Killing ISIS’ Leader Will Solve Nothing
On Thursday, February 3, a US counterterrorism raid in northwestern Syria killed ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi. Al-Quraishi had led the group since the death of its founder, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who was killed in another US raid in 2019. I have to admit that I only found out about this today. Normally, I know what is happening in the world, but in this case, the killing makes so little difference that the story completely escaped me. Also, we have no idea who will follow him and what he might do, so I am not at all sure that eliminating al-Qurayshi at this point in time was wise.
In general, terror groups do not just pop up; behind every terrorist organization are powerful countries that use them for proxy wars. In the past, countries fought each other and killed tens of thousands of people. Economies were ruined and the devastation was disastrous. Today, countries use proxy paramilitary armies, which we call “terrorist organizations,” to fight for them.
In general, terror groups do not just pop up; behind every terrorist organization are powerful countries that use them for proxy wars. In the past, countries fought each other and killed tens of thousands of people. Economies were ruined and the devastation was disastrous. Today, countries use proxy paramilitary armies, which we call “terrorist organizations,” to fight for them.
On the one hand, it is better to fight proxy wars than to start an all-out war. On the other hand, we cannot consider terror a positive development. We should aspire to live without both.
In the past, it was hard to imagine a world without wars. But since the end of World War II, the western world has in fact been living without war on Western European or North American soil for nearly eighty years now. Likewise, while today it is very hard to imagine a world without terrorism, it is not impossible to achieve. Just as the West resolved never to fight again because it realized what war can do, the world will eventually come to a point where it resolves not to allow terrorism, and for the same reason that the West abolished war.
We will get there when all of humanity resolves to correct the heart of the evil in this world: human nature.
There are two ways we can get there: The first is that nature will force us to recognize each other, to take each other into consideration and eventually even develop concern for one another. The second way is to develop this sensitivity toward each other voluntarily. In either case, we will have to develop care and concern for one another.
Realistically, the road to this ideal state will probably consist of a mixture of the two possibilities. Nature will probably force us to approach each other a little, to become a little more considerate through natural blows or violence, and as we approach each other we will realize that this form of relationship is preferable to hatred and distrust.
Subsequently, we will fall back into our mean ways, and nature will again painfully remind us of our interdependence. Eventually, the pain will have etched itself deep enough into our collective memory that we will not return to violence and self-centered views.
We can also make the journey shorter and less painful by reminding each other before we suffer further blows from nature or from people, but that depends on our willingness to listen. The choice is ours. Human society will have a happy end, but the question is whether our way there will be happy or whether we will let suffering lead us to the happy end.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Inflation – a Testimony to Our Disunity
The rising prices in Israel mean more than a growing economic burden on lower income groups. In 2011, when the price of cottage cheese became unreasonable and housing prices skyrocketed, people took to the streets in droves demanding social justice. Now, while a boycott has been declared online against some of the major food manufacturers in Israel, there is no open outrage, no demonstrations or protests, no signs demanding social justice, and no fiery speeches about accountability. In fact, the public seems so indifferent that even the government is initiating price hikes.
But the public is not careless; it is simply jaded, disillusioned, and above all, divided to the point of paralysis. The government and corporations, for their part, merrily exploit it.
It is not as if there is nothing we can do. After all, we, the public, are the ones who pay. But if we do not cooperate, we cannot call the shots. When consumers are divided, they are like a herd of cattle being led by those who own it. If we could work together, we could cut the prices of countless products in half or even less.
So why can’t we cooperate? We cannot cooperate because we do not want to have anything to do with one another. We do not want connections and we do not want commitments.
Precisely because of it, the price hikes are an opportunity for us to recognize our real problem, which is our division, and solve it once and for all. By raising prices to levels that make it difficult for many of us to buy even the most basic staples, corporations are inadvertently forcing us to unite. In that sense, these profiteers are doing society a great service by making us look to each other for support.
Now we need to see what we can achieve with our solidarity. Solidarity is not a goal in itself. It is a foundation that enables us to create a society that not only functions justly, but maintains that just mindset through constant work on solidarity and unity.
Once we have achieved a certain level of solidarity, we are ready to move on to the next level. The ego is not passive. It is constantly growing, and today’s solidarity will not hold tomorrow. Therefore, once we have achieved it, we must strive to increase the affinity between us and build our solidarity on empathy and kinship.
As we climb the levels of closeness, the levels below become a given. For example, solidarity is a given among people who care for one another. Therefore, if we achieve affection, we have achieved solidarity.
In the current state of the Israeli society, we are so divided that we cannot speak of any positive feelings. However, if we rally around a common problem, and unjust price hikes are certainly a common problem, we can advance from there to deeper levels of connectedness. As we deepen the bonds between us, we will naturally be fair toward each other and we will not need to worry about price hikes or other forms of exploitation.