Pen vs. sword
Aug. 3rd, 2006 08:58 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
randy_byersThere is an article in today's New York Times about the war of narratives being waged in Lebanon. 'An Israeli cabinet minister, who spoke anonymously because of the delicacy of the topic, said, "The narrative at the end is part of the problem."' Is it a bit bizarre that cabinet members are talking like postmodern lit profs about "narratives"?
'Shlomo Avineri, a former Foreign Ministry official and professor of political science at Hebrew University, said Israel could never prevail in an Arab narrative.' Which calls into question the idea that the pen is mightier than the sword. In this case, they both might be equally futile. Certainly as I've read and listened to various analyses of what's going on in Lebanon over the past couple of weeks, I have a growing sense that this war isn't going to change anything and that everybody is furiously moving their goalposts in attempt to redefine their goals.
'"Israel is trying to frame its narrative now around the most minimal achievement, which is a major setback to the fighting capacity of Hezbollah," Mr. Grinstein [a former Israeli negotiator and director of the Reut Institute, a research group] said. "But the question and the challenge is to frame a narrative of victory around more ambitious objectives."'
For some reason all this talk of framing narratives gives me vertigo. The war will be indecisive, so the battle becomes one of warring narratives. What ever happened to the victors writing the history? What ever happened to victory? Oops, sorry, I meant "narrative of victory". Never mind.
'Shlomo Avineri, a former Foreign Ministry official and professor of political science at Hebrew University, said Israel could never prevail in an Arab narrative.' Which calls into question the idea that the pen is mightier than the sword. In this case, they both might be equally futile. Certainly as I've read and listened to various analyses of what's going on in Lebanon over the past couple of weeks, I have a growing sense that this war isn't going to change anything and that everybody is furiously moving their goalposts in attempt to redefine their goals.
'"Israel is trying to frame its narrative now around the most minimal achievement, which is a major setback to the fighting capacity of Hezbollah," Mr. Grinstein [a former Israeli negotiator and director of the Reut Institute, a research group] said. "But the question and the challenge is to frame a narrative of victory around more ambitious objectives."'
For some reason all this talk of framing narratives gives me vertigo. The war will be indecisive, so the battle becomes one of warring narratives. What ever happened to the victors writing the history? What ever happened to victory? Oops, sorry, I meant "narrative of victory". Never mind.
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Date: 2006-08-03 05:20 pm (UTC)And then make it happen, presumably. Grinstein's political thinking seems to be about information, not actions. he appears to be trying to write the history before it's happened, maybe as a form of political 'creative visualisation' that will pre-empt the need to spin out of existence any bad news.
What ever happened to the victors writing the history?
That's the 20th Century and before. For now it's bloggers who've got the gig for as long as we have the internet.
no subject
Date: 2006-08-03 06:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-03 06:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-03 06:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-03 07:07 pm (UTC)Subjunctives of Mass Destruction
Date: 2006-08-03 07:11 pm (UTC)