"Israel is a Normal Country" -- Coincidence?
I just checked my e-mail and found a link this newsletter from Barry Rubin titled "Israel is a Normal Country." As regulars here know, this was Peter's idea for the theme of our putative presidential address. Now, I have no idea if Barry saw that discussion, or if perhaps someone mentioned it to him, or if it's just a coincidence. But it would be nice to think the idea came from here. It would suggest that even if we're not getting paid the big bucks to write that speech, we're still spreading some useful ideas.
Barry has, in fact, taken this idea in an interesting direction:
To be frank, the question of whether Israel is a “normal country” is a trick question. As I said, the answer is “yes” but the problem is that the definition of what a normal country is has changed.
For example, it is now held to be evil and racist—rather than merely stupid—if a country doesn’t allow unlimited immigration, even illegal immigration—of anyone who wants to live there. It is now claimed to be illegitimate if a country has any religious component, or if it is identified with a single coherent people. A country that defends itself or perhaps even has enemies is labeled abnormal, too.
Barry, are you reading this? If so, why not join? It would be nice to have you in on the conversation. Good newsletter, by the way. I always find it valuable.
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May '10
Re: "Israel is a Normal Country" -- Coincidence?
Hmm. Nose still isolated from grindstone? A fellow Adult ADD sufferer....
Re: "Israel is a Normal Country" -- Coincidence?
Hey! If this was more than a coincidence, we have just proved that the time I spend here is legitimate work, not proof that I need to change the meds.
May '10
Re: "Israel is a Normal Country" -- Coincidence?
A thousand pardons, mon cherie! (I don't know what that means, given that I don't speak French, but it looks good).
I will go away, sit down, shut up, and wool-gather. But first I'll go run a (relatively short) race with my daughter in celebration of the Minneapolis Aquatennial.
May '10
Re: "Israel is a Normal Country" -- Coincidence?
Getting back to Israel, Rubin's comment brought to mind a (possibly) related observation that when people speak of Israel, especially critically, they will occasionally, perhaps often, say "the Jews" in place of "Israel". Of course the nation is closely linked to the religion/ethnic group, but Saudi Arabia is also closely linked to a religion and yet we are able to see the difference. Israel is certainly not treated as "normal" in this respect.
I wonder if these speakers are trying to slip in a dose of antisemitism with plausible deniability should they be challenged. They can claim that they had intended their vitriol for the nation not the religion, and had just spoken carelessly. A strangely persistent carelessness, eh?
Its a small step from challenging the legitimacy of the nation to challenging the existence of the race.
May '10
Re: "Israel is a Normal Country" -- Coincidence?
Is this maybe the influence of American exceptionalism on other countries' perception of themselves, and of what it means to be a modern nation? The (classically) liberal melting pot has replaced the nation-state, and without admitting where they got the idea, everyone now expects all countries to be like the United States with respect to ethnicity and religion.