it has been worseâ¦
     itâs getting better.â

     But all of this is not nearly good enough. The MSM are the eyes and
     ears of modern civil societies. Without them we cannot know what is
     going on outside of our personal sphere, with them we can make our
     democratic choices in elections, assess foreign policy, intervene
     humanely in the suffering around the globe. But as any
     paleontologist will tell you, any creature whose eyes and ears
     misinform it about the environment, will not long survive. So it is
     with our civic experiment: especially in this period, where
     predators grow increasingly bold: a MSM that misinforms us, betrays
     the very people it is supposed to serve.

   Martin Kramer put an interesting spin on the [3]view from the other
   side:

     In a mere ten minutes, then, all I can do is give you a flavor of
     how Israel and the United States might look to a composite enemy,
     someone you couldn't invite because he doesn't exist. And to get
     you in the proper mood, I'll do it in first person. I know it's
     hard, but imagine me as some sort of composite of Ahmadinejad,
     Nasrallah, Osama bin Laden, Bashar Asad, Muqtada as-Sadr, and
     Khalid Mash'al. You'll admit it's a good disguise; good enough to
     get me through the security cordon outside this hall...

   ..[4]more here..

References

   1. http://www.solomonia.com/blog/archives/009891.shtml
   2. http://www.theaugeanstables.com/2007/01/23/the-media-and-the-dysfunctions-of-the-21st-cenrtury-address-at-the-7th-annual-herzliya-conference/
   3. http://www.geocities.com/martinkramerorg/2007_01_23.htm
   4. http://www.herzliyaconference.org/Eng/_Articles/Article.asp?CategoryID=223&ArticleID=1598