The insanity of revolutionary utopianism: “We will never surrender.”
By Khaled Salih
Possibly Sergey Nechayev
Ghazi Hamad on CNN.
“I am perplexed by my own data and my conclusion is a direct contradiction of the original idea with which I start. Starting from unlimited freedom, I arrive at unlimited despotism. I will add, however, that there can be no solution of the social problem but mine.” —Shigalyov, The Possessed
This pronouncement, made by the extremist theoretician Shigalyov in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel The Possessed, serves as the perfect guiding framework for analysing the revolutionary conviction and profound psychological detachment exhibited by senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad. Dostoevsky’s work, which was inspired by the real-life nihilist Sergey Nechayev, details the ideological pathology of revolutionaries who, in their quest for ultimate social liberation, embrace totalitarian and destructive means. Hamad’s rare interview on CNN reveals the insanity of revolutionary utopianism, demonstrating a movement that claims to seek “unlimited freedom” for the Palestinian people but justifies actions that lead inexorably to “unlimited despotism,” destruction and immense suffering. Critically, Hamad maintains the fierce conviction that their path of merciless destruction is the “only solution” of the problem the Palestinians face.
