Quote:
Originally posted by seretogis
I have a hard time believing that any empty diplomatic gesture like this would save lives of our military men and women in Iraq. Fanatical Muslim extremists are just that -- I don't think that patronizing them will make them any less anxious to blow themselves up and take our soldiers with them. I am glad that we are not appeasing them by condemning Israel, but we've yet to do much to dismantle the cycle of hatred towards the US that fuels terrorist organizations.
|
I agree with you in part and respectfully disagree with you in part. Yes "Fanatical Muslim extremists are just that", but so are extremist Zionist zealots just that. So long as we consider to take sides in this conflict our boys will die defending one side or the other. Now I am a realist (philosophically speaking) when it comes to international politics which means that I believe that there not nor can there be a supreme global sovereign. Each government can and should always act out of its own personal self best interests. This is basic Machiavellian principles of government. But based upon this, and this is something that everyone seems to have clearly forgotten, is Machiavelli’s fundamental principle that a good ruler will never let a smaller wicker country compromise and dictate what his national policy should be towards other countries. Unfortunately we are doing just that with our uncompromising support of Israel. If we were smart we would pull out of the middle east completely and let both sides sort it out themselves, then when the smoke had cleared, go back in and pick up the pieces, but I digress.
Just as a note of humor (well it was somewhat humorous to me anyway), this past week while serving my time at the UN, I was placed in the uncomfortable position of having to defuse a situation where the delegate representing Algeria was asserting, rather forcibly I might add, to the delegate representing India, that Hamas in spite of the fact that some of its members may have been associated with criminal activities, was non the less a respectable Non Governmental Organization (NGO) and as such should have the full support of the UN. Clearly I disagreed with him upon this point, but like a good mediator I was able to bring both sides to the table without further hostilities. The reason I am providing this little antidote is to further demonstrate just how lacking our understanding in this country seems to be over the problems facing the middle east situation. This problem run much deeper than I think most people realize or are willing to admit, and any amount of diplomacy that we can use should be used, even at the risk of pissing of Israel, if it will help bring back our boys in one piece
Cheers,
Publius