Ask Haviv Anything — Episode 95: "The Idea That Broke the Middle East," with Dr. Micah Goodman

Host: Haviv Rettig Gur
Guest: Dr. Micah Goodman
Date: March 5, 2026

Episode Overview

In this thought-provoking episode, Haviv Rettig Gur welcomes Dr. Micah Goodman, one of Israel's foremost public intellectuals, to unpack the deep ideas shaping today’s Middle East. Against the backdrop of ongoing war, they trace the intellectual history that brought the region to its current crisis, focusing on why parts of the Muslim world seem frozen in cycles of blame, failure, and revolution—contrasted with Israel’s surprising adaptability and resilience. The conversation explores the roots and failures of political Islam, the politics of blame, the hybrid power of Israeli society, and what the region might learn from Judaism’s intellectual humility.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The War’s Context and Israel’s Shifted Togetherness

• Opening Tone: Both speakers reflect the anxiety and solidarity gripping an Israeli society at war, including missile strikes and casualties (02:17).
• New Togetherness: Goodman distinguishes between Israel’s “togetherness” on October 8, 2023 (post-Hamas attack), rooted in trauma and failure, and today’s togetherness, which is emerging from a sense of strength and agency (02:55).

Micah Goodman:
"We were very much together in October 8th, but it was together that came from understanding...great failure. Now... the sentiment in Israel ...we are together, but not because of our failure...because of our success. ...It's a different sense of togetherness." (02:55)

2. What Broke the Muslim World? The Long Decline

Medieval Peak to Modern Decline (06:08–12:49)

• Goodman recounts Islamic civilization’s achievements in the Middle Ages—science, philosophy, poetry—contrasted with Europe’s backwardness at the time (06:22).
• The pivotal shift: World War I as the final marker of decline, ending Ottoman, Islamic dominance.

Two Competing Answers to ‘What Went Wrong’

• Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk): Advocated secular, Western reform, blaming political Islam for weakening societies.
• Hassan al-Banna (Muslim Brotherhood): Countered that the Muslim world declined by becoming less Islamic—arguing that only a political, collectivist Islam could restore greatness.

Micah Goodman:
"Real Islam, original Islam is political... Islam is not a religion that regulates your relationship with God... Islam, if it's not political, it's not Islam at all." (11:25)

3. The Muslim Brotherhood, Modern Islamism, and the Politics of Blame

Conspiracy, Victimhood, and Israel as ‘Little Satan’ (12:49–16:52)

• The West (especially America), in this worldview, deliberately “infects” Islam with individualism and secularism. Israel, as the ‘little Satan,’ is the local agent.
• Anti-Semitic conspiracy theories place Jews at the heart of this imagined Western plot.

Haviv Rettig Gur:
"...Zionism is the weakest thing that pushed Islam back, the most urgent and immediate demonstration of Islamic weakness and therefore the first signal of Islam returning to itself is the defeat of Israel." (13:05)

Permanent Revolution: Why Islamists Can't ‘Win’

• The Iranian revolution adopted this narrative: the problem is always external, postponing the revolution’s need to ever solve domestic issues. Israel’s existence justifies the regime’s permanent struggle (17:44–21:00).
• This externalization leads to the “politics of blame”, which, they argue, creates paralysis and decline.

Micah Goodman:
"...the destruction of Israel is not a policy, it's an identity. It's not what they do, it's who they are. It's the core of the revolution." (19:10)
"Politics of blame weakens society ... societies that became anti-Semitic stopped owning their problems and they started deteriorating." (22:33)

4. Failures of Political Islam and the Rejection of Self-Responsibility

• Iran, as an example, appears strong by rhetoric but is crumbling internally—economically, socially—because it never owns its issues (21:00–24:47).
• Societies that abandon the politics of blame (like the UAE or, possibly, Saudi Arabia under MBS) show more vitality and potential for real reform (23:42).

Micah Goodman:
"[MBS] is owning Saudi Arabia's problems... He's a leader that doesn't blame Israel for Saudi's problems... That's why he has... the potential to succeed. The Emiratis are not playing that game. And that's why they have...succeeded." (23:42)

5. Cycles of Ideas: Pan-Arabism, Pan-Islamism, and Defeat

• The failure of Nasser’s pan-Arabism was cemented by defeat in the Six Day War. The Arab world pivoted to pan-Islamism led by Iran’s example (33:16–36:08).
• Current wars may do the same for pan-Islamism—exposing it as an ideology incapable of delivering results (35:19).

Micah Goodman:
"Will this war do to pan Islamism what the Six Day War did to pan Arabism?...Will that pave the way for the type of Islam promoted by the Emiratis [and] MBS?" (35:19)

6. Why Islamists Thought Israel Was Weak—and Why They Were Wrong

The Ibn Khaldun Fallacy: Will vs. Capability

• The leaders of the Iranian and Hezbollah camp believed that Israeli/western individualism would sap its collective will, while their societies—poor and suffering—would triumph by higher “asabiyyah” (group feeling) (42:07–44:29).

Micah Goodman:
"Ibn Khaldun... thought that history... [is driven by] a few forces... If you have a battle between one society that's high in will and low on capability, versus ...high in capability but low on will, who will win?... Will always defeats capability." (43:29)

Israel’s Hybrid Advantage: Breaking the Zero-Sum Game

• Israeli society combines Western individualism (innovation, abundance) and Middle Eastern collectivism (solidarity, sacrifice), creating a unique hybrid capable of both high-tech prowess and deep social cohesion (45:09–47:53).

Micah Goodman:
"Israel broke the zero-sum game between will and capability... at its best, is a Western country, but with the will of a Middle Eastern clan." (46:19)

7. The Secret Sauce: Intellectual Humility and Hybrid Thinking

Judaism as Practice, Not Ideology (54:52–61:53)

• Jews are not governed by rigid ideological “isms”; Jewish tradition focuses on humility ("we don’t know God’s mind"), flexibility, and problem-solving rather than dogmatic answers or binary choices.
• The Talmud preserves minority opinions, Maimonides (Rambam) was criticized for closing off debate—all emphasizing epistemological humility.

Haviv Rettig Gur:
"We Jews are not quite a religion. We're not quite an idea. We don't have an ism... we are a people." (55:17)
"Because we are also another kind of syncretism... we don't, we're not trapped in either." (55:37)

Micah Goodman:
"The fact that we are weak in ideologies enables us not to become what we think, [makes us] humble... we could do these type of combinations [individualism and collectivism]." (58:39)
"Epistemological humility enables you not to fall into binary thinking. And that... could lead to the environment that creates that rare messy combination of individualism and collectivism." (62:10)

8. Best Practice for the Region—A Lab for Non-binary Solutions

• Israel’s example may offer a template for others: not to abandon either collectivism or individualism, but to refuse to be trapped by rigid, exclusionary ideologies.
• Success comes from blending the best of both, while maintaining humility and openness.

Micah Goodman:
"Don't be trapped in the ism, but take from the ism the spark of truth; collectivism... gives you meaning. Individualism... leads to abundance and innovation. But don't be trapped in either." (64:14)

Haviv Rettig Gur:
"Every time somebody says an ism, shut the door on them. Don't let that ism into your house, it'll break your house." (63:20)

Notable Quotes & Moments by Timestamp

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote or Key Insight | |---------------|-------------|--------------------------| | 02:55 | Goodman | "...the sentiment in Israel... we are together... because of our success, not... our failure." | | 11:25 | Goodman | "Real Islam, original Islam is political... Islam, if it's not political, it's not Islam at all." | | 13:05 | Haviv | "...Zionism is the weakest thing that pushed Islam back..." | | 19:10 | Goodman | "...the destruction of Israel is not a policy, it's an identity." | | 22:33 | Goodman | "Politics of blame weakens society... societies that became anti-Semitic stopped owning their problems..." | | 23:42 | Goodman | "[MBS] is owning Saudi Arabia's problems... He's a leader that doesn't blame Israel..." | | 43:29 | Goodman | "Ibn Khaldun... will always defeats capability." | | 46:19 | Goodman | "Israel at its best is hybrid...a Western country, but with the will of a Middle Eastern clan." | | 55:17 | Haviv | "We Jews are not quite a religion. We don't have an ism... we are a people." | | 58:39 | Goodman | "The fact that we are weak in ideologies enables us... we could do these type of combinations." | | 64:14 | Goodman | "Don't be trapped in the ism, but take from the ism the spark of truth." |

Conclusion & Intellectual Takeaways

• Israel’s success isn’t accidental: Its hybrid combination of deep solidarity and robust individualism—enabled by a tradition wary of ideological rigidity—has surprised foes and allowed its society to thrive under pressure.
• The politics of blame and ideological purity have repeatedly failed the Middle East, especially post-1979 Iran and among the Islamist movements.
• The best practice for a strong, prosperous society: Refuse binary thinking; blend communal belonging and individual ambition; maintain humility before complexity and the unknown.
• Judaism’s enduring lesson: Don’t confuse any “ism” with the truth. Use ideas, but remain untrapped by them.

Micah Goodman (Final Word):
"Maybe it's worthwhile managing this impossible tension [individualism/collectivism], because... [it’s] what's missing in the Middle East... and in the West." (53:15)

(End of episode content. Timestamps refer to original audio.)