The 70s: The Decade that Changed Everything

I have never hid the fact that history has been one of my favorite subjects. I read the historical timeline of history the same way one would read a fictional novel, in anticipation of the twists and turns, plot devices notwithstanding. I like to put special emphasis on periods of change, where fading paradigms are set aside for new ones, when milestone events shift the flow of time in an unexpected direction.

Such a shift, I would argue, happened in the 1970s across the world. Typically, a decade would contain one or two earth-shaking moments that define the period, in the way 9/11 has marked the 2000s. What made the 70s unique was that events transpired that foreshadowed many of the major crises gripping the world today. So allow me if you will the opportunity to highlight some of those events and their current ramifications.

In 1970, the predictions of American geophysicist M. King Hubbert came true, and production of oil in the US reached its peak from which it has been declining ever since. This doesn't mean that oil supply had reached it maximum, but only that the cheaper and more accessible oil had reached its peak, after which ever drop of oil produced would be increasingly more difficult and expensive. The US would now look to the Gulf States for their energy fix. Now that global oil production has been said to peak in the last few years, the resource wars predicted by peak oil theory may soon be upon us.

In 1971, US President Richard Nixon announced that the US dollar, the global reserve currency, would no longer be convertible to gold, effectively ending the gold standard and any link of money to gold that had existed for thousands of years. Though the Bretton Woods international monetary system set up in 1945 guaranteed that governments could exchange their cash for the metal, the US overprinted the paper to finance the Vietnam War. Fearing that government would begin demanding gold that the US didn't have, Nixon did away with the facade altogether. A new era of money printing would begin, with fiat money no longer backed by anything.

Also in 1971, a corporate lawyer named Lewis Powell Jr. wrote a memo to the US Chamber of Commerce effectively calling for a corporate takeover of several US institutions such as the press, politics and other aspects of the society, starting with the Supreme Court. He would eventually serve in the Court himself, and begin pushing for a transformation of the US and soon other parts of the world to give primary place to the corporation in the social hierarchy. A system known as neoliberalism came into being which predominates today.

1973 saw the onset of the Yom Kippur Way with Egypt and several other Arab countries striking against Israel over its illegal territorial acquisitions in the 1967 Six-day War. The was the last time a major Arab country was willing to engage in a prolonged military fight with Israel. The US managed to provide a rescue for Israel before it could sustain any significant damage. Following this, the US would solidify its role as primary military and economic bulwark for Israel against much of the international community.

Also in 1973, courtesy of an agreement between US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and King Faisal of Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom's oil supply, and by default the world's oil supply, would only be sold in US dollars, cementing the petrodollar system. It gave a lifeline for the US dollar to continue its existence for several more decades by being pegged to an actual asset and be in constant demand. The US' preoccupation with Middle East affairs begins to become clear here.

Again, in 1973, wage levels  for workers peaked in the US, and a steady decline has followed since then, inflation adjusted. The reason is that the 70s marked a change for the US from a primarily industrial economy based on manufacturing to one based on finance and banking. This de-industrialization was historic in the sense that it was the first time in centuries that a Western country had halted its progress of industrial economic growth. Factories closed, wages were cut and entire sector of the economy were shipped to third world countries.

In 1978-79, several events in the Muslim world shook the foundations of a more liberal, secular post-independence era that marked the 50s and 60s.

Egypt signed a 'peace agreement' with Israel in exchange for captured land in the Sinai, effectively ridding Israel of any Egyptian challenge to their regional hegemony.

The Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan (with the coaxing of US Secretary of State Zbigniew Brzezinski) led to a rallying call for defensive jihad across the Muslim world, and mutations of supposed 'jihad' under several banners and groups have followed ever since.


The Iranian Revolution and the beginning of the rule of Zia-ul-Haq in Pakistan saw a push for 'Islamisation' of the government and society, and the 80s did witness a form of conservative Muslim resurgence in many Muslims countries.

The Siege of Mecca by militants, marking the first time in Muslim history of such bloodshed in the Holy Area of the Kaa'ba, shook the Saudi Dynasty and made security of their kingdom and power a front-line concern.

When I look back at this turbulent decade, I cant help but think that much of today's conflicts stem from this time. All we need to do is take out the history book occasionally and connect the dots.

Being On Time

One of the understated advantages of frequent travelling is being able to interact with different cultures and peoples outside of your usual clime. Taking careful notice of the small nuances that define each culture can be a source of constant interest for the engaged traveler. More than just obvious things such as food, dress, and language, I like to notice their perception of time. How they treat their time is often a truer indication of culture than the usual indicators.

Cultures that put a price on punctuality give a markedly different vibe than those that do not. Behind this punctuality sometimes though I feel is not necessarily a valuing of time, but rather a valuing of the potential marketability of that time. Wasting the time of the other is tantamount to cutting their ability to squeeze that time for its profitability. Also, the ability for one to keep their promise to be on time ensures that the cog fits and the larger machine is running. Maintenance of efficiency becomes a social norm and time keeping is a big part of that.

It should be noted that, almost without exception, every Muslim country is known for their unpunctuality. The Arab countries tend to be the worst offenders, but in general, keeping oneself 'on the clock'  is far from a virtue among Muslim majority populations. This is usually seen as a sign of the regressiveness, the primitiveness of the Muslim masses who are unable to keep pace with modern times. 

Perhaps it is more of a symptom of a certain degree of incompatibility of a Muslim world still with a tenable link to tradition and the modernist conception of time. The Muslim conception of time, stemming from its larger worldview, holds little value to measuring life based on arbitrary units of time, the cumulative effect being to transform entire society into a machine. So if there is resistance to assuming such a dry and sterile perception of time, it should not be wholly condemned. 

Having said that, I still see a promise of being present at a mutually agreed appointed time as a commitment, which our Deen requires us to take seriously. Even if the commitment may be born as a by-product of a mechanized society. Living in Malaysia though, being on time often means waiting as the host arrives. So I've gradually allowed myself a five minute gap from the stated time of meeting, as a sort of compromise between excessive punctualism and tardiness.