GWYNNE DYER: 1 April 2008 Suppose an Arab military force was currently bringing peace and freedom to the oil-rich, violence-torn country of Texas. What would t

GWYNNE DYER: 1 April 2008 Suppose an Arab military force was currently bringing peace and freedom to the oil-rich, violence-torn country of Texas. What would they be reading in the Arab newspapers five years after the occupation of Texas? They’d be learning about the minute doctrinal differences and the irreconcilable rivalries between Catholic Hispanics and Protestant anglos, and even between Southern Methodists and Southern Baptists. They’d all know about Texas’s long love affair with guns, explaining why Texans were killing Arab soldiers. They’d constantly be reminded that the dominant minority in east Texas is African-American, while in west Texas it is Hispanic. Everybody in the Arab world would know far more about Texas than any sane non-Texan should ever want to know — without understanding anything at all. If you don't understand, it's dangerous to convince yourself you do.