The Orian 21 website said that October 7, 2023 was a revolution in the entire Middle East region, the consequences of which were evident in Lebanon and Syria, in addition to its repercussions on Gaza. Therefore, it conducted an interview with Peter Harling, the founder of Synapse, who has extensive experience. In the region.
In his analysis of current events, Peter Harling, a British expert in international relations, stated that the current war in Gaza seemed to him different from other wars he witnessed in the region, first because of the massive imbalance of power, as Hezbollah launched missiles and launched attacks on Israel, the results of which were Frail, while Israel used disproportionate force, an entire building was reduced to rubble in one fell swoop.
The writer criticized what he considered a miserable world, in which someone, somewhere, had the ability to demolish residential buildings, one by one, by simply pressing a button, which made people in Lebanon feel helpless, a weakness that amounted to a confused feeling of nakedness in the face of this absolute power. .
But here in France – the writer says – we imagine that this war does not concern us, as it is a mysterious and distant war, even though Israel is fighting with our weapons and benefiting from our media, political and diplomatic support, in a battle that appears on the surface to be against terrorism, but is being fought ostensibly in our name to defend the Western camp in the face of terrorism. barbarism, and to advance the civilizing mission.
As for those who follow the details or suffer from them, they see a war of atrocities, where journalists and health workers are targeted, mosques and churches are desecrated and cemeteries demolished, among thousands of unjustified acts of violence, showing the gap between this frightening experience and the watered-down narrative that dominates in abroad, according to Harling.
We cannot help but see, says Harling, how our governments are turning to extremism through Israel, to the point of flouting the law. International Humanitarianism, which is one of Europe’s greatest and most beautiful contributions to world stability.
Thus, the expert adds, we encourage Israel to do what we do not dare to do ourselves, and thus this war serves as a detector and accelerant of the fascism we are experiencing, which is now taking root everywhere on the European continent.
The writer touched on what happened to Hezbollah, explaining that it had indeed weakened, but it maintained an almost unshakable social anchor, and it would continue to defend its position in the political system of which it was an integral part, including sectarianism.
When addressing the Syrian issue, Peter Harling stated that any transformation of this kind would be complex and fraught with risks.
But he pointed out that considering the fall of an Arab regime as a bad omen for the media and part of the public in the West ignores the desperate extent of the situation in Syria and misunderstands what it means for people to return to their homeland after years of exile.
According to him, this is also a surrender to the arrogant reaction in our countries that want change for the better to be just an illusion in some countries.
Instead of indulging in these perceptions, Harling says, the West can offer its sympathy and assistance at a time when Israel is seizing the opportunity to encroach on Syrian territory and destroy what remains of its military capacity, and the United States is bombing what it sees fit, and Europe is interested in the return of all refugees to this country. It expresses its concern only for Christian communities as if there are no other minorities at risk and other populations at risk.
Peter Harling, when referring to his company, which developed analytical work covering societal issues that little research addresses, said that he chose to distance himself from over-consumed topics. “The popular uprisings of 2010 and 2011 were a turning point for me,” he said. “We can no longer ignore the communities of the region, especially since these communities were not unknown to me.”
In the wake of the uprisings, – says Harling – it seemed necessary for foreigners like me, who frequently appeared on television to comment on current events in the region, to step down in favor of local figures speaking on their behalf, and the Synapse program enabled me to contribute to this process, through training Young researchers.
However, the region is still understood through the main repertoire of violence, such as wars, massacres, refugees, extremism, repression, crises, disasters, etc. This view tends to dehumanize the local population, turning them into mobile masses, collateral victims or potential threats, whether due to terrorism or Immigration, as he put it.
However, there is a more positive side to the discourse on the contemporary Middle East, which stems from an economic vision that is, in its own way, reductive: Morocco’s attractiveness and competitiveness, Israeli and Emirati innovation, Qatari and Saudi investments, etc. This is important to us, as this is the region in which we do business. , which belongs to our global map of globalized exchanges.
But the expert highlighted that there is another area where we drop bombs, humanitarian aid, and special envoys.
However, there is a third Middle East that is almost completely absent – says Harling – which is the daily life of half a billion people, including many people who do not fit our stereotypes, and from whom we can learn a lot, such as farmers who adapt to climate change, and conservative women entrepreneurs. , dense and informal solidarity networks, highly active traditional philanthropy, etc.
These societies, which are of course no less rich and complex than ours, face many problems that are familiar to us, starting with the mediocrity of political elites, the aggression of the wealthy, and the gradual dismantling of public services, but the lack of understanding of each other deprives us of a base of common experiences on which we can build. More human relationships, freed from all the illusions that are at the core of the moment, as Harling explains.