Can a Speeding Train Make a U-Turn?

I suppose that a speeding train could make a u-turn if you build for it a track that makes a gradual turn, and guides the train gently back in the opposite direction. And in fact, the faster the train is going, the more gradual the turn will have to be, so that the u-turn will not cause the train to derail. I can’t give you the exact mathematical calculations, but I know of some sixth graders who probably could.

Why are we talking about trains and u-turns? Think of the Middle East as a train of sorts, a train with a lot of momentum to its motion. Certain unnamed passengers, some in first class, and some in coach, would like to make a u-turn, but there is always the danger that a course change which is undertaken too abruptly could bring the train to a calamitous halt. And yet, a great many passengers sense that a continuation of the present course could very well spell trouble as well.

There are all sorts of quiet understandings in the Middle East: “Here’s some money to build a madrasa, and yes, go ahead and teach what you want to teach,” or “Here’s some money to build a mosque, and yes, go ahead and preach what you want to preach,” or “Here’s some money to build a TV station, and yes, go ahead and broadcast what you want to broadcast.”

In parts of the Middle East, and parts of the Muslim and Western worlds as well, ideological extremists are using Madrasas, Mosques, and the Media, as a propaganda machine to disseminate hate. And the funding for such activities is being provided by leaders of the Arab world, probably in a bid to hold on to power, and to placate extremist elements. Some of the leaders, however, are beginning to question whether disseminating hate is in their best interest. Such leaders may consider making a u-turn if it could be done without derailing the train. There are hints in the air that change is in the offing.

The problem with disseminating hate is that hate is a hard thing to control. If you teach an Arab man on the street, for example, to hate the West because of its corruption, and he notices that his own government has dealings with the West, then the hate could easily be diverted inwardly against his own government. If you teach young Muslim children to detest the excessive materialism of the West, and they notice signs of excessive materialism within the borders of their own country, then the hate could easily be re-focused internally, and disrupt the social order. Hate is hard to control. You never know where it will point to next.

How about, instead of fostering hate, we in the West, and wealthy Arab countries, do something which really addresses the issues of the day: the problem of Global Warming, the problem of poverty, and the problem of ideological extremism. How about using our collective talent to make and invest money, to create jobs: jobs which inspire a sense of hope, jobs which allow people to earn a living, jobs which produce products designed to protect our earth, and jobs which help to neutralize the hold of ideological extremism.

And so, wealthy and powerful leaders of the Middle East may well conclude that disseminating hate is dangerous, destructive, and rife with unintended consequences. They may opt to dump an Ideology of Hate in favor of an Ideology of Hope. Such an outcome, as far fetched as it may seem at first blush, may be rendered more likely if the transition could be made peacefully, without derailing the train.

What could be done to ease the transition from hate to hope? In the first place, the more concerted and unified the effort, the better. Instead of just one Arab country acting alone, and exposing itself to undue risk, as many of the 22 Arab countries as possible should join in, so that the shift from hate to hope is seen as a broad based movement stretching across the whole of the Middle East.

In addition, saving face is important in the Middle East. Insults are taken very seriously there, and are not easily forgotten. Therefore, if the West undertakes to Sell a Vision of Hope, the “sales pitch” should respect the aspirations and sensibilities of the prospective clients. We should sell a vision that allows people to be who they are, and to become who they want to become, even if they want to become different from us.

Selling a Vision of Hope should be structured and presented as a deal that inures to the mutual benefit of the West and the Middle East, and which has been negotiated fairly and at arms length. Only in this way will the train keep its balance, even as it charts a new course.

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