“It’s possible they know something we don’t,” admitted Middle East scholar N. T. Semitt.
Riyadh, February 22 – Despite vehement and vocal demonstrations of concern for human rights on college campuses across the United States in the form of student government votes in favor of divesting from oppressive regimes such as Israel, for some unexplained reason the leaders of far more oppressive and discriminatory states have expressed not a shred of worry that similar measures might be afoot to pressure them to uphold human rights.
Last week the Student Senate at Stanford University passed a resolution in favor of divestment from what it called companies profiting from oppression in Israel and Palestine. The movement behind the vote at Stanford and elsewhere has held repeated demonstrations invoking the principle of collective responsibility for preventing ad protesting injustice, a moral position that therefore demands at least the same level of activism directed at countries whose oppression of women, homosexuals, religious minorities, and political opponents makes Israel look like Scandinavia.
However, the rulers of those countries – notably Saudi Arabia, Syria, Egypt, Iran, Turkey, North Korea, The Islamic State, China, Russia, and others across Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia – appear remarkably sanguine in the face of this emerging moral juggernaut. Analysts say these regimes must be engaging in an insidious form of denial, since any movement that produces such vitriol and outrage at Israel, which provides equal political rights for its citizens, enjoys a vibrant LGBT community, and boasts a robust free press, must have up its sleeve an imminent onslaught targeting the other, far more oppressive, states.
“Consistency is one of the most important elements of moral integrity, and, therefore, of moral authority,” notes Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Desmond Tutu. “That means these blessed activists, these saintly moral agents working to dismantle the Apartheid Israeli regime, must also be preparing demonstrations, petitions, divestment initiatives, letter-writing campaigns, social media blitzes, and advertising to raise awareness and generate movement toward economic pressure on these other countries, as well. It doesn’t have to be all of them – there are so many – but since opposition to Israeli policies is ipso facto the moral position, we must expect that these enlightened, empathy-driven souls also demonstrate their superior ethics when it comes to other places. That being the case, I do not envy the Royal House of Saud once the BDS activists are unleashed against them. Going to be any day now, I am certain.”
The newly installed King Salman of Saudi Arabia has expressed no concern whatsoever that Archbishop Tutu’s anticipated action will take place, however. Like the leaders of China, for example, he appears to be wagering that his country’s key position in the stability of the world economy will render any such movement irrelevant. Nevertheless, say experts, those oppressive countries have blinders on, since even Israel, which controls the media, worldwide banking, the powerful US government, and the world’s financial markets, remains unable to stem the righteous tide of BDS initiatives aimed at it. Other, less powerful, regimes, presumably stand to suffer even swifter and more dramatic isolation, but for some reason appear completely unperturbed.
“It’s possible they know something we don’t,” admitted Middle East scholar N. T. Semitt.
(h/t Lefkowitz)
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