Byzantine

Submitted by John in Michigan (United States), Mar 21, 2021 at 17:06

As Dr. Pipes has made clear elsewhere, Arab (or Muslims, or the Middle East) have no monopoly on this fighting and hugging dynamic. For example, the English word byzantine didn't enter the English language from Arabic or Muslim origins! That usage is usually attributed to the German historian Hieronymus Wolf in the 16th century. Even then, it wasn't a new concept. Chronic fighting and hugging is tried and true, and as old as politics itself. The fact that it seems antiquated to current sensibilities is a recent development, possibly due to the Enlightenment or even the modern nation-state. One hopes things continue to evolve in a less byzantine fashion; my point being, it's still early days...

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