The West Pursues the Hijacking of the Eastern Revolutions

17 September 2011 | 15:35 Code : 16287 Interview
Interview with Mohammad Marandi, specialist in oriental affairs and a university professor.
The West Pursues the Hijacking of the Eastern Revolutions
IRD: It is the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 event, in which the New York’s twin towers were destroyed. Over the years, the event was an excuse for the US to dominate some countries like Afghanistan, in order to eliminate terrorists. IRD reviews the West’s looking down on the East in the last decade, and the effects of the 9/11 event on this approach in an interview with Mohammad Marandi.

 

IRD: What was the Western viewpoint after the 9/11 attacks, and what conflicts arose between the West and the East?

 

MM:  The false Western viewpoint about the East did not change, as it has lasted for centuries. There is an arrogant view of the East in their literature-- including Medieval and Renaissance philosophical and literary works-- like those of Marx, as they, like Hegel, considered the East inferior and the West at the peak of civilization. It is even extended to contemporary philosophers and thinkers.

9/11 made this viewpoint extreme, and now all the easterners and Muslims are the same to the West: authoritarian, violent, pathetic, immature, unable to manage, lazy and licentious. Even in Hollywood movies from 20’s onwards, it is evident, but after the violent attacks of 9/11, the volume of the works increased, although with the same nature. It can be summarized in a sentence: the West arrogantly looks down on the East.

 

IRD: Can it be claimed that the West used the 9/11 event to dominate the world?

 

MM:  The West enjoyed such dominance from a very long time ago, but the event changed its exertion. For example, Marx considers the Indian colonization negative but required, and justifies himself by referring to the low civilization of the country; therefore, the country had to be industrial and consequently the Proletariat revolution occurred. Marx’s viewpoint means that the East is lower than us, and its civilization should be raised: the nations with a lower civilization are their privilege, as their civilizations  need to be raised.

 

IRD: Is it possible that the viewpoint has changed due to the recent uprisings in the so-called uncivilized world?

 

MM:  Yes, it is: The West believes that “they” try to be like us, because we are superior. Most of the Westerners argue that there are some in these countries who try to seize the revolutions. Namely, some Islamists want to control the revolutions, while the people tend to be like the West. Then, we, the Westerners, should aid them to constitute civil institutions and teach them how to acquire freedom and an appropriate lifestyle in order to prevent the seizure. But the reality is that all of these revolutions were against governments imposed by the West: President Obama supported the Tunisian and Egyptian governments till the last moment, and still supports the authoritarian governments in Yemen, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Morocco and Bahrain. Then, all who stand against the West, whether Wahhabi or moderate, are called the hijackers of the revolutions, as they expect them to be assimilated into the Western mainstream.

 

IRD:  Will the concept of the civilized-uncivilized world continue to exist, if the West controls the new systems in the reformed countries and adjusts them to their own criteria?

 

MM: There is no doubt that the West wants to control the countries and it also has the tools to control them, but I think it is getting weakened and new countries are emerging. As the revolutions are not limited only to a few countries, it seems that the West cannot control them all. Therefore, in future decades, the importance and hegemony of the West will decline.