Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Bilow who wrote (16933)	1/21/2002 4:00:54 PM
From: Nadine Carroll	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

(1) US making nice-nice with Iran. Not much lately. The Karine A caper did not impress the US, nor the reports of Iran smuggling out Al Quaeda fighters from Afghnistan. The US hoped to support the 'moderates', but all available evidence says the mullahs are still in control there. (2) US allies prevented action against Iraq. Check out the latest issues of Newsweek and the NY Post. They both say that a Bush administration consensus has developed: we're going into Iraq to change the regime. No sign of disengagement there. (3) US and Saudis making hints about pulling US troops out. This one I grant you. This is the Saudis' doing. On the other hand, if the US-Saudi relationship goes down the tubes, we won't pay much attention to their wishes, whether we engage or disengage. It is thanks to listening to them the last time that Saddam is still in power. (4) Israelis and Palestinians both getting bad press. Check out the latest Economist (not a major source of sympathy for Israel economist.com. Arafat is on the ropes. Bush isn't talking to him, PA ministers are complaining that the Arabs are ignoring him (http://www.jordantimes.com/Mon/news/news2.htm), and Sharon has a yellow light, if not a green one. The Israelis just took back Tulkarm -- do you hear a big fuss about it? I don't. The Palestinians are getting bad press in quarters where they as the 'underdogs' usually get good press. As for Israel getting bad press, that's a constant, so it's not evidence one way or the other. More importantly, Israel is getting good press where it counts -- from the White House, the Defense Department, and wonder of wonders, the State Department. It is an Israeli dream that when the Arab nations all become moderate and Democratic the issue with the Palestinians will go away. I doubt that this will happen. It won't go away. But it will become a border struggle between the Israelis and Palestinians. That's resolvable, assuming the Palestinians ever get a leader who is able to compromise. As long as the neighbors keep pouring gasoline onto the fire because they need the Zionist bogeyman for internal political reasons, it's much less resolvable. And while militant Islam is in ascendancy, it's not a border struggle at all, but an existential conflict. That's not resolvable at all, save by Israeli national suicide, which they don't intend to commit. As far as Bahrain's attitude towards Israel and the Palestinians, why not look on their .gov web site? It takes practice to tell standard Arab rhetoric and boilerplate from real positions. They pay lip service aplenty to the cause of Palestine and the poor, suffering Palestinians. But the Arab League has publicly said that the Israel/Pal conflict is not top priority now, Mubarak is pissed as hell at Arafat and won't talk to him, the Saudis and the Syrians are consumed with their own problems. Nor are the other Arab leaders going to throw themselves into the breach when Arafat has caused so many of his own problems and completely alienated the US administration, which was willing to support "Palestine" if Arafat moved against terrorism.