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Can Bad Ideas Be Killed?

(Real Clear World) Ronald Tiersky - Israel's attempt to "destroy" Hamas is often derided that "you can't kill an idea." But this proposition is false. In the abstract, no idea ever dies, but as a practical matter it can fall into the dustbin of history. The Hamas strategy was to "overthrow" the geopolitical tendency of Arab governments' growing acceptance of Israel. Many Arab governments no longer rejected Israel's existence as a state. In fact, they want Israel as an economic partner and as a geopolitical ally against Iran. What is the goal of the Palestinian "resistance"? To destroy the State of Israel and empty Israel of its Jews. To establish a new Palestinian state on territory "from the river to the sea." Even if Hamas is destroyed, new groups will arise to fight against accepting Israel. Fair enough, in the abstract. The reality is, on the other hand, that an idea can be killed as a practical matter if it is rendered irrelevant by reducing the number of people - leaders, fighters - who believe in it and act on it into a scattering of disconnected people, by killing some, changing the minds of others, and by destroying the organizational framework that holds the believers together. A recent, obvious comparison is the rise and fall of the Islamic State and its idea of recreating a universal Muslim caliphate. This idea still exists in the abstract but no longer has political relevance in the real world. Tiny militant groups exist calling themselves Islamic State, but the great Islamic State of the last decade is gone. The writer is Professor of Political Science emeritus at Amherst College.
2024-03-10 00:00:00
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