Ted Re...Tim, first of all its not a war in the traditional sense of the word but rather a police action on the part of Israel. <<<<<<<<<<<
And it was that kind of thinking that got the twin towers destroyed. Clinton had several chances to do what GW did and root out terrorism at its source. But all of the semantics did him in. Leaders don't necessarily make opportunities as much as take advantage of them. Clinton waffled, Gw took decisive action in Afghanistan,. You aren't going to get rid of violence in the middle east just by eliminating Palestine; just as granting Israel statehood didn't stop violence against the Jews. Palestine is the knife, the other Arab states use to stab Israel. Take away the knife, and Iran or Iraq will just use another weapon. This has been going on throughout history, not just the last 50 yrs since Israel was founded.
How do we stop it. Wars have been fought all over this planet since humans first took over. What makes us think Sharon has the ability to stop this one. He hasn't the power. But the US and the UN do; by getting the middle east to rise up above religious wars and nationalism. To do that, we need to establish an Arab trading block which will improve the life of everyone in the region. Afghanistan would be a good start. Now that we have defeated Taliban, we need to follow up with the hard part, and install a democracy, with a strong national gov. and police force. And give them enough money, as we did with the Marshall plan in Europe; to rebuild a country with a vibrant economy. Now isn't the time to get cheap. Secondly, give both Iran and Iraq a deal they can't refuse, to make them accept the Saudi peace initiative or else. Take away the outside influences, Israel and Palestine might be able to live in peace. There is no oher way. |
