I know we have only been in this war for four years and preparing for it for two thousand years but for some, the middle east remains a confusing hodgepodge of competing interests, schisms, tribal and internicine rivalries all wrapped in a veil of mystery and conflicting histories. I am sure that I, as an 'umble observer, still have many things to learn about the holy lands and the boundless, millenia old intrigues. Having said that, there are places to go to research, learn and educate oneself, they are easily accessible and even in synopsis form one can decipher and solve some of the most obvious puzzles currently perplexing our politeratti.
Now, why would I bother, I could just go along with the conventional wisdom on the subject and classify the entire region as bad guy, evil doers intent on creating a super caliphate-a-listic, islamofascist, pan-arab paradise to challenge western hegemony and have done with it. Eventually, we're gonna nuke the heck out of them anyway and well, it's not as if I'm running for president or anything and should, perhaps try and familiarize myself with the whys, wherefores and whatnots of the recently destabilized religio-industrial-complex of the largest and most antagonistic oil producing region on the planet.
That the middle-east represents a veritable gordian knot of western misunderstanding and failed foreign policy over the last 1,400 years wouldn't it be prudent to get a handle on the major players, their provenance, their political or social aspirations, their affiliations and loyalties, where they stand philosophically or ideologically, just what it is they are fighting for... just asking.
That the political players in this country - both Dem and Repug - remain ignorant of whom we are fighting and continue to spout illogical, uninformed, cliched and quite frankly stereotyped rubbish at an even less well informed public might well be the reason we keep finding ourselves embroiled in these no-win situations. Let us always start here: Know your enemy - only strike when victory is certain - withdraw quickly and live to fight another day if a battle seems lost.
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2 comments:
Well, OK, hotshot, don't leave us all--and by "us all", I mean me--in suspense any longer. Who are we fighting?
Between Romney's statement, and Cole's deconstruction of it, I think Romney gets the better of the exchange.
"Shiite and Sunni"...The mullahs of Iran are Shiite, they're certainly our enemy. Cole's statements about Hizbollah are just flat wrong. Prior to 9/11, Hizbollah had killed more Americans than anyone. Whether Hamas specifically targets Americans or not, they're terrorists, and therefore our enemies.
I think American policy in the Mideast should have a few key goals. First, recogniton of, and peaceful coexistence with Israel by all the players. Second, a Palestinian state. Third, movement toward representative government, and integration into the global trading system.
Before any of that can happen, however, the malignant fores that hold sway through the region, like Saddam, must be swept away.
At bottom, they're all kleptocrats--the Saudi princes, Assad, Mubarak, the dear, departed Arafat--except maybe the mullahs and Zawahiri--I think they've been holding up the straw man villain Israel to deflect attention from the murder and larceny they've been committing against their own people.
It's like a group of crime families, sometimes in opposition, sometimes cooperating. They've all got some turf, and they'd all like some more. Mostly, they'd like us out of the region, because that would give somebody the opportunity to roll up the region and truly cartel-ize the oil. How does $300/bbl. sound?
I think
'Cole is just flat wrong' hmmm! Of course it's not like he's an expert or anything, it's not like he speaks the lingo and has been published and quoted on numerous occassions and in numerous publications. Romney, on the other hand has a vast wealth of foreign policy experience and is surrounded by a diverse team of middle-eastern experts feeding him sound, judicious intelligence.
I do not disagree with your policy objectives for the greater middle east however, Israel must also be seen to be making concessions beginning with the tearing down of the wall and retreat from the Golan Heights. They must be seen to be active players in the peace process too, not the beligerant obstructionist they appear to be at this moment.
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