| I agree with Ali on this one. Rhetoric is indeed a very important feature in Arab discourse. I`m definitely not saying that the threats against the West and Israel as they are expressed for example by Pres. Ahmadinejad should or could be reduced to mere `rhetoric`, but there certainly are differences (between "East" and "West") in the ways of political discourse and language that are worth noticing. The "revolutionary speech" which Ali referred to is very real, often directed more to the domestic consumption than to foreign audiences. Problems in understanding each others` political cultures, rhetoric and discourse are clearly to be seen. But, as I mentioned before, the threat of war and violence is a lot bigger issue and has many other causes behind it than just mere "cultural" differences. |
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