As I Sea It

Welcome to "As I Sea It" — a space in which word and thought engage in sustained dialogue. Here, the writings of Zaman Stanizai address the political developments in Afghanistan and the wider world, encompassing reflections on collective memory and enduring concerns, political research, philosophical inquiry, and analysis of current affairs. Through this interweaving of commentary and reflection, the work seeks to meet the reader's pursuit of understanding.

Abrahamic Covenant: Biblical Revisionism or Settler-Colonial Opportunism  (Originally published on the Georgetown University website, History News Network, under the title:

The Middle East, Land Disputes, and Religious History

by Zaman Stanizai
The entire Middle East region that bridges three continents has historically been defined by change: changing people, politics, religious ideas and ideologies. People with power have come and gone, but the land remains and still presents the international community with one of its most challenging conflicts.
For centuries Jerusalem has been an interfaith, intercultural, and international city where different faith communities have converged, comingled, and coexisted in relative peace. This diversity and inclusivity are characterized by such landmarks as the site of King Solomon’s First Temple, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and the golden Dome of the Rock in the centuries-old mosaic of Jewish, Christian, Armenian, and Muslim quarters that constitute the city of Jerusalem to this day. (Read more)

An Open Letter to America’s Christian Zionists

From David P. Gushee and Glen H. Stassen

Dear Christian Brothers and Sisters,

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We write to you about an urgent matter of common concern.

In just a few weeks, unless their plans change dramatically, Palestinian leaders will make a unilateral declaration of a State of Palestine based on the pre-1967 borders and will turn to the United Nations for a vote to recognize their new state.

The present Netanyahu government of Israel is, of course, totally opposed to this course of action on the part of the Palestinians. The United States government (predictably) shares this opposition. Both nations tell the Palestinians that the proper path to a state is through negotiations leading to an agreement that can settle all outstanding territorial and political issues. Palestinian leaders respond that they continue to support negotiations but that they can no longer pin all of their hopes on them. Continue

HAARETZ - Opinion

Desmond Tutu: My plea to the people of Israel: Liberate yourselves by liberating Palestine

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, in an exclusive article for Haaretz, calls for a global boycott of Israel and urges Israelis and Palestinians to look beyond their leaders for a sustainable solution to the crisis in the Holy Land.

The past weeks have witnessed unprecedented action by members of civil society across the world against the injustice of Israel’s disproportionately brutal response to the firing of missiles from Palestine.

If you add together all the people who gathered over the past weekend to demand justice in Israel and Palestine – in Cape Town, Washington, D.C., New York, New Delhi, London, Dublin and Sydney, and all the other cities – this was arguably the largest active outcry by citizens around a single cause ever in the history of the world.  Continue

From the Cambridge University Press Open Engage website:

The Allure and Predicaments of Federalism for Developing Countries

By Zaman Stanizai

Norms of international diplomacy recognize ‘nation-states’ as of equal standing. In reality, however, many of these states are not necessarily nation-states, and the disparity in the size of their territory and population, as well as the incomparability of their economic strength, political influence, and military power, speaks loud and clear. It’s hard to compare China with Chad, Nauru with Nigeria, or India with San Marino. With this one-size-fits-all definition of a nation-state, large super-states project way more economic and political power around the world than smaller nations that try to compensate for these disparities by forming larger coalitions, alliances, or federal or confederal unions. Attempts at forming such unions, however, are not always successful. This paper discusses the success of federalism in advanced Western societies contrasting with its failure in developing countries. We will try to identify reasons for such failures in political culture, social dynamics, and global powerplay, and suggest remedial solutions. (Read more)