The Political Economy of Palestine (with Hussein Aboubakr Mansour)

The word "Palestine" functions as a self-reproducing system of political-economic extraction, transforming localized victimhood into symbolic capital across global ideological markets. This phenomenon, which originated in Middle Eastern power politics, now permeates Western institutions, where diverse actors—from autocrats to academic elites—leverage the symbol to secure influence, funding, and moral prestige. Hussein Aboubakr Mansour, an Egyptian-born author, explains that this system is irresolvable because it lacks a central node; rather, it operates through independent, self-reinforcing loops. By framing the conflict as a "morality play," participants obscure the underlying power dynamics and rational self-interest driving the discourse. Ultimately, this extractive machine thrives on the perpetual invention of victimhood, effectively foreclosing objective political analysis and trapping both the Middle East and Western societies in a cycle of ideological dysfunction that resists resolution.