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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group
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To: Hawkmoon who wrote (22640)3/30/2002 9:55:48 AM
From: Dayuhan  Read Replies (2) of 281500
 

...displays just how arbitrary the geographic boundaries are, with regard to respecting the national interests of various cultures.

The notion that borders could be arranged and populations shuffled to suit the whims of the colonial powers was one of the more self-serving conceits of the imperial age. It has also played a part in many of the most intractable conflicts of the post-imperial age.

In many ways, the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians is a direct outgrowth of this phenomenon. The notion that one could simply take a group of people and move them to a different place, completely ignoring the desires of the people who already lived there, is really pretty astonishing by todays standards. It fits right in, though, with the basic Imperialist mindset that prevailed in Europe during the early years of Zionism.

Unfortunately, many things that seemed simple during those days turned out not to be so simple, and an awful lot of people are still paying the price, many generations later.

Note on Iraqi demographics:

80-85% Arab, 97% Muslim. These numbers deserve consideration by people who aren't worried about who succeeds Saddam because they think nothing could be worse. Does anyone think it likely that the Islamist political ideology will not be a significant force in a post-Saddam Iraq?
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