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The Hidden Hand: Middle East Fears of Conspiracy

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Is it proper to discuss the popular beliefs of a group of people? Of course it is. Some groups of people are very superstitious. Some are more mystical than others. And some groups dwell on conspiracy theories to a surprising extent.

Pipes is right to being up this topic. He simply had so many experiences in which he heard some baffling conspiracy theories from otherwise intelligent people that he decided to look into the matter.

The author points out that all these conspiracy theories lead to Arab misunderstanding of the world around them. That's not good for anyone. In addition, they have enabled plenty of snooty feelings of superiority among Westerners, some of whom arrogantly see Arabs as inferior just because they act the way Westerners themselves behaved a few decades ago.

Pipes gives some examples of the conspiracy mentality. He shows how Nasser used it to misanalyze the Egyptian defeat in the Six Day War of 1967. And how others used it to tell fantastic stories about Israeli plans to acquire a rather large Empire, including not merely nearby cities such as Beirut, Damascus, El Arish, and Amman, but faraway ones such as Baghdad or Medina.

This attitude has led to a surprising evaluation of Zionism. That is, I can see being very angry with the government or policies of some nation. But I am surprised that anyone would find fault with the idea of a nation. Zionism is simply a philosophy of human rights for everyone, including Jews. Some Zionists may be good, and some may be bad. But Pipes shows that to many Arab conspiracy mentalities, Zionism itself is ominous and threatening. So much so that they are often in fear of their own compatriots being secret agents for Zionism (whatever that may mean)! And it allows them to believe simultaneously that the Zionists control the US and vice-versa.

The author asks if the conspiracy theorists are being sincere or manipulative. His conclusion is that for the most part, the politicians believe much of what they say. This is often true even when their statements appear to be in direct violation of facts, implausible, vague, unrealistic or illogical.

I think the best point that Pipes makes is that the environment in the Arab world is conducive to such beliefs. There really are quite a few conspiracies in that part of the world. There really is plenty of rewriting of history, so many people instinctively mistrust what they are told (only to replace it with even more dubious ideas). And the media in that part of the world are extremely untrustworthy as well. However, the mistrust and skepticism all this generates leads not to a more rational approach to reality but to more gullibility.

This is a very good book, and it shows that there is a need for education and modernization in the Arab world. And that more than anything, everyone needs to have a respect for truth and a willingness to cull lies and dispose of them.

During a recent hitchhiking journey through the Middle East, I was shocked by how often the locals claimed the West was wholly subservient by the Jews and out to get pious Muslims. When I told people I had come from Finland, a country very much on the periphery of religiously diverse Europe, the inevitable response was, "You know Finland is controlled by Israel, right?" I saw the Protocols of the Elders of Zion openly sold in street bookstalls. Wishing to understand this absurd kind of thinking, I picked up Daniel Pipes' THE HIDDEN HAND: MIDDLE EAST FEARS OF CONSPIRACY. Though published in 1998, before a great deal of major recent events, the book is still fairly timely in describing and explaining the troubling attitudes I encountered.

Pipes gives three case studies of conspiracism in the Middle East that were prevalent before the book's publication. The first is the idea that Israel wishes to establish a "Greater Israel" reaching from Egypt to the Euphrates. Pipes cites appearances of this libel in the popular press of the region and in the statements of various autocrats. The second case study is the Islamic Revolution of Iran. Here we see that conspiracism is by no means limited to fundamentalist Muslims, but even secular authorities like the Shah saw conspiracies lurking everything. The last case study is the conflict between Iran and Iraq in the 1980s, where even matters such as the Rushdie affair were ascribed to a conspiracy against Khomeini.

Pipes points out that conspiracism is a fairly recent phenomenon in the Middle East, and prior to the 19th century the peoples of the region were not so prone to seeking out shadowy motivations behind all bad things. He argues that the rise in conspiracism is multiford. One of its sources is the enormous progress made by the West in modern times, which shamed the increasingly poor and backwards Middle East. The other source of conspiracism may be imported Western attitudes. The blood libel against the Jews became popular in the Levant only after the French accused locals during the colonial period, while the ever-present fear of "imperialists" is the rhetoric of Soviet advisors over the Cold War. Yet another reason for conspiracism is that dictatorial regimes, the kind that predominate in the Middle East, tend to encourage such thinking as it can keep them in power.

While the book was informative in many respects, I was unhappy that Pipes focused almost wholly on the statements of rulers and government-controlled newspapers. He did not adequately report on the conspiracism prevalent among the masses, which in some cases comes from government control of media, but in other cases runs rampant even when leaders attempt to counter particular opinions. For that reason I award the book three stars.

Dan Pipes is trenchant, witty and insightful as always. Pipes is one of my favorite authors in this field. The only other I would rank in the "first tier" with Pipes is Bernard Lewis. Dr. Pipes does a wonderful job analyzing the psychological forces at work in the Muslim world. His academic articles are of similar quality. I would recommend readers look for his journal articles and consider joining The Middle East Forum so that they can receive his Philly-based journal Middle East Quarterly.

Only other author with a recent book out (late last year) that I think deals with some of the same psychological phenomena (in one early chapter) is Anthony Dennis in his book "The Rise of the Islamic Empire and the Threat to the West," although Dennis deals mostly with the potential of political Islam to provide the basis for unification throughout the region. Dennis does deal brilliantly, albeit somewhat peripherally, with the 'mindset' and conspiratorial world view of some prominent Arab and Muslim leaders. For example, he mentions some of Qhaddafhi's bizarre behavior and bragging which I think trods some of the same ground as Pipes does.

Daniel Pipes grasps the character of the Middle Eastern mind; his true expertise in this field is evident in all the pages, and is up to par with his other informative books. I would recommend this book to anyone who is studying the Middle East, or is simply interested in knowing more about this volatile region of the world.

Anyone interested in Middle East policies, politics, and general viewpoints would be wise to read this book. It goes a long way in explaining the backgound positions which pertain to the Palestinian-Isaeli conflict, the events of September 11, the Gulf War, etc. A fascinating and in-depth insight into the attitudes which shape the governments of the region.

This book was read by the undersigned shortly after reading another book on conspiracies,"committe of 300 by coleman. Anyone interested in the truth as to conspiracys which have been perpetrated on, over and around you on a continuous basis for years, should make both the hidden hand and committee of 300 a must. Both books should be kept as reference material which can be utilized on a daily [YES DAILY] basis as to explain why certain things that happen on a daily basis do actually happen and what the truth behind it [whatever] is; especially pertaining to economics, government and foreign policy.

Balanced, fair, sensible and compelling: it would be unwise for students, professionals, or scholars to venture into the murky world of politics in the Middle East without reading this book.

During a recent hitchhiking journey through the Middle East, I was shocked by how often the locals claimed the West was wholly subservient by the Jews and out to get pious Muslims. When I told people I had come from Finland, a country very much on the periphery of religiously diverse Europe, the inevitable response was, "You know Finland is controlled by Israel, right?" I saw the Protocols of the Elders of Zion openly sold in street bookstalls. Wishing to understand this absurd kind of thinking, I picked up Daniel Pipes' THE HIDDEN HAND: MIDDLE EAST FEARS OF CONSPIRACY. Though published in 1998, before a great deal of major recent events, the book is still fairly timely in describing and explaining the troubling attitudes I encountered.

Pipes gives three case studies of conspiracism in the Middle East that were prevalent before the book's publication. The first is the idea that Israel wishes to establish a "Greater Israel" reaching from Egypt to the Euphrates. Pipes cites appearances of this libel in the popular press of the region and in the statements of various autocrats. The second case study is the Islamic Revolution of Iran. Here we see that conspiracism is by no means limited to fundamentalist Muslims, but even secular authorities like the Shah saw conspiracies lurking everything. The last case study is the conflict between Iran and Iraq in the 1980s, where even matters such as the Rushdie affair were ascribed to a conspiracy against Khomeini.

Pipes points out that conspiracism is a fairly recent phenomenon in the Middle East, and prior to the 19th century the peoples of the region were not so prone to seeking out shadowy motivations behind all bad things. He argues that the rise in conspiracism is multiford. One of its sources is the enormous progress made by the West in modern times, which shamed the increasingly poor and backwards Middle East. The other source of conspiracism may be imported Western attitudes. The blood libel against the Jews became popular in the Levant only after the French accused locals during the colonial period, while the ever-present fear of "imperialists" is the rhetoric of Soviet advisors over the Cold War. Yet another reason for conspiracism is that dictatorial regimes, the kind that predominate in the Middle East, tend to encourage such thinking as it can keep them in power.

While the book was informative in many respects, I was unhappy that Pipes focused almost wholly on the statements of rulers and government-controlled newspapers. He did not adequately report on the conspiracism prevalent among the masses, which in some cases comes from government control of media, but in other cases runs rampant even when leaders attempt to counter particular opinions. For that reason I award the book three stars.

During a recent hitchhiking journey through the Middle East, I was shocked by how often the locals claimed the West was wholly subservient by the Jews and out to get pious Muslims. When I told people I had come from Finland, a country very much on the periphery of religiously diverse Europe, the inevitable response was, "You know Finland is controlled by Israel, right?" I saw the Protocols of the Elders of Zion openly sold in street bookstalls. Wishing to understand this absurd kind of thinking, I picked up Daniel Pipes' THE HIDDEN HAND: MIDDLE EAST FEARS OF CONSPIRACY. Though published in 1998, before a great deal of major recent events, the book is still fairly timely in describing and explaining the troubling attitudes I encountered.

Pipes gives three case studies of conspiracism in the Middle East that were prevalent before the book's publication. The first is the idea that Israel wishes to establish a "Greater Israel" reaching from Egypt to the Euphrates. Pipes cites appearances of this libel in the popular press of the region and in the statements of various autocrats. The second case study is the Islamic Revolution of Iran. Here we see that conspiracism is by no means limited to fundamentalist Muslims, but even secular authorities like the Shah saw conspiracies lurking everything. The last case study is the conflict between Iran and Iraq in the 1980s, where even matters such as the Rushdie affair were ascribed to a conspiracy against Khomeini.

Pipes points out that conspiracism is a fairly recent phenomenon in the Middle East, and prior to the 19th century the peoples of the region were not so prone to seeking out shadowy motivations behind all bad things. He argues that the rise in conspiracism is multiford. One of its sources is the enormous progress made by the West in modern times, which shamed the increasingly poor and backwards Middle East. The other source of conspiracism may be imported Western attitudes. The blood libel against the Jews became popular in the Levant only after the French accused locals during the colonial period, while the ever-present fear of "imperialists" is the rhetoric of Soviet advisors over the Cold War. Yet another reason for conspiracism is that dictatorial regimes, the kind that predominate in the Middle East, tend to encourage such thinking as it can keep them in power.

While the book was informative in many respects, I was unhappy that Pipes focused almost wholly on the statements of rulers and government-controlled newspapers. He did not adequately report on the conspiracism prevalent among the masses, which in some cases comes from government control of media, but in other cases runs rampant even when leaders attempt to counter particular opinions. For that reason I award the book three stars.

The famous Indian story of the blind men who attempt to describe an elephant by only grasping parts of the animal applies to Pipes' work. He is quite correct in noting the destructive penchant for conspiracy theories in the Middle East. Where he goes awry is relying on this to explain away matters that cannot be so easily explained away and doing so in a manner designed to denigrate the peoples and cultures studied. In particular, it should be noted that conspiracy theories are common among all human groups who are - or perceive themselves to be -- powerless in front of an aggressive adversary. Just examine Africa-American opinion or even Irish opinion about the British in the 19th and early 20th centuries. By ascribing the common human conspiracy phenomenon especially to Middle Easterners, Pipes falls into the category of scholarship called "Orientalism" -- a type of writing that subtly seeks to describe Middle Easterners as "differernt" "dangerous" and "inferior" in their humanity. Second, Pipes does not credit another factor in the creation of conspiracy theories -- the actual existence of hostile agendas. Neither the United States nor Israel can always or possibly even generally be said to have the best interest of Arabs or Muslims at heart and they both are very powerful nations. This phenomenon reinforces the conspiracy-minded. To attribute the fears of these powers solely to a conspiracy mindset would be as unfair as ascribing Israel's fears of Arab military power to mere paranoia about anti-Semitism (although it could be argued that there is an element of that present). In short, Pipes has idenitified an important real phenomenon but like the blind man and the elephant has concluded things that do more harm than good. In that sense, this book is in a way, worse than useless