Exploiting History and Engineering Hatred: Lesson from Balkan War

 This was my take on a fascinating essay by Farangis Bayat on the Balkan war and how nationalism led to one of the most heinous acts of genocide in modern Europe.

This is a dive into Yugoslavia's contemporary history post-world war II. How Tito's relatively benevolent dictatorship provided a shift from Stalinist ideas and a ground for nationalism.

The new-age nationalism was not the result of a single party's ideology and movements. Actually, a group of social groups including intellectuals, academics, artists, and religious figures collectively helped promote nationalism. To this end, they invested heavily in pseudo-narratives of history, a fabricated image of Serbians throughout history. Secondly, they exploited these narratives against non-Serbian ethnic groups (i.e. Croats, Albanians, Bosnians, and Slovenians). 

The role of intellectuals should be cautiously interpreted as the social class in Yugoslavia was oppressed under Tito's regime. This oppression was more pronounced for nationalist intellectuals and pushed them toward a more militant approach instead of targeting existential questions that you'd e expect an intellectual to be engaged with.

On the other hand, Marxist intellectuals were more adherent to social and philosophical methodology and attempted to tackle social issues. However, the complexity of their language cost them healthy communication with the public and the bond with the populace. The other aspect surrounding the political milieu ending in the Balkan war is the distance from Stalinism which provided a relatively free space for various groups to confront traditional Marxist ideas. Marxists were struggling with their communication with citizens and liberals were gradually getting closer to nationalists. The resultant vacuum proved to be an ominous political end-product wisely exploited by Serbian nationalists. 

One key component of nationalism in the build-up of their argument is the need for the "Other" party: an ever-present, threatening existence that always stands at odds with your existence. They theorize, organize, create and operate in antagonism with the "Other". In other words, the "Threat" created by "Them" unites "Us". Nationalist arts and literature produced by scientists, artists, and intellectuals such as Radovan Karadžić and Mića Popović are examples of how all social domains were recruited to fulfill the nationalist goals. That's where the machiavellian narrative of history comes into effect. A picture of victimized ethnicity unfairly forced to live under atrocious conditions. 

Pedram

January 2023

  

نمدمال کردن آخرین خلیفه عباسیان

 هفت روز پس از تصرف بغداد توسط نیروهای نظامی هلاکوخان ایلخان مغولی ایران و قتل عام ساکنان آن، بیستم فوریه 1258 مستعصم بالله (ابواحمد عبدالله) آخرین خلیفه عباسی کشته شد و خلافت عباسیان برای همیشه پایان یافت. به هلاکو گفته بودند خلیفه عباسی یک مقام اسلامی است و ریختن خون مقام مذهبی منع شده و برای حکومت او بدیمن است، خیر و برکت را از میان می برد و بدبختی خواهد آورد. هلاکو این اندرز را چند روز مورد بررسی قرار داد و سرانجام تصمیم گرفت مستعصم بالله را به طریق نمدمال کردن از میان بردارد که با این طریق خون او ریخته نمی شود که بدیمنی به بار آورد. این تصمیم بیستم فوریه به اجرا درآمد و خلیفه 45 ساله را لای یک نمد بزرگ (به اندازه فرش) قرار دادند و آنقدر بر زمین مالیدند و حلقه نمد را تنگ کردند تا درگذشت بدون اینکه خونش جاری شود

منبع: روزنامه شرق

The Nonviolence Handbook: Tribute to Dr. Farhad Meysami

I read this great book by Michael N Nagler. This is constructed around the concept propagated by Gandhi based on Satyagraha. How to seriously consider Satyagraha in practice and amid the chaotic circumstances surrounding turbulent social unrest and conflicts where violence seems to be the only feasible solution. 

Nonviolent resistance is an act of compassion and is driven by an inherent characteristic of humans. That is why it is a positive phenomenon and an approach based on being and creating capitalizing on existing forces 

Nonviolent resistance is the artful hard-fought skill to transform the negative drives of anger and fear into something constructive. So the notion of nonviolence being a purely reactionary stance is not true.

As Kenneth Boulding points out this approach relies on an integrative power rather than a threat or exchange power. This means that those who exercise this method see their enemies as similar to themselves in their fundamental being. A well-executed message may reach our rivals (frequently armed and in a power position) and may subdue the deadliest weapons they possess. The people power revolution in the Philippines in 1986 has been mentioned as an example where this soft-looking approach yielded a significant impact. 

One caveat is that observant and vigilant activists should be mindful of all the violence they gave. Normalization of structural violence is not acceptable and that is the very reason the nonviolent activist opted a completely opposite method. It must be noted that communities chronically exposed to violence may have an inclination toward violence. This is an insidious and visceral process that all nonviolent activists should be aware of and work against.

It is noteworthy that the book is so special partly because the Farsi translation was done by one of the noble instructors I have known in my formative years of education: Dr. Fathad Meysami. Dr. Meysami is an Iranian physician activist who unfortunately has been imprisoned for his peaceful civil activism, He translated this book while detained in Rajaishar prison. I pray for his health and safety and hope to celebrate his freedom soon.