The fact that civilians were killed I think means little to the military mindset although they sometimes profess concern.
This absolutely can't be attributed to the "military mindset" (the United States and other Western militaries have shown themselves to be exceptionally attentive, even focused, on avoiding civilian casualties); it is part of the strategy. The military expects to take casualties and is thus trained to deal with the psychology of "terror". Civilians are heavily influenced by it.
I disagree...soldiers including Americans are very capable of serious atrocities against civilian populations; there are innumerable reports of such atrocities dating back to WW II. When questioned, the rebuttal of most soldiers is that the civilians are a part of the gook enemy and they deserved what they got [even though they are civilians]; hence, my comments re. the military mindset.
Were we to pull out of the middle east completely, including ending our support of Israel, do you think that the Muslim terrorists would back off?
They would have overrun us and won. This certainly could never happen. If anything, this act has given many of us a deeper understanding of Israel's plight. Israel has been crying out for years from these kinds of attacks, and only now can we really comprehend what they've been going through.
First, I wasn't suggesting that we abdicate our position in the middle east. I was trying to get Mani's take on what most motivated the anti American sentiment there.
As for Israel, I have always understand very clearly its nature and its difficult position in the middle east. Its creation was intended to assuage the guilt of the western powers for their handling [or lack there of] of the Jewish 'problem' during WW II. This introduction of Zionist sovereignty into the area, and the its subsequent partitioning, did nothing to enamor the indigeneous populations to the Israelis. While its true that the Jews had a claim to the area, that claim was thousands of years old.
As you probably know, the beginnings of this new state were not handled well and a considerable amount of animosity developed. That animosity grew as the Israelis made a success [with the help of American aid] of a region where others had failed. Now, things are so out of control with the inequities huge that all hell is about to break lose.
Having said all that, I believe that the US should continue to support Israel. I would also like to see Israel and the US work together to help the peoples in the area improve their living standard. I think it would go a long way to calming the strong emotions that exist in the region and that threaten to erupt over and over.
ted
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