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: Keith Feral who wrote (198573)	8/22/2006 3:15:28 PM
From: Hawkmoon	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

It's amazing that interMuslim violence is permitted by the Shiites and Shia clerics. Permitted? Hell, it's encouraged, at least by the militant ones. It bears attention to understand that Islam is not a particularly structured heirarchical religion along the lines of Catholicism. It's a religion of interpretation and populist politics. Religious clerics gain "credibility" by attracting more adherents to their particular interpretations. While there are 4 primary "schools" of Islamic interpretation, within these schools are various levels ranging from pacifist to militant. Thus, it is these militant clerics who are willing to rely upon their militant charisma and populist agenda to coerce and undermine their more moderate rivals. And some of these folks, like the Muqtada Al Sadr variety, don't even have the religious credentials to warrant scholarly recognition by more respected religious clerics. Recall when MAS attempted to seize Najaf while Al-Sistani was in London, allegedly for a heart condition. His forces were defeated by coalition troops, but the ULTIMATE defeat for him was when Al-Sistani suddenly returned and "put down the law" (because so many Iraqi Shi'a follow him). And this is why I believe that militant clerics are just as guilty as any operational terrorist cell leader. These militant clerics are the inspiration and recruiting arms of these terrorist groups. In other words, how can the Saudis say the missiles launched by Israel to obliterate the target sending out missiles from the other side was disproportionate? I would think IDF could justify most of their missile targets using data showing they were only bombing targets that were attacking them, a direct form of self defense. In the realm of international PR, they can assert anything they want. They can claim that Hizbullah is just a "resistance group" against Israeli imperialism, or that they are the vanguard of a Jihadist offensive to restore Jerusalem to muslim control and re-establishment of the Caliphate. Anything than acknowledging that a Muslim is actually guilty of naked aggression, rather than merely a victim with the right of self-defence. And I agree that, had this war in Lebanon been fought with older technology, it would have been far bloodier for both sides. As for giving Israel the "green light" the people responsible for this is Hizbullah leadership. We really have no right, on an international level, to deny ANY NATION the legitimate right of self-defense against unprovoked aggression. I personally believe that killing 8 Israeli soldiers, and kidnapping 2 others, is representative of Hizbullah leadership losing THEIR heads and miscalculating on a greivous scale. Because what have they actually achieved? Israeli troops are on Lebanese soil again. They have lost control over much of the border from which they commit their attacks. They have lost much of their rocket inventory, and the rest is likely to eventually be confiscated by the Lebanese army. They are paying out some $150 million in reparations to people living in the region, and the Lebanese army has been strengthened as guarantor of Lebanon's soveriegnty. And the UNIFIL force presence in the region is going to increase and possibly have a direct mandate to disarm them. Yeah, they are enjoying their current moment in the "limelight", but will they really be able to maintain their ability to dictate terms in S. Lebanon? The jury is still out, IMO. Hawk