Question: What inspires you?
Vali Nasr: Well there are different things we try to achieve.
Within the narrow confines of academia, you strive for intellectual excellence. We’re all interested in complex issues. We’re driven by the life of the mind. We enjoy the intellectual give and take. And we like to learn more and shed more light on what we work on, be it theoretical issues or issues about countries we’re interested in.
But also, at least in my own case, I strive to make the Middle East much more understandable to a broader American public. Because I think at this particular juncture in time, it is the one relationship we have in the world which matters much more than any others to our future security, prosperity, our position in the world – in ways that it didn’t only a decade ago.
And I think there is a dearth of knowledge. There is a huge vacuum of knowledge in the United States about fundamental issues, and our relationship with the Muslim world and the Middle East. And therefore I think engaging in the public discourse of the kind that we’re actually doing now for a broader audience is an important service.
As an American and as a Muslim; as somebody with an origin in the Middle East, I see it as an important duty to help create that bridge in the public arena.
Recorded on: Dec 3, 2007
Discuss
eileen fleming on May 5, 2008, 12:01 PM
As an Irish American dissident and Christian of The Beatitudes who has been to Israel Palestine five times since June 2005, I have tried to fill the vacuum of ignorance and apathy by being a bridge on the www and my books.
I write about Israeli, Palestinian and International NONVIOLENT resisters of the 40 year military occupation of Palestine whom I have met and support.
True Christians understand if you want peace you musty work for JUSTICE; which requires equal human rights for all.
Every American Tax Paying citizen is culpable in the injustices done to the indigenous peoples of the 'Holy Land'-which is in pieces; bantustans by contributing to the 3.2 BILLION USA Dollars sent to Israel annually and the over 100 BILLION since 1948.
What INSPIRES me are the growing numbers of committed NONVIOLENT resisters of military occupation.
Under international law, occupation is to be temporary and maintain the status quo; NOT build Walls and pilfer the resources of the indigenous population.
Eileen Fleming, Reporter and Editor WAWA:
http://www.wearewideawake.org/
Author "Keep Hope Alive" and "Memoirs of a Nice Irish American 'Girl's' Life in Occupied Territory"
Producer "30 Minutes With Vanunu" and "13 Minutes with Vanunu"
eileen fleming on May 5, 2008, 4:01 PM
As an Irish American dissident and Christian of The Beatitudes who has been to Israel Palestine five times since June 2005, I have tried to fill the vacuum of ignorance and apathy by being a bridge on the www and my books.
I write about Israeli, Palestinian and International NONVIOLENT resisters of the 40 year military occupation of Palestine whom I have met and support.
True Christians understand if you want peace you musty work for JUSTICE; which requires equal human rights for all.
Every American Tax Paying citizen is culpable in the injustices done to the indigenous peoples of the ‘Holy Land’-which is in pieces; bantustans by contributing to the 3.2 BILLION USA Dollars sent to Israel annually and the over 100 BILLION since 1948.
What INSPIRES me are the growing numbers of committed NONVIOLENT resisters of military occupation.
Under international law, occupation is to be temporary and maintain the status quo; NOT build Walls and pilfer the resources of the indigenous population.
Eileen Fleming, Reporter and Editor WAWA:
http://www.wearewideawake.org/
Author “Keep Hope Alive” and “Memoirs of a Nice Irish American ’Girl’s’ Life in Occupied Territory”
Producer “30 Minutes With Vanunu” and “13 Minutes with Vanunu”
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