Minor Paper Over Middle Eastern Resistance

Author's Note: not my best paper, but an example of what I'll be doing here. Also, an example of my interests. Enjoy? Haha, something like that.

"The Middle East's Internal Struggle with Globalization"

©Rachel C

Countries, nations, peoples—anyone or anything that is a part of the global community—are affected by globalization. For many of these places and peoples, globalization has had a negative affect, which gives the movement a generally bad name. Because of this negative reputation, many Third World nations are reluctant to cooperate with those nations at the forefront of globalization—primarily, the super power nations of the West—and protests are increasing in numbers, and violence, across the globe. Among the most prominent of protesting regions, the Middle East is in a violent and futile battle with Western globalization. Because of the unifying religion, Islam, and Arab culture, this region is highly opposed to any form of synthesis, which they believe will overtake their longstanding traditions and replace them with Western customs. Religion, language, and a longstanding belief that their region will someday emerge as dominant in the world puts a little more than a damper on the area’s acceptance of globalization. The region feels it must completely reject synthesis, or lose itself completely. Thus, the regimes and reining governments work against globalization by harnessing the segregation of religion and language, and by training their officials, not only to withstand as dictatorships and survive in this modern world of democracy, but to also harness the powers standing between and against them to turn the peoples of the Middle East against globalization, and, advertently, against the West.
As compared to other parts of the world that have accepted cultural synthesis with the West, the Middle East differs mainly because there has been little penetration of Western culture in the past. Certainly there has been some—that which is harnessed and used in the repression of globalization—but, quite unlike many of the worlds other emerging markets and powers, the amount of Western infiltration is severely minor. Because of this lack of Western influence in the cultural and social developments of the Middle East, the region is naturally segregated from the rest of the world.
The most prominent aspect of their natural segregation is the religious differences. Islam is the main religion throughout the Middle East, whereas Christianity has remained marginal in the region. Islam sees itself as very separated from a global consensus and retains its own claim to hegemony. While elsewhere Christianity rules most of the moral and social ideals, Islam has its own set of rules and laws and has a claim to provide the proper order for society. These laws are not only used in Mosques and the every day lives of devout Muslims, but are also incorporated at a national level in the governments and regimes controlling the countries of the Middle East. The laws of Islam, and consequently of the governments, are often seen to conflict or contradict those of globalization and the West. Thus, the size of the Muslim community and the cohesion of Islam build a religious, and therefore cultural, wall against many globalized aspects—which are seen to threaten cultural traditions and weaken them with cultural synthesis.
Another major wall against globalization is the separation of language. During the imperialistic and colonial phase in the development of the world, many of the societies today, now independent, where built of European and American influence. Though there was some influence from nations such as France and Great Brittan, the Middle East was largely left to develop without the weight of the West. Though the lines now separating each Middle Eastern country were drawn by European super powers, boarders do not work to further separate the peoples of the region. While other nations once under colonial control developed language and culture largely based from that of Europe, the Middle East developed a completely unique language.
Arabic is the most popular language in the Middle East. Spoken in every country, excluding Iran, it unifies the region under one language, as well as under Islam, which considers Arabic its language. Today those remaining traces of European occupation have all but faded completely. French is hardly spoken, Russian is becoming rare. And, though English has become the global language and a key to international communication, it has hardly had the impact in the Middle East as it has in other regions such as East Asia, where it is commonplace. This unification under Arabic creates a large and culturally powerful community, whose existence builds a wall against the languages of Europe which are an incredibly important aspect of globalization.
Another major gap growing between the Middle East and the West is the survival of totalitarian regimes. While European governments lost their autocratic regimes in the acceptance of modernization, the Middle East has some how learned how to keep their dictatorships alive and mobilize mass support.
To gain mass espousal from their constituents, the regimes of the region harness the power of demagoguery. They create a supportive and pervasive system which they use to persuade the public into sustaining their governments. They accomplish this by convincing their citizens that anti-globalization is the only way of defending the Arab nation and Islam—they also incorporate anti-American and anti-Israel sentiments, which plays to the populace’s patriotic attachment to Arab nationalism. They present change as dangerous and compromise as surrender and are thus able to keep the support of their own people all the while discouraging them from supporting certain elements of globalization: democracy, free enterprise, civil and human rights. If they allowed those ideals to seep into the minds of the populace, there would be increased opposition to the current rulers and could even rise to the point of coup and the overthrow of those in power.
They also repress those demanding democracy, free enterprise, and civil liberties by keeping the business class weak by the state’s domination of the economy and the intellectuals under the thumb of the state. They do this by maintaining middle class dependency on the state for its patronage or direct employment. Intellectuals are employed for state-controlled enterprises and are made the bearers of the state’s ideology. This process not only restricts citizens under these regimes, but also, through keeping state-control on the economy, sacrifices efficiency and wealth, all for control.
The main aspect of the Middle East’s cultural and social personality that holds it back from accepting globalization is t heir belief that the world should succumb to their way of life, instead of become largely Westernized. This is the idea that, rather than adapting to the world, the world should adapt to the Middle East. In addition, many Arab nationalists, Islamists, and a large blend of the two believe that they are still destined to emerge as a dominant region in the world. However, they seem to have a severe inferiority complex. The region feels increasingly vulnerable. Like the kid held back in first grade, they have a sense of being behind. They believe that any compromise will bring total absorption of Western ideals and doubt their ability to survive cultural synthesis because they fear that the emerging global system might be superior to theirs. Thus, they reject the entirety of globalization, which is usually accepted in other cultures and regions on the compromise that they keep their traditions, but just get to “add new features” thanks to modern technology and broader economic development brought by the West.
Because of these factors, “the basic elements of globalization are seen as more alien in the Middle East than elsewhere and are thus far more likely to be seen as hostile”, says Barry Rubin, a contributor to the Yale Global. The Middle East is rising up against globalization in a violent and political wave to keep what they have the way it has been for centuries. The region sees globalization as succumbing to the West, and, ultimately, as giving up everything that makes the region unique. If the Middle East compromises, they will feel as if they are giving in to something that completely contradicts their culture, traditions, religion, and social way of life. However, if they do not some how find a medium and cooperate with the rising global and economic powers, they will fall even farther down the ladder, and there will no longer be a “sense of being behind”.
Whether or not they will ever find common ground with the West seems irrelevant in today’s world of suicide bombs and propaganda laced media. It seems that the Middle East will always see itself as far separate from the rest of the world, and because of this there may never be a happy medium between Middle Eastern traditions and growing Western culture. For now, all that is truly known is that the Middle East will continue to battle globalization until they see a way to keep their ancient and social traditions, all the while incorporating technologies and free market strategies into their everyday life. It seems years away, but in these times, it could be right around the corner.