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1-Page Summary of Longitude

America’s Lost Turkey

A timeless Bedouin legend offers poignant commentary on the terrorist threat now facing the United States and, indeed, the world. An elderly Bedouin leader thought that he could restore his virility by eating turkey. One day, thieves steal the turkey he was fattening. The elder gathers his sons and orders that at all costs the turkey must be recovered, but his children ignore him, failing to see the urgency. A month later, someone steals the old man’s camel. “What should we do about the camel?” they ask him again. “We’ve got to get my turkey back,” is what he tells them. They don’t understand why it’s so important and ignore their father yet again. Finally, a few weeks later, one of his daughters is raped in front of her family while she’s out tending sheep with her sister (the other daughter). When she returns home, bloody and beaten, she tells her father what happened to her as if it were only happening to herself: “They took my clothes off.” She says nothing else until after several days when another tribe comes into their village looking for women because theirs are barren due to a lack of men from war or disease :”They said I had nice eyes.”

America was too tolerant of terrorism for a long time. It allowed terrorists to attack American embassies and hijack airplanes without consequence, but after September 11, 2001, the country realized that it needed to get its turkey back by punishing those who were responsible. President George W. Bush’s “axis of evil” characterization was criticized as being poorly thought out because it seemed rash or unpredictable, but in fact his willingness to restore U.S. deterrence is the only way America will ever be able to get its turkey back from terrorists again.

The Super Story

September 11th is a part of the larger story of globalization. The Cold War system was divided between East and West, but today’s world has been redefined by integration, globalization and more complex balances. Osama bin Laden represents how one person can have an extreme amount of power without being connected to a government or country. In 1998, America launched $75 million worth of cruise missiles at one man – bin Laden – after he bombed two American embassies in Africa. This was the first time that a superpower had attacked someone who wasn’t on their own soil; it set the tone for September 11th, which was another event where a single individual affected millions around the globe.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is a country that’s very difficult to understand. It has been the home of many terrorists, and it has also been the subject of much criticism. However, what are some reasons for Saudi discontent? First off, its population has exploded from seven million in 1980 to 19 million today. Meanwhile, per capita oil income fell from $19,000 during the 1981 boom to about $7,300 today. Furthermore, 40 percent of Saudis are under 14 years old—a royal family’s worst nightmare when it comes to political stability.

Saudi Arabia’s leader, Abdullah, would like to modernize his country. For instance, he has proposed that Saudi Arabian women should be allowed to drive cars. This idea was blocked by traditionalists who don’t want this change.

Almost all of the hijackers in the 9/11 attacks were from a poor region in Saudi Arabia. The Saudis refuse to explain why these people did what they did, but there are reports that doctors and nurses in Saudi hospitals celebrated the attacks.

The Saudis tell the Americans that they are allies, but they can’t say that to their own people because Saudi Arabia is run by a monarchy. The Saudi royal family wants to stay in power, so how could it align with the U.S., which advocates for freedom?