Middle East nationalism and the hyping of fear

Re “Tomorrow’s world war today,” Opinion, Jan. 16

Niall Ferguson’s imaginary future historian misses at least one important precondition for the third world war: Middle East nationalism, fueled by Western (primarily U.S.) interference in the region.

A fourth precondition might read: “Largely overlooked by U.S. politicians and the mainstream media at the time was the political and nationalist backlash of Muslims, particularly in the Middle East, to regional interference by the U.S., Britain and other Western powers throughout the 20th century and the first decade of the 21st. This interference included myopic support for Israel, deliberate destabilization of popular anti-Western regimes and support for unpopular pro-Western ones, the continued presence of Israeli and Western conventional and nuclear arms in the region, and the unjustified and ultimately destabilizing invasion of Iraq. The effect of this interference was to fuel anti-Western hatred and militant Islamism among large segments of the region’s population.”

MARC RIEHM

Toronto

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The only war I worry about is the one between Ferguson’s fantasy fear-mongering and calm, collected reason. Diplomacy has historically solved more problems than war ever has; it is these fantasy wars in the brains of people like Ferguson that give credence to irrationality. Does his hyping of fear lessen our chances for his fantasy to become real, or further it and throw diplomacy on the defensive?

People aren’t born anti-Western; they get that way over time and for reasons we as Westerners don’t always understand or accept. That does not make the reasons any less valid. Diplomacy at least helps with the reasons being understood. I can’t say the same about fear-mongering and war.

PATRICK G. GARDNER

Eugene, Ore.