Originally posted by qaz:
But..but..but...this is the fault of western culture, specifically the USA...
..or so some people think.
Brian
Originally posted by JaTo:
[b]I'm sorry, but the Middle-East is no longer the bastion on knowledge that it was 800-1000 years ago. Culturally it's stagnated over the years in many ways, which hasn't helped matters.
Up until we booted the Taliban even futher back into the Stone Age than they already were, I would prety much agree. The US historically hasn't given a damn about the region until sizeable oil deposits were found. Then came along the formation of Israel in 1948, which tied our interests down even further in that area, for various reasons which I don't want to even start going into here.
Fact is, tribal wars, climate, lack of natural resources (barring oil, which not every Middle-Eastern nation has tons of like Saudia Arabia), cultural/religious quirks, etc. have pretty much kept the entire region where it was 200-300 years ago. Think of it as Lawrence of Arabia with telephone poles, Toyota trucks, digital wristwatches and rocket launchers instead of camels, swords and Mausers. You can get killed there much more efficiently today than yesterday, but it seems that libraries, arts, literature, film, poetry, schools, medical facilities and about everything else that qualifies an advancing civilization is missing to a large extent.
Again, that's what a combination of constant warring factions, extremist views, lack of money/natural resources and intolerance will get you.
There'a severe need for Middle-Eastern countries to address their internal problems before they EVEN try to go point the finger to the West.
...perhaps we need to start exporting 12-step program leaders that speak Arabic instead of missionaries...
Hell, at this point, I think a lot of people are willing to try anything...
