Middle East crisis a test of left’s ideology
The Middle East region is no stranger to crisis and conflict. Ever since the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the subsequent partitioning of the Middle East by Britain and France in the early 20th century, chaos and turmoil have been recurring themes in the region.
The establishment of artificial borders, the discovery of oil, and the creation of Israel are among the key factors contributing to the ongoing crisis in the region today.
The current events unfolding in the Middle East are a continuation of the conflicts that have plagued the region for a century, including the Arab-Israeli conflicts of 1948, 1956, 1967, 1973, 1982 and 2006. What has shifted, however, is the growing public awareness and concern regarding human rights abuses and atrocities committed during these conflicts.
While global awareness and activism initially held promise, they have taken an alarming turn. Despite the adage that “two ends of a line can never meet”, it appears that elements of the radical left are inching closer to the radical right in terms of their strategies and reasoning.
I vividly recall a few months ago, during the parliamentary elections in Aotearoa, grappling with the term “radical left” and questioning why it carried negative connotations. I, identifying as a leftist, believed that a strong commitment to leftist ideals meant prioritising human rights, justice and human dignity above all else, and couldn’t see any fault in it.
However, it took me only seven months to recognise that extremism, regardless of its ideological leaning, is inherently detrimental, even if it might appear extremely good.
Now, with eyes wide open in shock, I observe that some within the left have veered so far off course that they openly support the Islamic Republic regime in Iran as if they have not seen or heard of Iranians’ fight against this oppressive theocracy in the last two years.
Their staunch opposition to Israel and criticism of Western capitalism and colonialism have led them to adopt an overly simplistic worldview where “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” reigns supreme.
The significance of the Iranian women’s “Woman Life Freedom” movement has been downplayed as “Westernised” and their struggle for freedom has been depicted as “a fight over a piece of cloth”, as some prioritise the fight against Israel above all else and view the Islamic Republic regime as an ally in this fight.
They are minimising other causes and humanitarian pleas for the sake of a more urgent one; forgetting that each and every human being is worthwhile.
They hail Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis as champions and saviours of the innocent children of Gaza. Progressive Western individuals are applauding the Islamic Republic regime and its militias, whose fundamental ideology and survival are rooted in violence and oppression against their own people.
Innocent, well-meaning individuals unknowingly have been participating in rallies orchestrated by the oppressive regime of the Islamic Republic, simply because they believed they were showing solidarity with Palestine.
The privileged Westerners are aligning with the people of Palestine in opposition to Israel’s occupation and oppression, often overlooking or downplaying the internal oppression experienced by Middle Eastern populations under dictators such as the Islamic Republic regime, Bashar Assad, Hamas, and other ruling powers in our region.
They expect a regime that imprisons and sentences to death peaceful protesters and artists like Toomaj Salehi, the Iranian rapper and songwriter, along with numerous other political prisoners, to champion for people of Palestine.
They perceive a regime that wages a war on women in the streets of Iran, subjecting them to humiliation, beatings, and daily arrests, as a representation of good forces in an struggle against evil.
This troubling discourse reflects the reality of today’s world.
Today’s crises in the Middle East serve as a test for the depth of understanding among those on the political Left and the resilience of leftist values. The Middle East question defies simplistic analogies or descriptions; its intricacies require a nuanced understanding.
The complexity stems not from any inherent peculiarity of its people, as some outsiders may believe, but rather from the myriad interwoven issues resulted from the geopolitical significance of the region for the entire world and the extensive historical backdrop that characterises the region.
This is a land where ancient civilisations and empires, from the Sumerians and Babylonians in Mesopotamia to the Persians and Egyptians, flourished. It is also the birthplace of the three Abrahamic religions. The roots of many current issues in the region go back thousands of years.
Attempting to isolate one issue or nation from the broader context of the Middle East is futile.
To comprehend the dynamics in Lebanon’s civil war, for example, one must acknowledge its connections to what was happening in Palestine, Israel, Syria and Iran.
Without a comprehensive examination of the 20th-century histories of these nations, sourced from diverse perspectives, we risk oversimplified, binary conclusions.
Regrettably, this is precisely the pitfall into which the Western left has stumbled.