Generational Dynamics: Forecasting America's Destiny Generational
Dynamics
 Forecasting America's Destiny ... and the World's

 |  HOME  |  WEB LOG  |  COUNTRY WIKI  |  COMMENT  |  FORUM  |  DOWNLOADS  |  ABOUT  | 

Generational Dynamics Web Log for 28-Feb-06
I just heard on CNN International: "The threat of civil war in Iraq is over."

Web Log - February, 2006

I just heard on CNN International: "The threat of civil war in Iraq is over."

Surprise! Surprise! The press corps was 100% wrong, and I was right.

I really have to chuckle at this. There was NEVER any chance of a civil war in Iraq, for reasons that I explained in detail last week.

All that existed were the fantasies and wet dreams of a press corps so incredibly anti-American that they've lost any shred of objectivity, and have little professional integrity remaining.

You don't have to be an expert in Generational Dynamics to see that Iraq is not heading for a civil war. The easiest way to see that is to compare the situation in Iraq with the situation in Palestine:

Arabs and Palestinians are in a "generational crisis" period, and are headed for a major regional war, as I've explained many times. That's why you're seeing the hatred between Palestinians and Jews continue to grow on almost a daily basis.

In order for a civil war to occur, you have to a palpable hatred between the warring groups. You need some emotion such as was carried by the phrase "Cut down the tall trees" in Rwanda in 1994 -- when this phrase was used as a signal by Hutu leaders to kill the Tutsi ethnic minority.

Or here's the description by Amy Chua, in her book, World on Fire, about the civil war in the Balkans in the early 1990s: "In the Serbian concentration camps of the early 1990s, the women prisoners were raped over and over, many times a day, often with broken bottles, often together with their daughters. The men, if they were lucky, were beaten to death as their Serbian guards sang national anthems; if they were not so fortunate, they were castrated or, at gunpoint, forced to castrate their fellow prisoners, sometimes with their own teeth. In all, thousands were tortured and executed."

That's the kind of emotion we'd have to see to conclude that a civil war is coming. That's what's building in Palestine, but there's nothing like that going on at all in Iraq. What violence there is remaining in Iraq is mostly directed against buildings (mosques). Where people are being killed, it's appears to be by the same insurgency that's been operating for months. That's how I could be sure that there would be no civil war in Iraq.

The press corps, the pundits, the analysts could all have seen the same thing. It's not rocket science. But they're all bound up in anti-Americanism, and lie awake at night having erotic dreams of the worst possible outcome for America.

The people in the Baby Boomer generation are extremely arrogant and narcissistic, as I've said many times before. But within the Baby Boomer generation, the group that's most arrogant and narcissistic of all is the journalists. We've seen this recently with their attitude about the Danish cartoon controversy.

This civil war hysteria was really the limit. These guys never once stopped to question their own assumptions and biases. They wanted to embarass America with an Iraqi civil war, and they overwhelmingly slanted the news in that direction. It's a truly shameful display, and it proves that journalists are also wrong when they say that they're professionally able to separate their political opinions from their reporting. There's no separation at all.

From the point of view of Generational Dynamics, what's going on today in Iraq is almost a textbook case of an Awakening era, like America in the 1960s, with the enfant terrible Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr playing the role of the kids and America and the Iraqi government playing the role of the parents. Here's what I wrote two years ago:

What I wrote two years ago is just as true today. We're going to go through hell in Iraq, until the world war starts and we're forced to refocus our troops elsewhere. But there will be no Iraqi civil war, even though the press corps will keep hoping for one. (28-Feb-06) Permanent Link
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Donate to Generational Dynamics via PayPal

Web Log Pages

Current Web Log

Web Log Summary - 2016
Web Log Summary - 2015
Web Log Summary - 2014
Web Log Summary - 2013
Web Log Summary - 2012
Web Log Summary - 2011
Web Log Summary - 2010
Web Log Summary - 2009
Web Log Summary - 2008
Web Log Summary - 2007
Web Log Summary - 2006
Web Log Summary - 2005
Web Log Summary - 2004

Web Log - December, 2016
Web Log - November, 2016
Web Log - October, 2016
Web Log - September, 2016
Web Log - August, 2016
Web Log - July, 2016
Web Log - June, 2016
Web Log - May, 2016
Web Log - April, 2016
Web Log - March, 2016
Web Log - February, 2016
Web Log - January, 2016
Web Log - December, 2015
Web Log - November, 2015
Web Log - October, 2015
Web Log - September, 2015
Web Log - August, 2015
Web Log - July, 2015
Web Log - June, 2015
Web Log - May, 2015
Web Log - April, 2015
Web Log - March, 2015
Web Log - February, 2015
Web Log - January, 2015
Web Log - December, 2014
Web Log - November, 2014
Web Log - October, 2014
Web Log - September, 2014
Web Log - August, 2014
Web Log - July, 2014
Web Log - June, 2014
Web Log - May, 2014
Web Log - April, 2014
Web Log - March, 2014
Web Log - February, 2014
Web Log - January, 2014
Web Log - December, 2013
Web Log - November, 2013
Web Log - October, 2013
Web Log - September, 2013
Web Log - August, 2013
Web Log - July, 2013
Web Log - June, 2013
Web Log - May, 2013
Web Log - April, 2013
Web Log - March, 2013
Web Log - February, 2013
Web Log - January, 2013
Web Log - December, 2012
Web Log - November, 2012
Web Log - October, 2012
Web Log - September, 2012
Web Log - August, 2012
Web Log - July, 2012
Web Log - June, 2012
Web Log - May, 2012
Web Log - April, 2012
Web Log - March, 2012
Web Log - February, 2012
Web Log - January, 2012
Web Log - December, 2011
Web Log - November, 2011
Web Log - October, 2011
Web Log - September, 2011
Web Log - August, 2011
Web Log - July, 2011
Web Log - June, 2011
Web Log - May, 2011
Web Log - April, 2011
Web Log - March, 2011
Web Log - February, 2011
Web Log - January, 2011
Web Log - December, 2010
Web Log - November, 2010
Web Log - October, 2010
Web Log - September, 2010
Web Log - August, 2010
Web Log - July, 2010
Web Log - June, 2010
Web Log - May, 2010
Web Log - April, 2010
Web Log - March, 2010
Web Log - February, 2010
Web Log - January, 2010
Web Log - December, 2009
Web Log - November, 2009
Web Log - October, 2009
Web Log - September, 2009
Web Log - August, 2009
Web Log - July, 2009
Web Log - June, 2009
Web Log - May, 2009
Web Log - April, 2009
Web Log - March, 2009
Web Log - February, 2009
Web Log - January, 2009
Web Log - December, 2008
Web Log - November, 2008
Web Log - October, 2008
Web Log - September, 2008
Web Log - August, 2008
Web Log - July, 2008
Web Log - June, 2008
Web Log - May, 2008
Web Log - April, 2008
Web Log - March, 2008
Web Log - February, 2008
Web Log - January, 2008
Web Log - December, 2007
Web Log - November, 2007
Web Log - October, 2007
Web Log - September, 2007
Web Log - August, 2007
Web Log - July, 2007
Web Log - June, 2007
Web Log - May, 2007
Web Log - April, 2007
Web Log - March, 2007
Web Log - February, 2007
Web Log - January, 2007
Web Log - December, 2006
Web Log - November, 2006
Web Log - October, 2006
Web Log - September, 2006
Web Log - August, 2006
Web Log - July, 2006
Web Log - June, 2006
Web Log - May, 2006
Web Log - April, 2006
Web Log - March, 2006
Web Log - February, 2006
Web Log - January, 2006
Web Log - December, 2005
Web Log - November, 2005
Web Log - October, 2005
Web Log - September, 2005
Web Log - August, 2005
Web Log - July, 2005
Web Log - June, 2005
Web Log - May, 2005
Web Log - April, 2005
Web Log - March, 2005
Web Log - February, 2005
Web Log - January, 2005
Web Log - December, 2004
Web Log - November, 2004
Web Log - October, 2004
Web Log - September, 2004
Web Log - August, 2004
Web Log - July, 2004
Web Log - June, 2004


Copyright © 2002-2016 by John J. Xenakis.