My argument is, this isn't the same as buying a used car or a rug, we're talking about the lives of millions of people. I am for continuing to try to work things out because the stakes are so high.
It's true, we're dealing with millions of lives. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean that you can "work things out" with the current regime. Millions of Germans had rights and grievances (including legitimate ones) under the Third Reich. Didn't mean that we could just "work things out". Ditto for the Iraqis and the Afghans.
And if, having tried to work things out, you come to the conclusion (as Chamberlin did after Munich) that you simply cannot do business with the regime, it is entirely counter-productive to keep trying.
But my perception is that the US government is losing patience with both sides.
My perception is quite different. About two months ago, quietly and without fanfare, the US government finally "got to uneven" regarding Israel's war against terror -- they stopped condemning Palestinian terrorism and Israeli reprisals evenhandedly. It would be useful to the US to have quiet over there now, and they'll see if they can arrange it. But they expect this will end in a defeat for the Palestinians, and I don't think they will twist Sharon's arm to prevent it. Israel cannot afford to cross up Washington's plans in the area (I believe we will go to war in Iraq this year), but sooner or later there will be a terrible incident and Bush will give Sharon the green light.
Israel/Palestine isn't a sideshow to the war on terrorism, it's the linchpin. Solving Israel/Palestine is the sine qua non. Solve that, and you've solved everything. Fail to solve it, and you've solved nothing.
I couldn't disagree more. The "linchpin" is not Israel, but the failure of the Muslim world to modernise. Globalization has put our success into their faces, and large segments are crying "What enemy did this to us?" The linchpin is the armed doctrine of totalitarian militant Islam.
Israel is the outpost of the hated West, the sure-fire button every dictator and demagogue can push, it's an identity thing. It aggravates everything but is not the original cause.
Bin Laden didn't even care about Palestine until his post 9/11 tapes, he just added it to the list of grievances for public consumption. His real grievance was always the presence of American troops in Saudi Arabia. If Israel was his main message, 9/11 would have been attempted in Tel Aviv, not New York and Washington.
No, Al Quaeda isn't at war for Israel. Algeria hasn't lost 130,000 people in a civil war with the Islamists because of Israel. Saddam Hussein didn't invade Kuwait or gas the Kurds because of Israel. The Ayatollahs didn't take over Iran because of Israel. The Taliban didn't take over Afghanistan because of Israel. The Saudis aren't exporting fanatical Wahabbism to every corner of the Muslim world because of Israel.
Israel is far, far from the main problem over there. Israel is the original cause only of its own conflict with the Arabs, not all the other problems of the region. Israel just provides a wonderful scapegoat and diverter of attention. |
