Strategy of Escalation

Few German intellectuals after September 11 have made so sensible and impressive a case for battling terrorism as has Navid Kermani, who has accomplished this without overly associating himself with it. The comments and analyses of this writer and doctorate of Middle Eastern studies, most appearing in the culture section of the Süddeutsche Zeitung, are among the most important and highly regarded contributions to the discussions about the Middle East, Islam, and Western politics.

Considering these three areas together, the author reveals how after September 11 numerous opportunities have been missed for pulling the rug out from under extremism. Navid Kermani makes it clear that both sides in this war of terror are following a strategy of escalation. But he criticizes even Europe’s evasive position, one that is basically a policy of containment. The notion of liberation, Kermani constantly emphasizes, is not something dishonorable. Instead of criticizing the United States for taking military action against dictatorships, Europe should instead consider how dictators can be removed from power without toppling their countries into chaos.