Opposing viewpoints

Dudley, William, (ed.). The Middle East. San Diego, CA Greenhaven Press, Inc., 1992. 264 pp.

Petrikin, Jonathan S., (ed.). The Third World. San Diego, CA.: Greenhaven Press, Inc., 1995. 288 pp.

Winters, Paul A., (ed. ). Islam. San Diego, CA. Press, Inc., 1997. 310 pp.

Comme ci, comme ca; six of one, half a dozen of the other; two sides of the same coin, these are all common phrases used to delineate opposing or alternative points of view.

To be sure, in the field of Third World Studies alternate view points are omni present: the most common of which is the continued debate among scholars and specialists supporting western or non-western interpretations of history and culture.

Greenhaven Press of San Diego, California, presents us with a unique collection of books, pamphlets and digests, as a series of anthologies, emphasizing the pro/con aspects of a variety of issues, past and present. The subjects presented include: sociology, religion, criminology, history, communications, political science, psychology, area studies, philosophy, economics and literature.

The series under review can be used as a sourcebook or resource guide for students and laypersons alike; it presents, in specific volumes, a wide range of highly respected studies opening new vistas of knowledge on the topics covered. The series' perspective offers great promise; exploring specific areas of dissent, it provides critical thinking and encourages scholarly research.

For those of us interested in The Third World, Greenhaven's series is most welcomed; I have chosen to review three important texts; The Middle East, The Third World and Islam, all of related interest to one another and to The Third World.

The Middle East, edited by William Dudley, explores the factors of stability and instability in the region: these include the creation of the state of Israel; the lack of democracy; economic inequality; the rights of the Palestinians and their uprising in the occupied territories (the intifada); the role of the United States as a mediator in the Arab-Israeli conflict, or should the United States only maintain its strong relationship with Israel; Islam as a threat to peace and democracy in the area and, lastly, the future of democracy and economic progress is debated.

The arguments on both sides of the divide are compelling and illuminating, but the prognosis for the future on these issues is dim. Lebanon, the Arab World's only functioning democracy,is still struggling to survive; the Arab-Israeli peace talks are stalled; and, the economic scene in the Middle East, at present, is depressing.

The Third World, edited by Jonathan S. Petrikin, focuses on the problem of economic, social and political development in The Third World. This study strikes a contrast between the "overconsuming" western world and the "resource poor" and often underdeveloped Third World. Market reforms and technology transfer are debated on how to best achieve Third World modernization; the quest for democracy and economic planning is discussed as to whether economic democracy should precede political democracy; the role of the United States as a propagator and supporter of human rights is questioned and, finally, the future of North-South (First World-Third World) relations is criticized.

I have always maintained that political democracy must occur before economic democracy in The Third World so that basic human and political rights of a people can be protected by law, otherwise economic democracy may very well make the rich, richer and the poor, poorer, with the workers having no legal grounds to support their objectives. Furthermore, the First World-Third World relationship remains in the "donor-acceptor" mode, and in mostly adversarial scenarios. It's time for a change to self -development and First WorldThird World co-operation.

Islam, edited by Paul A. Winters, delineates the objectives of political Islam (or militant/fundamentalist Islam) against secularism, nationalism, and, in fact, almost all the "isms;" the status of women (gender roles) are discussed; and the evolution of the region towards democracy is underscored; whether or not Islam promotes terrorism and is a threat to Western Civilization is debated; and, finally, does political Islam seek an alternative to the East and the West, namely, does it want worldwide Islamic revolutions.

The extremely poignant debates presented in this volume are profoundly relevant to the present, but they only begin to examine these significant issues. The questions raised are much deeper and more potent than any one volume work can present. For example, can we truly separate "political Islam" from the Islamic faith; and since Islam is God's final, complete, and perfected revelation which includes the rights of all peoples for all times and places, including the status of women, why should these-rights be debated at all; and, lastly, is Islamic terrorism a threat, or is it just a struggle (jihad) for God's justice and how and why is it justified by the Quran, Islam's Holy Book. These issues are only touched upon in this text, but they provide us with some very interesting and in depth views on Islam, not often heard or understood in the West.