Men Who Do Not Know the World: The Antidotes Of The Old World Have Expired
08 April 2018
By Ghassan Charbel
The world is changing at a remarkable pace and time is merciless. It
eliminates old ideas, books and methods and replaces them with new ones,
before also leaving them behind. Revolutions and changes no longer take place
on the street and by the people. They are born in laboratories that never
sleep. The successive technological and scientific revolutions change the
lives of peoples and countries and they do not need permission to cross
borders.
Nothing can stand in the way of the approaching waves. You either join them or
get pushed aside and are abandoned by the world. Your incorporation in the
world demands that you change and abandon what you thought were unwavering
convictions. You now come to realize that the "generals" of technology are
more effective than the generals of armies. The effect of a major organization
is more powerful than the might of a country or military.
It is not enough to say that you are headed towards the future. This is not an
invitation to a wedding or a reception. It is an invitation to a difficult
test that you will not pass unless you are part of a world that lives in the
shadow of institutions and men who know this world.
The Middle East stays with the reporters that have left it, no matter how far
they go. Perhaps because it is a lake of blood and tears and a swamp of fears
and tensions. Lost peoples, porous borders, dark cities and waves of refugees.
Schools are weak and unemployment is rampant. We have paid the heavy price for
failing to build institutions. We have paid the heavy price for long remaining
in the shadow of men who do not know the world.
Today, it is no longer enough to seize control of barracks, radios, parties or
capitals. What will you do tomorrow? The antidotes of the old world have
expired. You either belong to this age or die in your isolation.
In New York, you find success, money, greed and art. I remember former late
Yemeni President Abdullah Saleh. In 2009, I asked him about the security
incidents in his capital. He smiled, replying that those killed in Sanaa are
less than those killed in New York. I thought it was a strange comparison. I
asked him how he managed to remain in power since 1978. He replied
sarcastically: "The Washington Post predicted that I would not last more than
six months. And here we are now."
As I rose to bid him farewell, he said: "Do you remember the names of the
presidents of the White House since the time the Washington Post predicted the
duration of my tenure?"
I mulled over his statements. Can the individual crimes in New York be
compared to crimes committed in Sanaa? What about the major financial
corporations? What about art, innovation, success, universities and
opportunities? Are we an island that is isolated from the spirit of the world
and its accomplishments? Can the United States be considered weak because a
president is forced to leave office after serving two terms because the
institution is more powerful than the man? Can he be considered weak because
he cannot tame Congress, predict headlines before newspapers are printed and
prevent a judge from imposing the law?
Not knowing the world is a calamity. Saddam Hussein did not know the world. He
believed that a ruler is instated through the spirit of the nation, not the
ballot boxes. He often wondered how a man, who won only 51 percent of a vote,
could be able to make historic decisions. He believed that historic decisions
can only be made by a man who wages elections alone and reaps 99 percent of
the vote, ignoring the fact that these record figures were concocted at the
Interior Ministry and intelligence offices.
Failing to know the world has led many countries to disasters. Believing that
the West is weak and quickly accepting of the status quo, Saddam committed the
sin of invading Kuwait. Based on his military thought that was inherited from
World War II, he believed that he will confront the American army in the
streets of Baghdad. He had forgotten that the world had progressed and that
the massive technological gap will not allow the Iraqi army to come
face-to-face with the Americans.
Moammar al-Gaddafi did not know the world and its real balances of power. He
was overjoyed when Silvio Berlusconi kissed his hand and took joy in Italy's
weakness and humiliation. His ignorance of the world reached the extent of
disrespecting Tony Blair. He was also tempted to meddle in the French
presidential elections, believing that the new president will become a pawn in
his hands. He never once believed that those nations have institutions that
were awakening and correcting previous errors. No one in the world knew.
The most dangerous thing a ruler can do is waste successive generations and
prevent his country from moving forward. Wasting the time of the people is no
less dangerous than shedding blood. It is a form of mass murder. It is enough
to examine the capitals of countries that were long ruled by men who knew
nothing of the world and the real balances of power and the meaning of
scientific and technological advancement.
The time of the isolated island is over. The river of progression is flowing
and revolutions are being produced in laboratories. We will not be able to
head towards the future without institutions, without men who carry the torch
of progress. Men who know the world and have the courage to become part of it.
Men who draw the path of dreams with numbers.
Ghassan Charbel is the editor-in-chief of Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper
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