After a lifetime as a student and teacher of international relations, I have been impressed by just how much of the essence of world affairs -- not to mention the attention span of students and audiences -- can be captured through pithy jokes. The recent Iraq war is no exception to this rule. (Although five years of living in Japan has also taught me that if there is simultaneous interpretation into Japanese, speakers are best advised to avoid jokes altogether. Humor does not easily translate across cultures, and by the time the interpreter has come to the punch line, the audience has long since lost any interest.)
One enduring lesson throughout human history, which has been reaffirmed in Iraq, is the manner in which all sides invoke divine blessing to their own call to arms even while denouncing the enemy as evil incarnate. This recalls a story from Baghdad during the days of the Caliphate. The Caliph (supreme ruler) was holding open court when a man was brought to him in chains, charged with claiming to be God.
Intrigued, the Caliph asked if it was indeed true that he claimed to be God. "Yes, Sire, it is."