What a week... again.
A German news magazine ran the headline: "What the West failed to do, the Syrians will only do themselves". - The headline was of course intended as an indictment of Western governments and societies for failing to topple the regime in Syria. But I ask myself: why? Did the West ensure that the GDR regime was overthrown and that the Iron Curtain subsequently fell and the Cold War came to an end? Hardly. The people themselves determined their own fate, no outside power was needed. Why should it have been any different in other cases? In my opinion, it's a strange way of looking at the world when people always blame others for their own fate. In any case, the Assad ruling family in Syria is finished and Israel has ensured that the regime's poison gas supplies cannot fall into the wrong hands. What was left of the Syrian armed forces in terms of material and resources will also no longer pose a threat in the foreseeable future. It remains to be seen how the fighters, who are portrayed as liberators in the German media, will now behave. I am rather skeptical when uniformed and armed people with a raised forefinger are supposed to stand up for democracy.
So much for world politics and my thoughts on it. Last week, the German government presented its report on combating hatred of Jews. The Jüdische Allgemeine reported on the results of the last four years (https://www.juedische-allgemeine.de/politik/was-die-bundesregierung-gegen-antisemitismus-tun-will/):
“What has the German government achieved in terms of combating anti-Semitism? Its report sees a need for action in better coordination and evaluation of current programs. It is also necessary to view anti-Semitism as a social phenomenon in its own right. The report also recommends the expansion of anti-Semitism research.
Overall, a large number of measures and structures have been created over the past four years, both for preventative and repressive measures to combat anti-Semitism. During the reporting period, almost all federal states, the public prosecutor's offices and some police authorities in the federal states appointed anti-Semitism officers. This underlines the growing awareness of the need to combat anti-Semitism in society.
Despite this, anti-Semitism has been able to re-establish itself, especially after the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023. According to the report, it has been shown that anti-Semitism as a bridge ideology represents a specific potential threat to democracy and should therefore continue to be regarded as a phenomenon in its own right. The Federal Government's report on the status of the fight against anti-Semitism, which must be submitted every four years, is based on a resolution passed by the Bundestag in 2018. It is compiled under the leadership of the Ministry of the Interior, with the involvement of the Commissioner for Jewish Life.”
It sounds as if more money is being made available to research and combat hatred of Jews. More money for more research. Great.
As Christmas is coming up, here is my wish list on the subject:
I would hope that the usual suspects, namely the state institutions that already receive public funding, would not always receive the new financial resources.
A transparent call for applications for funding would also be a benefit! Then I would be able to apply.
Courage! To give independent scholars like me the money and thus promote truly independent research!
Oh - and printing subsidies for the publication of research would be great - and not just for doctoral students whose calls I can't apply for anyway.
And of course people who contribute to the publications and don't hinder them: Like a graphic designer who, after I told him what my new book was going to be about, for which I wanted to commission him to do the cover, simply never got in touch again.
And people who actually read the books and don't damage them, as in another case where my book, which was on display as a proof copy, was torn up.
Dear Sant Claus or dear Christkind or whoever fulfills the wishes:
See above!