Part IX - Independent Research
Similarities between Chinese Medicine and Mayan Healing - Antonia Bowen-Jones
The Fascinating Similarities between Chinese Medicine and Traditional Mayan Healing.

I shall here take you through the most significant parallels that can be drawn between these two traditions, focusing on the ancient art of Acupuncture. The anthropological question here arises - can these age-old healing practices have evolved independently of each other or is their startling similarity the result of one societies influence over another? The Buctzotz Mayan dna tests results have proven to be almost identical to South East Asian dna see link: http://www.1421.tv/pages/evidence/content.asp?EvidenceID=292

We believe that the Zheng He’s fleets integrated with the Mayans of Mexico in the 1421 voyages of exploration. We now however know Zheng He’s Fleets expeditions to the New World to be the last, albeit the greatest, of the Chinese voyages, before China closed in on itself and went to sleep for 600 years. The Mayan civilisation is probably the best known of the classical civilizations of Mesoamerica, originating in Yucatan, Mexico around 2600 BC rising to prominence around 250AD. See link for Mayan History: (yet to be completed.)

New conclusive evidence has recently arisen in the form of ancient Chinese maps of the Americas - the earliest being dated to 2000 years ago. We now know that Chinese maritime history goes much further back than we had previously appreciated – indeed making even more of a mockery of the Columbus theory! Kubilai Khan is now also known to have ventured expeditions to the America in the mid thirteenth century. Again maps have been found to prove this amazing discovery. Why you may ask has this fascinating evidence been keep from us until now? The answer is we can’t possibly imagine – conspiracy, corruption or just general incompetence of historians or perhaps fear of the impact of such revelations –who knows? The fact is truths are now rapidly being unveiled in the form of historical documentation and a vast array of other sources, propelling our aim to put history right.

The similarities of Mayan healing and Chinese medicine have been drawn to my attention through the recommendation of the scintillating book Wind in the Blood: Mayan Healing and Chinese Medicine by Hernan Garcia, Antonio Sierra, Giberto Balam; available for purchase at Amazon.com. The aim of this book is purely for the interest and understanding of Mayan medicinal practice and the writers can therefore not be said to adhere to our possible anthropological theory of this evidence. As they state:

“It does not interest us to demonstrate the similarities between these two medical systems ‘per se’. We are not trying to force comparisons between the two, nor to support current anthropological arguments. We were, and are, simply attempting to understand traditional Mayan medicine, in its fragmented state, and to do so by using the categories given us by the Chinese system.”

The team decided to use the Chinese system as a model in order to aid their understanding of Mayan medicine as Western medicine is so far removed from traditional Mayan medicine. In doing so many parallels and similarities of the two ancient medicinal practices were found.

The connection between Mayan and Chinese medicine are very profound – down to the use of the same pressure points.

The basis of the current understanding of prehispanic Mayan medicine, can be briefly summed up as follows:

· Supernatural causes such as the will of gods and spirits were believed to be the cause of diseases. Specific gods were related to particular diseases. Fundamental diseases were symbolized by different animals.
· Winds were believed to be the cause of many diseases.
· Cardinal directions, the winds, animals and disease were believed to be related.
· Time was seen as sacred. Periods such as years, months, and days had great influence over the world and human life.
· Temperature categorized diseases in accordance with principles of hot and cold.
· The role of priests and healers were combined due to the supernatural causes of disease. This is still apparent, most particularly in the role of the j’meen (shaman).
· Diagnosis was reached through consultation with the patient, by palpation and divination.
· Medicinal plants, reciting palms and the practice of bleeding were the dominant resources in curing disease.

“We discovered that from the moment we began to introduce Asian techniques like Shiatsu massage and acupuncture into our community health work, we were received differently than when we had presented ourselves as Western doctors. The people in general, but particularly the curanderos, identified with us more readily, and soon opened up and began sharing with us their own form of massage – jet- and the applications of Mayan acupuncture known as jup and tok.

Chinese and Mayan Acupuncture

· Mayan acupuncture as two variants: jup and tok.
· Curanderos is the name for traditional Mayan medical practitioners.
· Chi – is a Chinese word to often translated as ‘vital energy’. It is associated with air and wind can be seen used here to describe the energy, which practitioners of Chinese medicine use to regulate and direct in this healing practice.
· The points are worked to help the relief and extinction of physical ailments and pain. Both the Mayan and Chinese practices relate to the bodies natural energy lines and balance of yin and yang.
· The acupuncture points lie on the bodies’ channels and are used to insure the correct flow of blood and energy, chi or winds runs within these channels. The channels also represent organs of the body.
·
Jup
The practice of jup involves the pricking of different points, without drawing blood, “two move the stagnant blood and air.” Some points are specific for healing wounds or pains caused by air that has entered the body. These points are generally distal i.e. not the actual location of the pain but relate to it though often the point being pricked will be in the close vicinity to the pain.

In some communities mothers practice this sort of acupuncture on their children at home to cure such illnesses as asthma and indigestion.

Jup is practiced in two ways. One way is to puncture the skin three times in the designated spot – in doing so lifting a fold of skin with your thumb and index finger and applying the spine with the other hand. The punture is made with a fast action usually with a fang or a rattlesnake or the fine spines of some species of fish ie manta ray, lebiza and xtoon. This will be done three times reaching a depth of almost a centimetre.

The other form of jup is done with sharp spines i.e. the spur of a wild turkey and the point of desire is hit repeatedly yet without penetrating the skin, until the surface is red or inflamed.

Tok
This other form of Mayan acupuncture is expressly used in order to draw blood. This practice is often combined with cupping. The actual puncture is the same as jup yet in some cases the penetration of the spine may be deeper or less.

This technique is used specifically in illnesses related to excess blood and internal winds. The points used in tok and the use of the techniques have been found to correspond to the Chinese technique ci xue liao fa.

Points which where Mayan and Chinese Acupuncture correspond (see diagrams for position of points)

Between the eyebrows
This is considered a crucial point because the blood of the head runs through it. In Chinese medicine this point is known as yintang and is also considered very important. This point is worked in cases of dizziness and chronic or acute convulsions. It is also used in cases of rhinitis, flu, insomnia, hypertension, frontal headache, illnesses of the nose and head, nervous vomiting and dizziness in childbirth.

In the suprasternal notchi
This is known in Chinese medicine as tian tu meaning heaven’s prominence. In both traditions this point is considered to relate to the health of the lungs. Mayans perform jup on this point in cases of chronic asthma and for coughs and flu. The Chinese work this point for the same medical reasons and any illness pertaining to the area of the throat ie laryngitis.

In the superior part of the sternum
This point is located in the superior sternum directly below tian tu and is used by both medical traditions also in the elimination of coughs and asthma, chest pain and pharyngitis.

Five points between the ribs to the sides of the sternum:
Some curanderos use these points to strengthen the support the treatment of asthma. All the intercostals spaces on each side of the sternum are normal punctured. The equivalent points in Chinese are
- Yuxhong – found on the side of the sternum at the first intercostals space. It is used to control coughs and asthma by regulating the chi in the lungs.
Shencang – located at second intercostals space. This point regulates the lung chi and eliminates heat. Used in cases of coughs, asthma, nausea and chest pains.
- Lingxu – found at the third intercostals space. Used for same ailments as above plus hypochondria and mastitis.
- Shenfeng – Point at fourth intercostals space. Functions for same ailments as the four points above as well as to help be in command of excess phlegm.
- Bulang – Found in the fifth intercostals space and is again used in the treatment of coughs and asthma and to help regulate lung chi.

In the shoulder
The point is found below the clavicle towards the shoulder crease forming part of the above mentioned cross again used to control coughs and asthma. This point is known in Chinese acupuncture as shufu. Once worked it regulates the chi in the body and eases breathing, calms nausea and is also used when loss of appetite occurs.

Behind the ear, below the mastoid process
The Mayan curanderos say that by puncturing this point “the ear opens”. It is known in Chinese acupuncture as yifeng and used for such aliments as deafness, tinitis, muteness. Moxibustion is often used on this point in cases of buzzing and pain in the ears.

Between the upper lip and the nose
In Mayan medicine this point is punctured in cases of flu with a cough and also to treat headaches. This point is known as renzhong or shuigou in Chinese medicine and is used for the loss of smell yet also for inflammations of the face and lips, lockjaw, facial paralysis, epilepsy, diabetes and mental disorders.

Beneath the lower lip, below and between the two incisors
This point is known as cheng jiang in Chinese medicine. Both practices use this point in the aid of toothache. The Chinese also use this point for muteness and mental disorders.

At the hairline on either side of the forehead
Chiba pool in Mayan – a type of headache caused by heated wind stagnating the blood in the head. Known as touwei in Chinese and is used to eliminate wind, disperse heat and clear the head and eyes. Used in cases of congested head and also blurred vision, vertigo and eye pain.

In the midline of the face, on the hairline of the forehead
Called shenting in Chinese. In Mayan medicine this is generally punctured in conjunction with the afore mentioned point. Both practices use this point in the treatment of headaches. The Chinese also use this point for cases of insomnia, hysteria and asthma.

At the hairline in the temporal region of the head
Only used in conjunction with the afore two points in the case of headaches due to wind and stagnant blood – punctured with the spine of a manta ray. The Chinese call this point hanyan for migraines, painful or difficult vision, epilepsy, dizziness and neck arm and hand pain.

In the parietal artery of the temple
When tok is applied to this point – the curanderos only allows a few drops of blood to be shed. If a patient also has a fever – the treatment of this point is complimented by a vapor bath (in order to break the fever). Chinese medicine’s point sizhukong is found at the outer end of the eyebrow in the lateral depression. It is worked on in cases of vertigo, toothache, nausea with vomiting, poor vision and epilepsy.

Points that form a cross around the fountanel
The four cardinal directions of the head are here symbolized in these points. They are used most often in the treatment of asthma. They correspond to the Chinese points named houding – used for headaches, madness, epilepsy and vertigo. Quiangding – used for the treatment of headaches, painful vision epistaxis and vomiting. Luoque- is used for dizziness, tinitis, blurred vision and mental unrest.

On the posterior aspect of the arm, between ulna and radius, near the centre of the forearm
This point is used by the curanderos to ease shoulder pain. It is called sidu in Chinese and is situated between the ulna and the radius. Its purpose is to open the orifices and clear the brain, ears and the throat. In addition to shoulder pain, the Chinese use this point in the aid of painful gums and teeth, deafness and rigidity and paralysis of the fingers.

In the internal aspect of the elbow, in a hollow in the cubital bone
This point is used in both practices to cure rheumatism in the upper body. Chinese medicine also uses this in the aid of diarrhea, gastric ulcer and inflammation of the gums.

In the hollow between your fourth metacarpal and little finger
This point named yemen in Chinese is found when you clench your hand in a fist, between the knuckle of your ‘ring finger’ and your ‘pinky’. It is used in both practices for the relief of pain in the hand and arm. The Chinese also use this point for sadness, fear, headaches and malaria.

On the dorsal side of the hand between the fourth and fifth metacarpals
This point corresponds to zhongzhou in Chinese. Both practices use it in the relief of hand and upper arm pain. The Chinese additionally use it for headaches, ringing in the ears, red eyes, pharyngitis and febrile illnesses with sweating.

In the spinal column above the protrusion of the seventh cervical vertebrae
Some curanderos use this point to lower fevers (chokuil). Dazhui in Chinese is the point where all the yang energy lines meet. Its role is to bring down the chi, which has moved in the opposite direction. The Chinese also use this point to treat a fever. They also use it for the treatment of malaria, depression, hysteria, pulmonary tuberculosis and spasms in the back and arms.

In the back, on either side of the spine, below the fourth lumbar vertebrae
This point, Dachangshu in Chinese, is used by both practices to settle the stomach – help with indigestion, constipation and general abdominal unrest.

In the leg, on the medial side of the tibia, in a hallow four fingers from the knee

Some curanderos use this point in the treatment of swollen legs and feet. It is a very commonly used point in Chinese medicine and is called zusanli meaning ‘three more miles’ as it is said to renew the bodies strength. Again used to treat weakness in the legs and feet yet also for chronic and acute conditions of all the internal organs, weight loss, gastric pain, hypertension among others.

Two fingers above the knee on the outer aspect of the thigh
The Mayans and Chinese use this point for pain in the feet and legs. Liangqui (Chinese) is also used for lumbar pain, fear, mastitis and gastric pain.

In the centre of the dorsal aspect of the foot, below the inferior end of the tibia
The Mayans use this for helping the movement of the toes in cases of inflamed feet. Known in Chinese medicine as jiexi and is used to fortify the spleen, help in the swelling of the legs, feet and knees, cramps of the lower limbs, headaches and palpitations.

On the foot, at the root of the second and third toes
This point called neiting in Chinese, treats the inflammation of feet and toes and is also used in Chinese medicine for helping the relief of nightmares, toothache, lack of appetite and anginas.

The sublingual veins
These are found on the lower side of the tongue and are punctured to prevent epileptic fits and bouts of hysteria. The Chinese call these jin jin yuye and are similarly used in the treatment of convulsions but also to diarrhoea and diabetes.

Other points in Mayan medicine for treating pain in the upper extremities, which correspond to points in Chinese traditional medicine.

These are all treated with massage, poultices, jup and tok in Mayan medicine. All these points are also used in the elimination of heat and the regulation of blood and chi.

· Houxi. Found on the side of the hand, below the knuckle of the little finger, where the skin changes colour from the darker shade to the lighter palm colour. This point is used in cases of spasms of the elbow, arms and fingers, malaria, epilepsy, night sweats, deafness and headaches.

· Wangu. Found on the upper side of the hand in the indentation between the little finger and the triangular bone. This point is used in cases of pain in the fingers, arm, elbow, jaundice, febrile illnesses without perspiration, tinitis and diabetes.

· Quchi. Situated in a hollow at the end of the elbow crease. This point is used in the treatment of arm and elbow pain, abdominal pain, nausea, throat pain, and apoplexy.

· Zhouliao. Found in the outer aspect of the humerus. Used in the cases of swelling, pain and calcification in the arm and elbow.

· Binao. Located on the arm in the deltoid V. Used in cases of neck tension, stiffness and pain of arms and shoulder and scrofula (TB).

Points used by Mayan curanderos for pain in the lower limbs, which correspond to points in Chinese traditional medicine:

· Yinshi functions to bring the meridians into communication, to activate the collaterals, and to eliminate heat and dampness. It is used in cases of swelling, pain and disorders of the lower limbs.

· Dubi. Located in the articulation of the knee, in a hollow over the tendon. Its function is to eliminate cold and wind. It is indicated for pain, swelling, beriberi, and motor disorders of the knee.

· Kunlun. Located in the ankle above the heel bone, between the exterior maleolus and the Achilles tendon, on the outer aspect of the foot. Its function is to clear the head and eyes, relax the tendons, and transform phlegm. It is indicated in cases of pain in the heel, back and head, neck stiffness, pain and spasms in the arm and shoulder, lumbago, blurred vision, nosebleed, epilepsy in children, and difficult labor.

· Pushen. Beneath kunlun in the depression of the heel bone where the light and dark skins meet. Its function is to reduce inflammation and pain, clear the brain, and wake the spirit. It is used in muscular atrophy and weakness of the lower limbs, pain in the heel, lumbago and motion sickness.

· Shenmai. It is just below the external maleolus, in the depression along the edge of the lateral maleolus bone. Its function is to clear heat, dampness and stagnation. Its function is to clear heat, dampness, and stagnation. It calms the spirit and regulates blood and chi. It is indicated in pain of the lower limbs and back, epilepsy, mental disorders, headache, dizziness, and insomnia.

· Qiuxu. Before and below the external maleolus, in the hollow. Its function is to disperse stagnant liver and gall bladder chi and eliminate stagnation. It is used in weakness and pain of the lower limbs, pain and swelling of the ankle joints, motor disorders, neck and hypochondriac pain, swelling in the axillary region, nausea, acid indigestion, muscular atrophy and malaria.

Points in the hips and waist

· Wuli of the femur. Found on the interior aspect of the thigh, towards the front.

· Yinlian. Above wuli, found on the outer aspect of the large abductor muscle. Its function is to regulate and tonify the kidney and liver and to eliminate heat and dampness. It is used in cases of irregular menstruation, pain in the genitals, thighs, and legs and leuccorhea.

· Jimai. In the inguinal crease, along the same line as yinlian. Its function is to tonify and regulate the liver and kidney, to clear heat, and eliminate dampness. It is used for hernia, and pain in the abdominal region and genitals.

The majority of the Mayan points can therefore be seen here to correspond with Chinese points. These two ancient healing traditions also share other practices:

Poultices and the Application of Heat
Poultices are soft mass that is heated and applied to aching of inflamed limbs. Chinese poultices are made out of plants, animal products and various types of clay to make their poultices. The Mayan poultices and plasters are chiefly made out of plants although there is some use of animal and mineral products in the preparatory stages.

The principle in both systems remains the same: to apply poultices with thermal properties, which relate to the illness being treated.

In China preparations of warm-natured plants is hardly used any more due to the more efficient techniques that exist i.e. moxibustion, which focuses heat directly to the area of concern. The Mayans version of moxibustion is holding charcoal embers above the desired point.

No divided loyalties, no permanent friends

A reader is disappointed by my tendency to link the current push for war with Iran to Israel's consistent arguments toward this end.

The comment is found here. My reply is below.

"Scratch Israel's itch" doesn't qualify as impugning motives, it simply denotes an obvious desire for America to engage in a war on Israel's behalf. I believe that desire, while arguably justified from Israel's calculations, is dangerously unjustified from America's current set of situations and goals. As such, I reject Israel's apparent demand for a zero deductible on strategic risk, something we've never granted an ally, nor should we (including the similarly-incentivized House of Saud).

I simply don't see that stance serving America's long-term interests, nor Israel's. I also believe it unworthy of near-term expenditure of American blood and treasure, two assets we must currently value at a premium.

My consistent criticism of fear mongers falls into the same category. I don't calculate matters of war and peace on the basis of emotion--especially implied guilt.

So I ask readers to please spare me the implied anti-semitism through imagined impugning. Argue the points but skip the tortuous attempts at shaming me into silence.

Israel's 200 nuclear warheads provide all the genocidal capacity it needs to adequately defend itself. This strategic Goliath can hardly pass as David any more, meaning any American obligation to ensure survival was fulfilled long ago.

Now, with such great power comes great responsibility. There are no chosen peoples in such strategic calculations, just immeasurable risk for a species.

We are way beyond anyone's claim on "holy lands" at that point.

Moreover, we're collectively into double digits on holocausts since 1900, so the emotional power of that image hardly absolves anyone from responsibility to contemplate the costs of war. Simply put, it conveys no moral authority whatsoever when we cross over into discussions of nuclear strikes. It merely reminds us of the stakes everyone shares.

I don't believe in dividing my loyalties under any religious or ethnic or ideological garb. Under the right conditions, I'd nuke Dublin or the Vatican in a heartbeat to ensure my country's survival. There are no unique categories. That's what makes MAD so terrifyingly effective. It's also why Israel stockpiles nuclear weapons, so no disingenuousness here--please.

I've been routinely hounded by partisans on both sides of the Israeli-Muslim divide for my "obvious bias," so such transparent attempts to quiet my analysis--consistent in its logic but unsparing in its targeting--are a wasted effort.

I have but one client, and while it has many permanent interests and equities, it has no permanent friends--nor should it in this world.

Such is the necessary but troublesome burden of the Leviathan.

by Eric Weiner


Click to view an interactive map of global migration trends.
Lindsay Mangum, NPR

NPR.org, June 6, 2007 · The current debate over immigration in the United States is part of a much larger global issue. The world today consists of vast networks of floating populations — from the Indian construction worker who moves to Dubai to the American retiree who heads for the beaches of Acapulco. A lot of myths, and misunderstandings, surround the issue of global migration. Here, we try to set the record straight with a true-or-false test.

We know how many people are international migrants.

False. There are some 200 million migrants — defined as people living for at least one year outside their home country — globally. But that figure includes undocumented migrants, who are not easily counted. In Europe for instance, the estimates of undocumented migrants range from 6 to 15 million. Also, immigration figures do not include people moving within a country. In China, for instance, at least 100 million people in search of work have moved from rural areas to big cities like Beijing and Shanghai.

More people are picking up roots than at any time in history.

True and false. In absolute numbers, there are more immigrants than ever. But during the last age of globalization, from 1870 to 1915, the percentage of the world population that migrated was slightly larger than it is today.

Migration is not a new phenomenon. As early as 1620, some cities had huge immigrant populations. In Amsterdam, for example, one-quarter of the residents were foreign-born. But there are some big differences today. For instance, in years past, it was difficult to travel from one country to another, yet relatively easy to clear any regulatory hurdles once you arrived. The reverse is true today. Modern technology makes it easy to travel, but migration is now highly regulated in most parts of the world.

Only a few countries accept immigrants.

False. Virtually every country in the world opens its doors to at least a few immigrants. Traditionally, a handful of countries — the United States, Canada, Britain, Australia — welcomed the majority of immigrants, but that is changing. Today, there are 70 countries where at least 10 percent of the population is foreign-born, according to United Nations figures. Some countries, such as Italy and Spain, have transformed themselves from nations of net emigration to nations of net immigration. Spain is now one of the 10 biggest immigrant magnets in the world.

Germany has never considered itself a nation of immigrants, but lately that is exactly what it has become. More than 9 percent of the German population is foreign-born — mostly immigrants from Poland and Turkey. Germany, like many countries, does not grant "birthright citizenship." That means that children of immigrants, born on German soil, do not automatically become German citizens.

The United States has a much larger immigrant population than other countries.

True. With 35 million foreign-born residents, the United States, by far, has the world's largest immigrant population. Russia, second to the United States in immigrant population, has only one-third of that number. Some countries, though, have more immigrants as a percentage of their total population. In some Persian Gulf countries, such as Qatar, more than 80 percent of the population consist of foreign guest workers.

Most migrants are men.

False. Half of all international immigrants are women, and the percentage grows each year.

Most migration is from poor countries to wealthy developed ones.

False. Some 60 percent of all global migration is within the developed world. This so-called "south-south migration" might include a Bangladeshi laborer moving to India or an Indian laborer moving to Kuwait, for example.

The number of refugees is at an all-time high.

False. The number of refugees peaked in the early 1990s, due to the exodus of thousands escaping wars in the former Yugoslavia and Afghanistan. At that time, there were some 20 million refugees around the world, compared with about 12 million today.

Migrants always move to the country that is closest geographically.

False. The vast majority of immigrants entering the United States come from Mexico, but many of Germany's immigrants come from Turkey, even though the two countries don't share a border. Family ties and historical roots often determine migration patterns.

Migration is a one-way street. Once people leave, they never go back or take a role in their former country.

False. Many immigrants return to their homelands in a growing trend known as "reverse migration." For instance, a small but growing number of Indian immigrants living in the United States are returning to India. Even if they don't return home, immigrants these days often play an active role in the politics of their homeland. They run Web sites, donate to charities and vote in elections, said Linda Newland, director of the Migration Policy Institute, a think tank in Washington, D.C.

The biggest part of this trend, called "trans-nationalism," is financial. Each year, immigrants send about $230 billion to their home countries. "The fact is … that migration is a two-way, multi-directional process," said John Slocum, director of the Initiative on Global Migration at the MacArthur Foundation.

All countries discourage their citizens from emigrating.

False. Some countries, such as the Philippines, actively encourage their citizens to seek employment abroad. The money they send home represents an important source of revenue—10 percent of GDP, which is more than any other nation. In the Philippines, returning overseas workers are treated like conquering heroes. A special government department caters to their needs, and they even get a fast-track line at the airport.

In the future, international migration is expected to accelerate.

False. Global migration depends on world events—wars and economic cycles — and on the obstacles that governments erect to limit the number of immigrants entering their countries. And while the number of worldwide migrants is large, it still represents a relatively small slice of the global population—only about 3 percent. "The amazing thing," Slocum said, "is not that so many people pick up and move, but that so many choose to stay put."

Sources: United Nations Population Division, International Organization for Migration, Migration Policy Institute and The MacArthur Foundation

May 23: 2954

June 12 3195 11:45 p
June 13 3210 10:30p

June 13, 2007
Op-Ed Columnist
Between Dust and Deliverance

By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
Ramallah, West Bank

I’m sitting in Ramallah at The Yasir Arafat Foundation listening to Nasser al-Kidwa, the thoughtful former Palestinian foreign minister, talk about Palestinian society “disintegrating” around him. What pains him most, he explains, is that any of his neighbors today with money, skills or a foreign passport are fleeing for the West or the Gulf. As he speaks, an old saying pops into my mind — one that applies today to Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine: “Would the last one out please turn off the lights.”

The other day I wrote about how Israel was looking for a “Fourth Way” — after the collapse of the Israeli Left’s land-for-peace strategy, the Right’s permanent occupation strategy and the Israeli third way’s unilateral withdrawal strategy. Well, the Arab world also needs a Fourth Way.

The Arabs tried Nasserism, i.e. authoritarian-nationalism, and that didn’t work. It tried various brands of Arab socialism, and that didn’t work. It even took a flier with bin Ladenism. Bin Laden was the thumb that many Arabs stuck in the eye of the West and of their own hated regimes. But, I would argue, bin Ladenism, and its various jihadist offshoots, has died in Iraq. Yes, it will still have adherents, but it has lost its revolutionary shine, because it has turned out to be nothing more than a death cult.

In my book, the day it died was May 24, 2007, in Falluja, Iraq. Why? Because on that day, 27 people were killed when a suicide bomber in a car attacked a funeral procession for Allawi al-Isawi, a local contractor, who was killed earlier in the day. According to Reuters, “as mourners walked down a main street holding aloft al-Isawi’s coffin, the bomber drove into the crowd and blew himself up.”

Think about that. No — really think about it: A Muslim suicide bomber blew up a Muslim funeral. Is there anything lower? But that is what bin Laden and the jihadists have become: utter nihilists, responsible for killing more Muslims than anyone in the world today and totally uninterested in governing, only in making life ungovernable.

But who offers a way forward? Right now the best Arabs can hope for are the decent, modernizing monarchies, like Jordan, Qatar, Dubai and the United Arab Emirates. I do not see any secular progressivism — a Fourth Way — emerging in the big Arab states like Egypt, Syria, Algeria and Iraq, that is, a progressivism that would effectively promote more rule of law, global integration, multiparty elections, women’s empowerment and modern education to lay the foundations of decent governance. Far from it, Egypt had an election in 2005, and Ayman Nour, the candidate who dared to run against President Mubarak, got thrown in jail on phony charges.

I also don’t see a religious Fourth Way emerging — a progressive Islam articulated by the big, popular Islamic parties like Hamas, Hezbollah and the Muslim Brotherhood. Hezbollah took seats in the Lebanese cabinet and then proceeded to launch its own war with Israel. What a great vision.

“Sadly,” observed Middle East analyst Fawaz A. Gerges, in a recent essay on YaleGlobal Online, “mainstream Islamists have provided neither vision nor initiative to build a broad alliance of social forces and transform the political space. They arm themselves with vacuous slogans like ‘Islam is the solution.’ ” No wonder, he adds, that the average Arab citizen is fed up today with both their rulers and the opposition, “who promised heaven and delivered dust.”

But since the Islamic parties have monopolized the mosques and the authoritarian regimes have monopolized the public square, anyone trying to articulate an Arab Fourth Way today “is competing against either God or the state — and between God and the state, what room is left for secular democrats?” asked Palestinian pollster Khalil Shikaki.

Only weeds can grow there — small nihilist weeds, like Fatah al Islam in Lebanon or Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia in Iraq or Islamic Jihad in Gaza. And they are growing.

“Now any five guys who want to work together and believe they can uphold God’s name and have guns can start an army,” said Mr. Kidwa. “Money is all over the place. There is no money for the needed things, but there is a lot of money to finance [armed] groups.”

That’s why decent people, particularly Arab college grads, are leaving the area. They have no one to cheer for. The only hope for getting them back or for getting us out of Iraq — without leaving the region to the most nihilistic or impoverished elements — is an Arab Fourth Way. But it has to come from them — and right now, it is not happening, not inside Iraq, not outside.