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Strategies & Market Trends : John Pitera's Market Laboratory -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Hawkmoon who wrote (11418)	1/20/2009 8:32:39 PM
From: ajtj99	2 Recommendations Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 33421

Hawkmoon, there are people in Palestine who have moderate views, but they are drowned out by the extremist wings who respond the the endless eye for an eye circle of violence more to the liking of the oppressed masses. Hamas was taking care of the welfare of the people far better than the corrupt Fatah, and that's why they won the elections. The US government likes democracy, but only the right kind apparently. If you're a democratically elected extremist, you're out of luck. We saw it in Palestine as well as in Algeria a decade or so earlier. Hamas was undermined by the US lack of recognition, and they were also isolated internationally. While they are militant, they were in a position to negotiate. I think some guy called Reagan even said something like peace through strength at one time. Lots of the Hamas people are crazy, but they're also not stupid. I also seem to recall a guy named Menacham Begin blowing up the King David Hotel, and that didn't seem to stop him from becoming Prime Minister of Israel, so neither group is clean on the terrorism thing. The problem is simple and easy to solve if people want to do it. Return to all pre 1967 borders, make Jerusalem an international city like the Vatican with the historic four boroughs divided, get rid of all the settlements in the West Bank, and have all displaced 1948 families given a lump sum of between $50,000 and $100,000 to compensate for their loss and a similar amount to settlers who need to be moved. The Palestinian money would come from the Arab League maybe with help from Europe and the Israeli money would come from the US. There would be no right of return, and Palestine would be allowed to control its borders and police its populace, but not to have a standing army. The benefits from peace would be immense. Tourism would grow, agriculture would increase, education would increase, and industry would evolve. The larger issue of the fundamentalist Islamic theocracy and their sponsor of militia like Hezbollah is a direct result of the fall of communism. Prior to the fall, Marxism was a viable alternative to democracy, monarchy, and dictatorship. Once Marxism was on the decline, the populist government options were basically reduced to democracy until Islamic Theocracy came about in the Iranian revolution. That philosophy has replaced Marxism as the populist alternative to democracy, which is seen as the bastion of the West. As long as the economies of the Middle East are oil welfare states or socialist welfare states the Islamic theocracy will remain the most viable alternative government in the opinion of the masses there, IMO. We need to remember we've had rule of law governing us for close to a millenium, and most of the Middle East is a little over a century removed from tribal living. You can't change cultures overnight. I think the Middle East will need to go through a painful period of revolutions as the kingdoms are dismantled in the peak oil end game. Communism took over 70-years to cave, and a similar life span would give the Islamic theocracy about another 40-years until it implodes completely. Maybe I should get a job with the State Department <G>