 |
| Dr. Norman Finkelstein: Never shy when it comes to bringing the truth into broad daylight. |
Norman Finkelstein (born December 8, 1953) is an American political scientist and author whose primary fields of research are the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the politics of the Holocaust. He is one of the more "controversial" figures on the left, largely because he refuses to "play nice" -- just as raw war footage from Vietnam delivered a not-so-short, sharp, shock to middle America, Dr. Finkelstein takes the same approach to the issues he writes and speaks about. He is a staunch advocate for a sovereign Palestinian state free from any interference by Israel. During the Second World War, both of Dr. Finkelstein's parents were interned in Nazi concentration camps and he takes vehement exception to anyone he perceives as trying to exploit the holocaust for personal gain. Finkelstein travels extensively giving lectures, primarily on university campuses. He has written several books, including "This Time We Went Too Far: Truth and Consequences of the Gaza Invasion"(2010) and "The Holocaust Industry: Reflections on the Exploitation of Jewish Suffering"(2000).
AZ: Some years back (October 15, 2001), in an interview with Don Atapattu, published as "How to Lose Friends and Alienate People," you said the following (according to the transcript that appeared on the Internet) in response to a question about elevating the image of Arabs and Muslims in the U.S.: "Nowadays nothing is possible with the events of September 11, a lot of hard work over many years to try to build a counter consensus disappeared in the rubble of the World Trade Center. I am utterly pessimistic about the prospects now, but I did not think it was impossible (before)." The 10th anniversary of 9/11 is upon us: Are prospects for improving the aforementioned image, and of helping the Palestinians achieve genuine sovereignty and freedom, still so grim?
NF: I overestimated the negative fallout of 11 September on popular movements and underestimated the clear thinking of most people. Already on the eve of the attack on Iraq in March 2003 there were massive antiwar demonstrations in the U.S. despite the orchestrated hysteria about Middle East terrorism. I do not think the War on Terror is any longer a serious distorting factor in public debate on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
AZ: You've also talked about America getting its comeuppance: That our government has maliciously interfered in so many countries around the world that 9/11 was not only evidence of this, but that there would be more to come. Certainly, as far as I can deduce, resentment continues to grow against the U.S. around the globe. From what you know, is this still evolving in militant ways that will see more backlash for the U.S., specifically on U.S. soil?
NF: I don't know anything more than the general public on the likelihood of future terrorist attacks directed at the U.S. But I am struck by how few terrorist attacks there have been. Everyone who rides the New York City subway knows how easy it is to commit a horrendous terror attack and how impossible it is to prevent by body searches, etc. Yet, it's not happened. My conclusion is that the terrorism threat is greatly overblown.
AZ: Is the key to unlocking the door of getting the U.S. out of Iraq and Afghanistan, helping Palestine achieve true sovereignty, restoring power to the U.N. in a way that it isn't emasculated by the U.S., rehabilitating the image of Arabs and Muslims in this country and so on, is the key to first democratize the U.S. mass media, to some extent, in some way, or, alternatively, giving more muscle to the genuinely alternative media like Democracy Now, Z Net, etc.?
NF: There is no single key. Our society seems headed in a very bad direction because the scale of the problems we are now confronting--particularly in the environment--are so much bigger and more potentially damaging, yet nothing serious is being done to address them. Quite the contrary, significant segments of our society are either in denial or just don't care: apres moi, le deluge. I myself worry more and more about what I eat. The new cuts in federal spending will hit hard the regulatory agencies. Right now about 30,000 people die each year from food poisoning. How many more people will have to die before people become convinced that federal regulation isn't such a bad idea, after all?
AZ: Just how critical is it that people be educated in the notion that "U.S." (in political terms) is not the same as "people of the U.S." and that "Israel" (in political terms) is not the same as "people of Israel"? After all, millions in the United States are quite radicalized, and many Jews are very much against the way their government conducts its affairs. Furthermore, how would this education best be achieved in the U.S. and, from there, evolved into action?
NF: Most people are decent; most would not want to inflict suffering gratuitously on other; most can be convinced that sharing wealth isn't a terrible idea. But if you look at poll data, there are also reasons to be pessimistic: over 90 percent of Israelis supported the Israeli aggressions against Lebanon in 2006, against Gaza in 2008-9, and against the Freedom Flotilla in 2010. So, depending on where you look and what you count, you reach different conclusions about how representative governments are of the people.
AZ: Obviously, on any issue, there are a great many things that people can do to aid progress. What would be the most effective thing/s that folks in the U.S. could do to aid the cause of Palestinian sovereignty and peace between Israel and Palestine?
NF: Right now the most important task is education. People are unfortunately ignorant of the basic facts, although more and more people are becoming better and better informed. Judging from poll results, about half the American people have a pretty clear idea that Israel is not up to any good, but most Americans still have a very negative image of Palestinians.
AZ: My specific area of interest is in doing my small part to help unify the single-issue groups of the true Left (generally, but not necessarily, beyond what tend to be called "progressives") so that a synergy might be created to fight for broader, institutional change. Give me your best piece of advice for this.
NF: My best advice is: Try to be consistent in who you are as a public and private person. It's the only way to win people's trust, and without bonds of trust there can be no progressive politics.
 |
| The award-winning documentary: "American Radical: The Trials of Norman Finkelstein." |
My sincere thanks to Dr. Finkelstein for his time.
Take care,
Adrian
IF YOU FOUND THIS BLOG POST INTERESTING you might also like to take a look at NO WAY TO HONOR DR. KING by Medea Benjamin.
No comments:
Post a Comment