Browsing an airport shop this past weekend, I picked up the July 5-11, 2014 issue of The Economist. The cover story, “The Tragedy of the Arabs” caught my eye. The issue contains some respectful, interesting articles about the Middle East. When I teach Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, my class and I often think about current events in the Middle East, not just Jews, Arab Christians, and Arab Muslims, but other groups as well.
The author of the cover story writes, “A thousand years ago, the great cities of Baghdad, Damascus and Cairo took turns to race ahead of the Western world. Islam and innovation were twins. The various Arab caliphates were dynamic superpowers---beacons of learning, tolerance and trade” (p. 9). But today, war, despotism, and religious extremism plague different countries of the region, and the “Arab spring” has not lead to charge. The article discusses several aspects of the interrelated troubles faced by Arab nations. But the values of “pluralism, education, [and] open markets” of the past could “still make up a vision of a better future” (p. 10). http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21606284-civilisation-used-lead-world-ruinsand-only-locals-can-rebuild-it
Another article, “Tethered by history” (pp. 20-22) considers the legacy of the democratic movements of a few years ago and similarly considers the interrelated problems and challenges in different areas of the region, from the despair of Syria and Iraq to the economic opportunities of the Gulf monarchies. http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21606286-failures-arab-spring-were-long-time-making-tethered-history
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