Cain's Question and the Arab/Israeli Conflict

Cain's question, "Am I my brother's keeper?", poses a moral issue about killing others, and it is applied to the Arab/Israeli conflict to suggest the responsibility that everyone has in contributing to the solution of violent conflict in the world. The history of this conflict is reviewed, and the various explanations for it are discussed, including the arguments and counterarguments for Huntington's "Clash of Civilizations" concept. Key economic and demographic information from Israel and key Muslim countries are analyzed in nine tables to detect structural factors that are contributing to this conflict, including the "youth bulge", illiteracy, and inadequate economic performance among others. This is the Neustadt Lecture on Jewish Studies at Oklahoma City University for 2008.