(Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies-Tel Aviv University) Efraim Halevy - Israel has proven that it is capable - from the standpoint of its military, intelligence, and technological abilities, as well as its decisiveness - of intensifying the battle against the Palestinians and escalating it to a level where the price becomes intolerable for the Palestinians and their leadership, including the leadership of the terror organizations. Israel also has a clear understanding of the limitations of power. The Israeli-Arab conflict takes place on a fault line between civilizations. Samuel Huntington's The Clash of Civilizations deals, among other issues, with wars between civilizations, and contends that a large portion of such clashes occur on the fault line between civilizations - in Europe, the Middle East, and other places. According to Huntington, the conflicts themselves stem from the geographical proximity of different religions and cultures, from different cultural institutions, and from the collective historical memories of the opposing societies. Over the course of centuries, these may change through a process of slow evolution. But if the conflict does not dissipate and there is no decisive outcome, then the conflict continues and evokes recurrent periods of violence.
2003-10-10 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive