The Strong Horse: Power, Politics, and the Clash of Arab Civilizations
Encyclopedia
The Strong Horse: Power, Politics, and the Clash of Arab Civilizations is a 2010 book by journalist Lee Smith
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’s 2001 remark that, “When people see a strong horse and a weak horse, by nature, they will like the strong horse.”
According to Daniel Pipes
, Smith, "acknowledges that the strong-horse principle may strike Westerners as ineffably crude, but he correctly insists on its being a cold reality that outsiders must recognize, take into account, and respond to."
Lee Smith (journalist)
Lee Smith is an American journalist, and senior editor for The Weekly Standard. He is the author of The Strong Horse: Power, Politics, and the Clash of Arab Civilizations . Smith has written for Slate, the New York Times, the Boston Globe, and a variety of Arab media outlets...
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Title
The title is taken form Osama bin LadenOsama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
’s 2001 remark that, “When people see a strong horse and a weak horse, by nature, they will like the strong horse.”
Central contention
According to the Christian Science Monitor, Smith's central contention is that the 9/11 attack on America is best understood as an extension of an inter-Arab fight on a new battleground of lower Manhattan. “Bin Ladenism is not drawn from the extremist fringe but represents the political and social norm [of the Arabic-speaking Middle East].” Smith explains this using what he terms the “strong horse” principle according to which “violence is central to the politics, society and culture of the Arabic-speaking Middle East.” The strong horse is the person, tribe, country, or nation that can impose its will, the "strong horse," wins.According to Daniel Pipes
Daniel Pipes
Daniel Pipes is an American historian, writer, and political commentator. He is the founder and director of the Middle East Forum and its Campus Watch project, and editor of its Middle East Quarterly journal...
, Smith, "acknowledges that the strong-horse principle may strike Westerners as ineffably crude, but he correctly insists on its being a cold reality that outsiders must recognize, take into account, and respond to."
Interview
- "Interview: The Strong Horse," Near East Report, Feb. 23, 2010 http://www.aipac.org/NearEastReport/20100223/interview_the_strong_horse.html