Historical Context and Liberal Democracy
🌍The period from 1945 to 1991 was exceptional for liberal democracy, marked by internationalist views, respect for the UN, and a taboo on anti-Semitism, but this era is now under threat.
🏛️The success of liberal democracy was largely due to the victory in World War 2, widely regarded as a triumph of American power, rather than just its inherent appeal.
Religious Tensions and Jerusalem
🕌The fixation of the three monotheisms on Jerusalem, particularly the Temple Mount, serves as a non-negotiable sacred symbol that could potentially ignite global conflict.
Antisemitism and Historical Roots
✡️The roots of anti-Semitism are theological, stemming from the persistence of Jewish identity and the perceived failure of God to protect the Jews, despite the fact that Jesus, Mary, and all of Jesus's disciples were Jews.
Geopolitical Shifts
🌐The unraveling of liberal world order has reached a point of no return, marking the end of the 70-year period of American paramountcy and diminishing the effectiveness of America's multilateralism.
Religious History and Power Dynamics
⚔️The conversion of Constantine to Christianity in the 4th century was a decisive moment in world history, aligning Christianity with power, state, Empire, war, and victory, while the Arab conquests in the early 7th century were facilitated by military fervor and the availability of trained warriors from both the Persian and Roman Empires.
Simon Sebag Montefiore is an internationally bestselling author and historian. His books include Catherine the Great and Potemkin, Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar, Young Stalin, Jerusalem: The Biography - A History of the Middle East, The Romanovs: 1613–1918, The World: A Family History of Humanity, and The Moscow Trilogy of novels: Sashenka, Red Sky at Noon and One Night in Winter. They have been published in forty-eight languages and have won many prizes, such as the Samuel Johnson Prize, the British Book Awards History Book of the Year Prize, the LA Times Book Prize for Biography (USA), and the Costa Biography Award (UK). He is the presenter of five history series for the BBC, and many of his books are being developed for movies or drama series. He studied history at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge University where he received his Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD). Website: simonsebagmontefiore.com