Originally posted by Lord Merciless
The 'cause' is the keyword here. A losing cause will not attract the masses. A movement of few hardcores is hardly threatening, but mass movements are.
Have you ever heard of "carrot and stick" approach? That's what the US is doing right now or at least trying to do. Look at Afghanistan, we first bombed the hardcore US haters out of power, and next we try to buy off the skeptical majority with candies. Remember, we also used the same approach on Germany and Japan.
I think the Chinese Boxer Rebellion of a century ago provided an interesting parallel to the current Islamic fundamentalism:
- China suffered humiliations at hands of Western powers.
- The tradition Chinese culture reacted to the Western cultural influences.
- Religion provided motivation and fanaticism.
- Hardcore Boxers were suicidal warriors.
In the end, the Boxers were ruthlessly crushed by the foreign powers. Hundred thousands of Chinese were murdered by foreigners, and China suffered even more indignity. By your logic, the hate among Chinese would swell even higher and far more Boxers would arise to attack foreigners. Well, the reality couldn't be more different. The Boxer movement vanished without a trace(except in some folklores), the intelletuals were chastizing the very traditions the Boxers were trying to protect, the government insituted social and political reforms unthinkable before the rebellion, and ordinary Chinese recognized the need to reform their own society.
It's about time that Islamic nations follow a similar footsteps: get out of the middle age and embrace the modern age.
The 'cause' is the keyword here. A losing cause will not attract the masses. A movement of few hardcores is hardly threatening, but mass movements are.
Have you ever heard of "carrot and stick" approach? That's what the US is doing right now or at least trying to do. Look at Afghanistan, we first bombed the hardcore US haters out of power, and next we try to buy off the skeptical majority with candies. Remember, we also used the same approach on Germany and Japan.
I think the Chinese Boxer Rebellion of a century ago provided an interesting parallel to the current Islamic fundamentalism:
- China suffered humiliations at hands of Western powers.
- The tradition Chinese culture reacted to the Western cultural influences.
- Religion provided motivation and fanaticism.
- Hardcore Boxers were suicidal warriors.
In the end, the Boxers were ruthlessly crushed by the foreign powers. Hundred thousands of Chinese were murdered by foreigners, and China suffered even more indignity. By your logic, the hate among Chinese would swell even higher and far more Boxers would arise to attack foreigners. Well, the reality couldn't be more different. The Boxer movement vanished without a trace(except in some folklores), the intelletuals were chastizing the very traditions the Boxers were trying to protect, the government insituted social and political reforms unthinkable before the rebellion, and ordinary Chinese recognized the need to reform their own society.
It's about time that Islamic nations follow a similar footsteps: get out of the middle age and embrace the modern age.
Comment