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Article: The return of Greenmantle. (Foreign Affairs).(Arab civilization)
- Article from:
- Quadrant
- Article date:
- October 1, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Quadrant Magazine Company, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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WHEN THE SUN SETS on national power, there are those who dream of a restoration of the golden age. This craving often generates the myth of a powerful or even supernatural figure who will act as the agent for its restoration. The myth--in varied embodiments--is widespread amongst different peoples and cultures. The emergence of this recurring dream is a sure sign that a once powerful nation or entire civilisation has gone into decline or--worse still--fallen under the domination of another, alien people.
The ghost of a departed state or empire can be invoked to lend legitimacy to a new political structure. The classical case is the Holy Roman Empire of the German ...