Dr. Aaron Hagler: Middle East History, Israeli–Palestinian Conflicts, and Peace Process

In the July of 2000, President Bill Clinton hosted a summit meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian Authority chairman Yasser Arafat. Five months later, in December, President Clinton, and the two leaders publicly announced that they had a peace agreement. But, shortly after the statements were released it became apparent that the public didn’t support the agreement and the deal fell apart.
When we think about big events like this, we tend to oversimplify the groups involved into good guys and bad guys, right and wrong, black and white. But, the reality, and backstory is often much more complex and murky than we like to think. It’s easy to see why our individual support for one group over another tends to line up with what we already believe about the world. It’s a lot easier to take sides than to dig through all the layers of complexity to reach a deeper understanding of the debate. The history of the Middle East, and the conflict in Israel is no different. The reality is that you probably fall on one side of the conflict or the other because of how you were raised, how you feel, or what you’ve heard from your favorite news outlet. Part of the problem is that when we chose sides like this, we risk invalidating the other side’s real life experiences. We risk the nuance that comes from testing our views against opposing views. We run the risk of confirmation bias.
Dr. Aaron Hagler sat down with me to discuss the long, complicated history of the Middle East, and the events that have lead to the modern tensions that we see in that region today. He shares his personal journey, and the path that lead him from being a theater major to a professor of history. Then we follow the course of history from the fall of the Roman Empire, and the spread of Islam into Europe. We consider the Christian Crusades, and what that means to various groups. We talk about the Rise of the Turks and the Ottoman Empire, and how European economic interest affected the formation of the nation states we now see in the Middle East. Dr. Hagler concludes the interview by giving his perspective on which characters are acting in bad faith and making lasting peace more difficult, and how we can educate ourselves with the valid points that are coming from both sides.
Dr. Hagler’s attention to detail, and his honest, balanced approach is refreshing. I hope you enjoy the interview, and get a new perspective on this region. I’ve included some of the items we discuss in the show notes, so be sure to look at those if you’d like more information.
And now, my conversation with Dr. Aaron Hagler.
Dr. Hagler’s email [email protected]
One land, Two stories, by Shaul M. Gabbay and Amin M. Kazak
https://www.amazon.com/Land-Stories-Shaul-Gabbay-Kazak/dp/0985196106
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