March 10, 2002
A Foul Wind By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
"There is something about this new, intensely violent, stage of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict that is starting to feel like the fuse for a much larger war of civilizations. You can smell it in the incredibly foul wind blowing through the Arab-Muslim world these days."
"The notion is taking hold ... that with a combination of demographics (a baby boom) and terrorism, the Arabs can actually destroy Israel. Some radicals even fantasize that they can undermine America."
"'If you are willing to give up your own life and that of thousands of your own people, the overwhelming power of America and Israel does not deter you any more. We are now on the cusp of the extremists' realizing this destructive power, before the majority is mobilized for an alternative.' ... until the passive majorities are ready to act against the energetic minorities, the minorities will have their way. That's why our choices are becoming clear: either we have civil wars within the communities ... or we could end up in a war of civilizations, between communities, with America also being pulled in."
" ... if the Arab moderates didn't step up with a peace idea of their own, they were going to be dragged into a collision with America. ... With all the passive support shown for bin Laden in the Arab-Muslim world, it's not so easy any more to understand who is a moderate or who is an extremist out there. But if we don't force ourselves, and Arab moderates, to make that distinction and live by it, we're heading for a war of civilizations." ... [more]
