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The Rebellion of Anarchy is Not New.

Reader comment on item: Anarchy, the New Threat

Submitted by M. Tovey (United States), Feb 6, 2012 at 14:26

As the world goes through its convulsions of determining how to achieve peace, one thing remains apparent from time immemorial; a subliminal disregard for authority. It should be no wonder that this is as much a problem for mankind as any in a time when fighting for dominance over others seems the paramount objective in many places, not the least of which it the Middle East.

Anarchy is innate in human nature; a source of rebellion that is derived from youth against the authority of parents; and more easily engendered in those participants which had little or no affirming parental guidance that is eventually directed against governmental control. It further gains momentum when associated as it is by some with a utopian mindset that individuals are thought to be more at peace in interrelations without government influences.

Were mankind bereft of the common influences of selfishness, jealousy and other characteristics of the innate war like character, a utopian philosophic stance might be adopted. History has myriad proofs that this is unsustainable. Anarchy in its more recognizable form of terrorist rebellion is then easily revealed as the means for some to throw off the perception of acknowledging a rule of law and/or government, even in place where rule of law has demonstrated a limited form of benevolence.

But more typically, a beneficial government once considered as an appropriate means under which people may live a secured lifestyle is undermined by a sector of society that takes advantage of the security and 'steals' the peace for selfish profit, thereby opening the argument once again that efforts towards utopia might be achievable by government imposition-an oxymoron if ever there was one. Thus the return is made to the basic instinct of every man for himself.

But anarchy becomes a tool. Witness the more modern events that led to the Russian revolution in 1917. Once the efforts of deposing the Czarist regime was accomplished, a government, albeit communistic, replaced the anarchism. In the context of this forum, is this not what we are seeing today in the Middle East? Terrorism under the color of Islam is rejected by the 'moderate' Muslim as a radical means to an end is nothing more than an anarchist scheme of deposing the current government for the ideal of ridding government once and for all; yet government (whether theocratic, oligarchic, military, totalitarian or otherwise) finally gains control.

Anarchy is not new; it resurfaces all too often, sometimes many times in one's lifetime. As a threat, it lays in the water like a crocodile waiting for its chance yet again for an unsuspecting victim to enter into calm waters, springing into action when its opportunity approaches; then returns to the deep to wait again for the next time.

Rampant anarchy, that of a worldwide pandemic of rebellion is ripe for the argument of a world wide solution to quell the rebellion. Think about the intentions of the Iranian Islamic revolution: is this not what they are hoping for to gain supremacy for the al-Madhi? As such, who really thinks that the government of the United States is going to convince the world of peace when the government of the United States has no more control over the anarchy elsewhere than any nation in the past?

There is only one rule to counter anarchy: obedience to the higher power. The question remaining-whose higher power is one going to be obedient to?

Submitting....

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Reader comments (29) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
anarchy in Colorado [42 words]Colorado CapitalistJul 23, 2012 12:06197378
1Holocaust Ignored :: Murder of 4,9 million Hindus in Bangladesh. [46 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Ram OhriJul 19, 2012 00:14197303
The Rebellion of Anarchy is Not New. [570 words]M. ToveyFeb 6, 2012 14:26193143
yes [120 words]grefFeb 27, 2012 13:21193143
A bloody era [170 words]Peter HerzFeb 4, 2012 19:04193069
Oops! [52 words]Peter HerzFeb 5, 2012 19:02193069
3"The deeper issue" [347 words]IanusFeb 7, 2012 19:28193069
Seeds of Latent Anarchy in Scandinavia [425 words]M. ToveyFeb 8, 2012 13:46193069
Some thoughts on Roman and other Peace [109 words]Peter HerzFeb 8, 2012 20:36193069
2The rule of whose law ? [1136 words]IanusFeb 9, 2012 02:00193069
3The golden age [288 words]IanusFeb 10, 2012 05:21193069
1The Law of the Common Good [595 words]M. ToveyFeb 10, 2012 12:20193069
2Process of anarchization [123 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Anne de MandevilleFeb 3, 2012 04:16193015
Interesting Observation [64 words]AsifFeb 2, 2012 17:42192986
3Who's interested in anarchy? [876 words]IanusFeb 4, 2012 09:20192986
Intuitive Feeling [64 words]Asif WaziriFeb 2, 2012 15:18192984
What does this mean? [11 words]SonnyMar 13, 2012 04:55192984
feeling [116 words]AsifMar 14, 2012 12:46192984
All of your examples were of Islamists [86 words]sonnyMar 14, 2012 18:49192984
Other places [52 words]AsifMar 15, 2012 16:06192984
Is this really so different than the past? [132 words]sonnyMar 15, 2012 17:59192984
In terms of democide, these are small [13 words]bernardJan 31, 2012 19:09192939
1Communism still tops list but ... [127 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Jason PappasJan 29, 2012 07:46192884
1no government yet no anarchy in Belgium [66 words]mythJan 29, 2012 03:21192883
6"Right" genocides (i.e. by friends) vs. "wrong" genocides (i.e. by enemies) [347 words]IanusFeb 1, 2012 08:24192883
So, it's all America's fault? [486 words]Kepha HorFeb 4, 2012 19:33192883
4Wrong forum ? [128 words]IanusFeb 5, 2012 02:14192883
why not interconnected? [51 words]Kepha HorFeb 5, 2012 19:00192883
2A modest dream [257 words]IanusFeb 6, 2012 09:03192883

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Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".

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