The Remarkable True Story of The Extremists Who Hijacked the 1970’s, with Jason Burke (Part Two)

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• The conversation highlights a significant transition in Middle Eastern political violence from secular, nationalist, left-leaning movements of the 1970s to the Islamist strain emerging post-1979, exemplified by the death of PLO moderate Ali Hassan Salami.  Copied to clipboard!
• The ideological vocabulary of later Islamist movements drew heavily on earlier leftist and secular concepts, targeting colonialism, imperialism, and Zionism, but added a crucial element of social conservatism and identity.  Copied to clipboard!
• The failure of secular-nationalist movements to achieve their goals, coupled with the scattering of key figures like Arafat's PLO, created a vacuum that the new Islamist message, offering both social justice and a more accessible identity, filled.  Copied to clipboard!

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Profile of Ali Hassan Salami

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(00:02:17)

• Key Takeaway: Ali Hassan Salami, a PLO intelligence aide, was a flamboyant, multilingual operator who maintained direct contact with the CIA while negotiating non-aggression pacts.
• Summary: Salami was a Palestinian resistance figure whose father died in the 1948 wars and who became a close aide to Yassir Arafat. He was known for his flamboyant lifestyle, including a honeymoon paid for by the CIA, and his ability to speak multiple languages. His assassination in January 1979 occurred as he was negotiating with European governments to legitimize the PLO.

Secular vs. Islamist Extremism

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(00:06:25)

• Key Takeaway: Western leftist violence faded by the early 1980s, while Middle Eastern secular-nationalist activism transitioned into a new, religiously-framed Islamist strain.
• Summary: In the West, revolutionary violence largely disappeared by the early 1980s, replaced mainly by ethno-separatist activity. Conversely, the Middle East shifted from secular, left-leaning activism to Islamist terrorism, culminating with Osama bin Laden beginning his career around this time. Key events like the 1979 seizure of the Grand Mosque signaled this major transition.

Transition to Islamist Ideology

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(00:09:28)

• Key Takeaway: The political worldview of later Islamist movements borrowed heavily from the language and grievances (colonialism, imperialism) of earlier secular leftist movements.
• Summary: Figures like Imad Mughniyah are emblematic of the hinge moment where activists moved from secular to Islamist movements following the failure of the previous ideologies. The Islamist vocabulary often repurposed concepts from leftist thinkers, though it added a strong element of social conservatism and faith-based identity. This transition was aided by the fact that the earlier secular leaders were often dead or imprisoned by the early 1980s.

Interview with Farouk Nagada

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(00:16:54)

• Key Takeaway: Farouk Nagada, a leader of the Iranian hard-left Fedayeen Khalq, admitted his Marxist-Leninist belief that the clerical regime would collapse was a profound historical misjudgment.
• Summary: Nagada, a leader of the hard-left opposition to the Shah, cooperated with the radical clerical regime after Khomeini took power, a decision he later regretted as the clerics destroyed other opposition groups. He struggled to directly answer whether he regretted the decisions that led to the deaths of many, stating only that he believed his Marxist-Leninist predictions were correct at the time. The author sought to explain, rather than uncritically condemn, the decisions made by these historical actors.

Terminology of Violence and Revolution

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(00:21:49)

• Key Takeaway: The author chose to use the term ’terrorist’ as an adjective describing an act, but avoided using it as a noun to prevent reducing individuals to a single category.
• Summary: The term ‘revolutionist’ is considered a useful compromise term, touching on both ‘revolutionary’ and ’terrorist.’ The author argues that while a terrorist act can be clearly named and condemned, labeling an individual solely as ‘a terrorist’ hinders understanding of their activities. The book avoids terms like ‘resistance’ as they imply a clear judgment.

Far-Right Activity in the 1970s

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(00:25:37)

• Key Takeaway: The far-right was less present and less internationally focused than leftist extremists during the 1970s, though they played incidental roles, such as potentially supplying weapons for the Munich attacks.
• Summary: The book focuses on leftist extremists because they were responsible for the significant international violence that characterized the decade. The far-right occasionally surfaced, sometimes having connections with figures like Ali Hassan Salami, but they did not engage in the same level of international coordination as their leftist counterparts.

Martyrdom and Suicide Attacks

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(00:34:26)

• Key Takeaway: There is a critical distinction between the ‘Fedayeen’ (prepared to die for the cause) and later religious suicide attackers, with the former expecting to return from 90% of their missions.
• Summary: While earlier groups commemorated fallen members by naming attacks after them, the explicit cult of martyrdom became more instrumentalized with religious groups like the Iranians and Hezbollah. The term Fedayeen, used by Palestinian groups, implied a willingness to risk death but not the certainty of it. The shift toward active suicide attacks is noted as occurring later in the decade with Iranian and Hezbollah involvement.