fit into its structure (Ajami 4-5).
However, after the war in 1973, all the uncertainties had to be eliminated abruptly, creating a fear of action on the international scene and a certain paralysis at home. One response was a fear of the new world that was glimpsed all around the Arab world, and this led to a retreat into the familiar past, as represented by the Iranian revolution and other fundamentalist movements asserting a familiar and set reality outside that of the international scene that now exists. Ajami quotes himself form something he wrote about the undoing of the world caused by the October war:
To those so inclined, divine will must be sending a message to the Muslim people of this region and making known its disapproval of what has come to pass in the age of affluence and "petro-power" (Ajami 6).
In one sense, what Ajami and others express as the fear is the growing sense of responsibility on the international scene. Coping with internal issues is one thing, but coping on the international scene is another, fraught with dangers and uncertainties, and taking place on an unfamiliar stage. Much of the Arab world is therefore caught between its own traditions and the power of the West, which informed the development of Iran prior to the Revolution and which has been considered an anathema since. Ajami says the dilemma facing the Arab world leaves the different players in the midst of powerful crosscurrents:
The mighty wind form the West promises power, glamour, and the possibility of doing away with what once seemed to be unbreakable bounds. But there is also the voice of authenticity and tradition with its own compelling message. It promises to sweep away injustices and tr
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