What makes someone an " expert"?
I wondered this today, looking at the profile of an individual from Lebanon living and working in America. He was a "Lebanon Expert" most likely because he came from Lebanon, for I saw no other qualifications in his profile that would make him an expert on his own country.
Does that make me an "America Expert" because I'm from America? To be honest with you, on certain matters, I know less about my country than non-Americans, who've been able to look at our politics and history from the outside, instead being so emotionally attached to lines of reasoning that just don't hold up.
For example, the American Civil War. North vs. South, brother against brother. We learned the main causes were disagreements on the legitimacy of slavery and economic disparities. In school, or anywhere else, no one told me that America was falling apart at the seams, the states weren't united a smidge, and if it wasn't for Lincoln being all up in people's faces about federal law supremacy, there'd be no US of A. I learned this from a foreigner who studied US political and legal history at uni. And I can tell you for sure, the history I learned at school in NJ in the North was far different from the history kids learned in Georgia in the South, where I once lived as an adult.
In a way, being from America makes me less of an "America expert" since I'm way more biased than a foreigner when looking at America's not-so-pretty moments.
I do consider myself an expert on conflict in Lebanon, however, especially because I'm not from Lebanon. I had no personal ties in the Lebanese Civil War, did not grow up as a child being told this group or that group was horrible and we were only defending ourselves. Nor has any one party involved in the war done really bad things to my family that I feel I need to avenge.
Instead, I've read about the war from many sides, tried to understand the perceptions of many communities (and countries) involved in the war and how they feel today, and how this relates to other civil wars in the world. I've also acknowledged the hugely important role that emotions play in conflict.
And so, it bothers me how much we believe the writings of supposed "local experts" because they know the inside story, coming from Lebanon. Look, maybe I don't know the inside story, but I'm looking at 50 outside stories and a few on the inside because I want to try to understand a situation. A lot of these local experts care less about analysis and more about defending their identity, promoting their side of the story, or who knows what.
Everyone has an agenda. This much is true. In my experience in this country, however, the agendas of those on the outside tend to be more palatable than those in the inside.
Oct 14, 2008
Sep 17, 2008
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