AlyoshaP 's Library tagged Stability →  View Popular

THE PERILS OF STAYING STILL

For quite a while you have written and spoken quite eloquently on the subject of "stability". Your treatments of the subject often involve a "Fisking" of the common perception that stability is something that we should actually strive to maintain as a matter policy in Middle East.

You seem to be a man well up on movies and the like but I'm sure you'll forgive me if I bring this to your attention again. In the 1997 film "Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control", the mole rat specialist guy made an excellent point regarding the concept of "stability" that is along similar lines to your take and also manages to, as it turns out prophetically, tie the dangers of this policy when employed by a naïve, multiculturalism embracing west.

"The whole concept of stability is a concept of death. It's part of my problem with the Bambi concept of natural history where everything is beautiful and cute and benign. It's not the world. The world isn't like that at all. You are either prey, an enemy, or you're ignored. Think about all the islands. Island wildlife was wiped out because people could walk up to it with a stick and hit it on the head. You know it's much easier to kill something that doesn't see you as an enemy. By the time they realize it... they're extinct."

When we in the west lament the "destabilizing" effects resulting from Israel's very real existential struggle against very deadly foes, we are employing this "Bambi concept". There is no such thing in nature as stability and to believe that there is does not protect you from the consequences of reality.

Looking forward to you getting back to your conversations with Mr. Hewitt.

Paul E Gardner

San Francisco, Californi