Project for Philosophical Evaluations of the Economy |
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What we are fighting for in Mali
Dialogue with the Alter Ego on the intervention in Mali, drafted on Jan. 15, published on Jan. 16, 2013
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Question by Alter Ego of Noah denkt™ (AE): In our last dialogue, published on Jan.13, Noah denkt™ has
defended the international intervention in Mali. But could Noah denkt™ say what exactly the objectives of this
intervention are?
Answer by Noah denkt™ (Nd): Well, the immediate goal is to stop the advance of the jihadist movement towards
Bamako, and to buy time for the Mali army to deal with the situation itself.
AE: But does it really make sense to defend an imaginary line in the desert when the jihadists might just as well go
through Niger or Burkina Faso if they really want to strike in Southern Mali?
Nd: You are right, that line which currently cuts Mali into two is not a solid frontier to defend. But it was still
necessary to do something about the advance of the Northern groups towards the South.
AE: Isn’t it necessary to supplement the military action with a regional diplomatic effort that brings together all the
regional players in order to find a viable solution for the situation in Mali.
Nd: Surely that is necessary. But despite all the need for talking especially with Mali’s neighbors, one also has to
bear in mind that quite a number of jihadists are pretty unreachable by reasonable arguments. After all, they are
so brainwashed by their fundamentalist ideas tat they wouldn’t be able and willing to question them just for a
second.
AE: Wouldn’t it help to set up a conference about the spirituality of Islam that would allow that religion to finally
modernize itself?
Nd: We do not believe that jihadists are primarily inspired by Islamic spirituality. In fact, it seems to us that Islam is
just providing them with a convenient cover to live out their psychological traumas.
AE: So what is it in your opinion that drives the jihadist movement primarily?
Nd: It is its rejection of Western values; it’s the shame that jihadists feel when experiencing the inferiority of their
own culture vis-à-vis the West. And it is their fear of losing both their macho supremacy over women and their
antiquated lifestyle to the influences of Western civilization.
AE: But can it be true that everything in their thinking is based on negativity? Or is there also some aspect that is
worth talking about?
Nd: Well, the Islamic fundamentalists may have a point when they criticize the lack of existential
devotion/consistency/honesty that most Western people suffer from when it comes to defending their own
convictions.
AE: Can you give us an example of such dishonesty that Western people apparently show with respect to their
own beliefs?
Nd: Sure. Just think about the fact that most companies are proud to proclaim that they are free enterprises even
though they are ready to ask for government help whenever the first opportunity presents itself. Or think about
the fact that most figureheads of capitalism aren’t actually entrepreneurs themselves but prefer to shy away from
a serious personal risk-taking in order to accept lucrative executive employment contracts instead.
AE: Please give us additional examples?
Nd: No problem. Take for instance the fact, that a lot of Western people have no qualms in subjecting others to a
kind of behavior that they themselves would never want to do be subjected to, like continuously receiving
unsolicited sales calls, like faking sincerity or like exaggerating one’s own qualifications.
AE: But isn’t it quite humane to be somewhat cavalier about certain things? And isn’t it quite inhumane and
undiplomatic to expect a radical consistency?
Nd: Of course, that is true. But one also has to bear in mind that too much self-indulgence may lead to the kind of
recklessness that we have seen playing out in the build-up to the financial crisis. There is, hence, a fine line
between full-scale honesty and cynical trespassing that Western society may cross a little too often. You can see
the consequences of this, for instance, in the rising levels of ADHD among our kids to give just one example.
AE: Suppose that is true, how can this be cured then?
Nd: By demonstrating that you do not have to sell your soul in order to be successful in a capitalistic society.
AE: How would that help to dismantle the jihadist movement?
Nd. Obviously, there is only so much that individual examples of honest success can achieve. For the rest you
have to rely on the fact that, as all extremism, this one too will eventually wear itself out just for being what it is.
Until then, however, you simply have to stand up against it wherever it presents itself.
AE: In other words, it will still take quite a while before the jihadist wave comes to an end?
Nd: That is true. And you can be sure that once that movement has outlived itself some other form of violent
radicalism will spring up somewhere. That’s just the way the world is. And it will be like this until the end of time.
Dialogue with the Alter Ego on the intervention in Mali, drafted on Jan. 15, published on Jan. 16, 2013
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question by Alter Ego of Noah denkt™ (AE): In our last dialogue, published on Jan.13, Noah denkt™ has
defended the international intervention in Mali. But could Noah denkt™ say what exactly the objectives of this
intervention are?
Answer by Noah denkt™ (Nd): Well, the immediate goal is to stop the advance of the jihadist movement towards
Bamako, and to buy time for the Mali army to deal with the situation itself.
AE: But does it really make sense to defend an imaginary line in the desert when the jihadists might just as well go
through Niger or Burkina Faso if they really want to strike in Southern Mali?
Nd: You are right, that line which currently cuts Mali into two is not a solid frontier to defend. But it was still
necessary to do something about the advance of the Northern groups towards the South.
AE: Isn’t it necessary to supplement the military action with a regional diplomatic effort that brings together all the
regional players in order to find a viable solution for the situation in Mali.
Nd: Surely that is necessary. But despite all the need for talking especially with Mali’s neighbors, one also has to
bear in mind that quite a number of jihadists are pretty unreachable by reasonable arguments. After all, they are
so brainwashed by their fundamentalist ideas tat they wouldn’t be able and willing to question them just for a
second.
AE: Wouldn’t it help to set up a conference about the spirituality of Islam that would allow that religion to finally
modernize itself?
Nd: We do not believe that jihadists are primarily inspired by Islamic spirituality. In fact, it seems to us that Islam is
just providing them with a convenient cover to live out their psychological traumas.
AE: So what is it in your opinion that drives the jihadist movement primarily?
Nd: It is its rejection of Western values; it’s the shame that jihadists feel when experiencing the inferiority of their
own culture vis-à-vis the West. And it is their fear of losing both their macho supremacy over women and their
antiquated lifestyle to the influences of Western civilization.
AE: But can it be true that everything in their thinking is based on negativity? Or is there also some aspect that is
worth talking about?
Nd: Well, the Islamic fundamentalists may have a point when they criticize the lack of existential
devotion/consistency/honesty that most Western people suffer from when it comes to defending their own
convictions.
AE: Can you give us an example of such dishonesty that Western people apparently show with respect to their
own beliefs?
Nd: Sure. Just think about the fact that most companies are proud to proclaim that they are free enterprises even
though they are ready to ask for government help whenever the first opportunity presents itself. Or think about
the fact that most figureheads of capitalism aren’t actually entrepreneurs themselves but prefer to shy away from
a serious personal risk-taking in order to accept lucrative executive employment contracts instead.
AE: Please give us additional examples?
Nd: No problem. Take for instance the fact, that a lot of Western people have no qualms in subjecting others to a
kind of behavior that they themselves would never want to do be subjected to, like continuously receiving
unsolicited sales calls, like faking sincerity or like exaggerating one’s own qualifications.
AE: But isn’t it quite humane to be somewhat cavalier about certain things? And isn’t it quite inhumane and
undiplomatic to expect a radical consistency?
Nd: Of course, that is true. But one also has to bear in mind that too much self-indulgence may lead to the kind of
recklessness that we have seen playing out in the build-up to the financial crisis. There is, hence, a fine line
between full-scale honesty and cynical trespassing that Western society may cross a little too often. You can see
the consequences of this, for instance, in the rising levels of ADHD among our kids to give just one example.
AE: Suppose that is true, how can this be cured then?
Nd: By demonstrating that you do not have to sell your soul in order to be successful in a capitalistic society.
AE: How would that help to dismantle the jihadist movement?
Nd. Obviously, there is only so much that individual examples of honest success can achieve. For the rest you
have to rely on the fact that, as all extremism, this one too will eventually wear itself out just for being what it is.
Until then, however, you simply have to stand up against it wherever it presents itself.
AE: In other words, it will still take quite a while before the jihadist wave comes to an end?
Nd: That is true. And you can be sure that once that movement has outlived itself some other form of violent
radicalism will spring up somewhere. That’s just the way the world is. And it will be like this until the end of time.
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| Keywords: military intervention in Mali, objectives of the Mali intervention, fighting jihadist movements, fighting Muslim extremism, fighting Muslim terrorism, life cycle of terrorist movements, life cycle of extremist movements, defence of Western values, cynical capitalism |