Let Hezbollah (and Hamas) Govern
"....Hezbollah, al Qaeda, Shia, Sunni, Taliban, Hamas.
After 9/11, they were terrorists, then evil ones, then the axis, then dead enders, and invariably since then criminals, thugs, and back again to just plain terrorists, always it seems with strings being pulled from afar, with anti-democracy or anti-modernist agendas, or even more simplistically, with just some cowardly impulse to kill for no reason.
Hezbollah and Hamas for their part, two important political entities recently given legitimacy in popular elections, are loathe to be associated with al Qaeda.
It wouldn't be an overstatement to say at this point that Hezbollah has become a hero of the Muslim world, resisting Israel's military for over three weeks, "defending" the Lebanese people while their government whimpers at the United Nations.
Over the years, Hezbollah hasn't just accumulated rockets. It has also taken on the task of governance, providing aid and social services to the poorer citizens of southern Lebanon.
The U.S. government is fixated on the military capability that has built up with Iranian and Syrian help, but Hezbollah has naturally developed as part of the political and social fabric of Lebanon just as Hamas has in Palestine because they are seen as the most effective and most responsive force. In fact what we are witnessing is a sort of manifestation of the non-governmental organization (NGO) revolution that occurred in the 1990's....
Democracy or not, these governments have just flat out failed to provide security and social services to their citizens: Hezbollah and Hamas are today doing just that. We should of course challenge them to recognize international law and international borders and focus on governing in their own territories: let them govern and good luck.
Labeling Hezbollah "terrorist" and making believe we can eliminate Hezbollah by taking away its missiles today is doing exactly what Rice says she is trying to avoid: creating the launching pad for just another confrontation months or years from now....."
blog.washingtonpost.com
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Of course if you are the warmongering Dubyette of Arabia, Cheney of Haliburton, Rumsfeld of Delusions R Us and the incompetent Rice of Chevron then constant war, NOT PEACE, is your aim. It keeps people off balance, creates opportunities for endless thievery and makes for an atmosphere of fear and paranoia. |
