Book: After Terror

Author: Akbar Ahmed and Brian Forst
Publisher:

Not even a week after the deadly London Transport bombings, it seems odd to be reviewing a book called After Terror; in today’s world, terror never seems to end. But this book of 28 specially-commissioned essays by some of the world’s greatest thinkers, activists, and writers, edited by American University professors Akbar Ahmed and Brian Forst, should be required reading for anyone who believes that terrorism can be defeated by the forces of tolerance, respect, and goodwill. If you are one of them, read on.

The theme of this book as outlined in an essay by its editors – Akbar Ahmed being one of the world’s foremost Islamic scholars and Brian Forst Professor of Justice, Law, and Society at American University – is that there is an alternative to the “clash of civilizations” that Samuel P. Huntington described in his book of the same name. “The creation of enemies is essential to cultural identity,” said Huntington, but the authors of these essays are unanimously aligned on their opposition to this theory.

This premise can be further broken down into three major themes: that the underlying causes of conflict in the world are due to intolerance; that there is a vital and urgent need to expand the dialogue between civilizations, in order to defuse tensions and avert a Huntingtonian clash; and that there is a dire need to identify poor governance and to improve it in order to deal with the very real threat of terror and its many manifestations in today’s world.

The essays are divided into four sections: first, the introduction by Ahmed and Forst; next, five essays on “The Nature and Sources of the Problem”; a section on “Pathways to Dialogue and Understanding”; and finally, “From Concern to Action”. Examining the authors of the essays is like reading a roll-call of the world’s most eminent thinkers, intellectuals, and leaders: Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Prince El Hassan bin Talal, Bernard Lewis and Joseph Nye, Jr., Zbigniew Brzezenski and Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks are among the contributors. But do the essays present anything new or meaningful to the reader, or are they merely re-hashings of what has been said over and over again since September 11, 2001?

It’s a question that isn’t easily answered at first. Going back to the major themes of the book, one might find these themes rather self-evident, but the authors of these essays are at pains to explain the nuances and subtleties, as well as to illustrate how their own experiences and reflections have helped them to shape their beliefs. For example, the late Sergio Vieira de Mello (who was killed last year in Iraq), in his essay on “Civilization, Human Rights, and Collective Responsibility”, writes movingly about his experiences as the UN Commissioner for Human Rights and describes having seen “the best and worst of what we have to offer to each other”; his work informs his definitions of civilization, globalization, citizenship, and human rights, which he presents with much wisdom and insight.

Perhaps the most brilliant of the essays in this collection is Zbigniew Brzezenski’s “The Simple Power of Weakness, The Complex Vulnerability of Power”. This essay, powerfully and forcefully written, reminds one of just what a genius the former National Security Advisor is in the field of strategic studies, and is an excellent observation of America’s political and global strategies in dealing with terrorism and the positive role America can play as a global leader. “An anxious America, obsessed with its own security, could find itself isolated in the world, the focus of global hatred… Will America seek to dominate the world, or lead it?” If you buy this book for this essay alone, it will be worth it.

There are many other gems in the collection. Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks both look at the role of religion in promoting either tolerance or intolerance: Tutu finds that religion can “produce saints or rogues…yet all emphasize fundamental morals of honesty, fidelity…compassion, the unity of humankind, and peace”, suggesting that there is indeed a “convergence of basic values of interests” throughout the world. Meanwhile, Rabbi Sacks sees religion as something that can create conflict but also unite people in their connection to God, which gives them a universal moral compass with peace and brotherhood as its North and South stars. Shashi Tharoor’s essay on “The Role of the Media in Promoting Tolerance” identifies the media as a key player in the way people perceive and understand one another (or fail to) across borders; Joseph Nye Jr. fascinates with his analysis of “hard” and “soft” power and how cultural exchanges and education will deprive terrorism of its supporters.

Not every essay is a winner, however: Rajmohan Gandhi’s “Closing Chapters of Enmity” is a wandering monologue on Pakistan, India, 9/11, America, Palestine, Islam, the Holocaust, etc. etc., one without much focus or original thought, altogether too “feel-good” to hold its own against the other essays in the collection. Ravi Shankar’s recollections of his popularity with Westerners during the hey days of the sixties are intellectually lacking and out of place amongst the other, weightier and more profound pieces. And while Judea Pearl’s essay about his struggle to turn son Daniel Pearl’s death from an intimate tragedy into a global instrument of dialogue and bridge-building is moving and highly personal, Tamara Son’s immediately preceding “The Power of Dialogue: Redefining ‘Us’” which describes interfaith dialogues between Dr. Pearl and Akbar Ahmed seems odd and self-congratulating in contrast.

A book like this cannot fail to raise high expectations for its content, and Akbar Ahmed and Brian Forst have met those expectations. If you are looking for reading that is thought-provoking, incisive, and challenging, After Terror is the perfect book to read and savor over a period of many days or weeks, or perhaps even months. It offers observations, experiences, and ideas that go beyond the ordinary, and promises to satisfy those who fear there is only one knee-jerk reaction to the terror attacks of 9/11 and the events that have followed it. Thirty eminent thinkers from around the world believe otherwise: this is your chance to find out why.