Doctors and heads of states
By Yevgeny Shrago
As a preface, consider that while the United States has the world’s finest universities and drains brains from the rest of the world, our presidents are predominantly lawyers and businessmen: professionals, not academics. Yet in so-called rogue and terrorist states, the leaders are often highly educated with doctorates and long academic careers. Most notably, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has a doctorate in civil engineering. Now, in the wake of increasing violence, the Palestinian Authority has pulled the trigger on a unity government led by another academic, Mohammed Shbeir, who has a doctorate in clinical biology from the University of West Virginia and spent the last 12 years as the head of Islamic University . While it seems that a lifetime in academia would be a moderating influence compared to hectic professional world that demands snap decisions, but we know from our own experiences at the University of Michigan that academics can often be polarizing figures.
With that idea, Shbeir, who has not yet accepted his nomination, was selected by a joint discussion between Abbas and the Hamas leadership. He is generally seen as sympathizing with Hamas, but is not a member of the party. It seems likely that Shbeir is a face being put on by Hamas to soften its hardline image with Western donors without accepting the conditions necessary. This is due to the possibly correct perception that much of the distaste for Hamas in the west comes not from its positions on Israel, but rather the hardline Islamist face, which is a major cause for concern in nations like Britain and France who have large, unhappy Muslim populations. Shbeir may succeed in moderating Hamas’s image without forcing it to back down on policy.
If Shbeir is legitimately interested in leadership, he will have to fight a perception as Haniyeh’s mouthpiece and puppet, cutting a new trail and pushing for further conciliation with Israel. Shbeir’s views are a cipher, but he was acceptable to Abbas, so he must be at least somewhat secular. In striving for his own political legitimacy, perhaps he can give peace a chance.