Sometimes, Your Belief’s Can Hold You Back – and God isn’t a Relator.
Thanks to the assassination of Ismail Haniyah, the
political leader of Hamas in Tehran, Iran, every talking head around is now
talking about the depressing “escalation” of tensions in one of the tensest
regions on the planet.
As expected, the Iranians are furious and the Israeli’s
a very pleased with themselves for “taking out” a “terrorist.” The Americans have
claimed they knew nothing of the assassination plan and the Russians have said
that this is not helpful. Tensions are such that nobody really believes that
negotiations and peace deals are going to happen and the usual racial, religious
and sectarian tensions will continue to plague the region.
Why is that so? This is, after all, a land called “Holy,”
and is considered the most sacred part of the globe by three of the world’s
major religions.
If you look at the problems, you’ll realise that the
problems stem from the fact that this land is considered “Holy” by the
Abrahamic faiths. As such, the conflict extends beyond the region, particularly
in the largest superpower on the planet and thus the one party that has the
power to bring both parties to the table and thus solving the problems.
As such, American policy towards the region tends to
be based on a “religious narrative.” As such, Israel is “Always” right and “Iran”
and anything associated with “Iran” is always bad. As such, anyone who fights
with Iran gets US support and anyone who gets squashed by Israel must be bad. Whatever
happens in the region is supposed to fit into the narrative. In short, policy
becomes “religious dogma,” and anything that smacks of compromise becomes a
heresy. Look at it this way, Yitzak Rabin, the Prime Minister who brought
Israel peace was assassinated by a religious nut job. When Ariel Sharon uncharacteristically
withdrew from the Gaza strip, Zionist Christians in America cursed him for giving
away “God’s Land.”
Luckily for people in the region, there’s been a rise
of another power, which seems more capable of getting people to talk to each
other. Think of the 2023 “Saudi-Iranian” deal which they brokered.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crgm147lzv1o
Why has this group been seemingly more effective at
creating peace than the most powerful nation on the planet? America is the “Land
of the Brave and Home of the Free.” China remains a brutal communist dictatorship
which grades its citizens on “social credit.” Yet, when you look at what
America and China have done in the Middle East, you’ll find that the Chinese
have been far more effective in creating “peace” and “stability.”
If you look at what China and America want, you’ll
notice that for China, its objectives in the region are simpler. It expects
commerce to be able to function, regardless of religion or race. Look at the
Saudi-Iranian deal. The Chinese were not interested in promoting the Shia or
Sunni versions of Islam. What it wants is for two large oil producers to keep
the oil flowing.
Likewise, when it comes to Israel and its conflicts
with the Palestinians. For the Chinese, its not about how owns various bits of
the desert. What it does not like is the tensions that make the region unstable,
because instability is bad for business.
This is not to say that China is a benevolent force in
the world. When compared to the Western nations, the Chinese are rather cold.
Yet, if you look at the efforts of China in the Middle East and to an extent,
Africa, the Chinese have actually produced more benevolent results.
What you could argue is that the Chinese are less obsessed
with getting people to fit into a religious narrative but on a commercial
result. As such, they’re able to get sides to compromise on practical ends that
benefit Chinese interest. Its something that we may have to look at when making
decisions.
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