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

To: Dayuhan who wrote (22643)	3/30/2002 10:41:47 AM
From: Hawkmoon	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

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. Well, I believe that's a given Steven... After all, the British and French defeated the Ottomans for a reason, and had EVERY self-interest in ensuring that the former Turkish empire was divided, bordered, and governed in such a manner as to prevent it from becoming a future threat to their own geographical, economic, and political interests. They placed their "favored" allies in position of control over these arbitrarily created states. For them to do otherwise would have been contrary to their interests and potentially created the possbility of future threats to their own empires. The converse would also have been the case, had the Turks defeated the British and French. And when I ask about what qualifies as a Palestinian "nation", I'm trying to identify those qualities which make Palestinians unique from other ethnicities in the region. Such differences could be cultural, linguistic, or political. When performing a comparison and contrast to the United States, it's evident that while our founding fathers shared a mutual ethnic background (anglo-saxon), it was the ideals they brought about through our constitutional form of government, unique at the time amongst a world ruled by the "divine right of kings" which have provided the foundation of the American national identity. I don't see this with the Palestinians. In fact, I have trouble recognizing anything within the term "palestinian nation" that assists me in distinguishing who is, and who is not, a Palestinian. Which is why I'm asking others out here to help me out in trying to present a perspective of what exactly identifies a "Palestinian". Does a Syrian and Jordanian qualify as a Palestinian? Does a Jew, born in the region, qualify? Hawk