Middle East Musings
Oh my! I have had several people ask my opinion on the crisis in the Middle East, which is somewhat comical –asking me for my opinion definitely not what’s happening with Lebanon and Israel.
I think it’s weird that suddenly the “made by” label is of such significance. One pundit actually said that HazbAllah does not make weapons, the Iranians, dealers in death (or words to that effect) made weapons.
Doh!
Don’t we make weapons? Do all those that make weapons bear the label of “dealers in death” or would that only be affixed to people we don’t like?
Everyone keeps looking at Lebanon as the purveyors of this latest incident, but I think that isn’t necessarily true. I just don’t want to get into who started what because I don’t know enough of the history and history is so important in this area, as are customs, traditions and religion. To start throwing out information like I have some working understanding of the Israeli or Lebanese or Syrian or Iranian culture would be insulting to everyone.
But isn’t that kind of what we did with Iraq?
Ignored the intricacies of culture, the complications of civilizations that have existed for thousands of years? Wasn’t that the biggest mistake we made, from the vantage point of hindsight?
The way I see it, we should be going in there with others from the EU, the UN whomever will go in with us, and start using our relationship with Israel to calm this down. Syria and Iran do not want to be dragged into this, as they are first to get fingered the minute there is unrest anywhere, but I believe that their more extreme factions will start swaying the moderates upon further devastation to Lebanon. I think that the Arab world can crush Israel, and restraint has been exercised thus far because they are wary of the relationship that Israel has with the US. But indicators are showing that the US is stretched, with a huge investment of its military bogged down in Afghanistan and Iraq. I think that the more rhetoric that comes out of Israel regarding this not being about the soldiers anymore and this being about getting rid of HazbAllah, the more the Arab nations are going to bond together in the belief that the countries that put parties into positions power are the ones that should remove them, not external forces. We wouldn’t much care for that would we? Although there are times that I think that’s what it’s going to take to get rid of our own national scourge a.k.a the Neocons. But I pretty much know for a FACT that I wouldn’t like who they put in to replace the overthrown regime in this country, so I don’t opt for that!
Also, much as I and most of the west do not like being called freakin’ infidels, I don’t think that Arab countries much appreciate being called terrorists. The labeling and name-calling is like, so middle school, y’all! Enough!
We need to get out of the bleachers on the side of Israel, don a striped shirt, white pantaloons, white socks, grab a whistle, a couple of flags, a yellow and a red card and get in the middle of the field.
Time to be ref, guys.
Or better yet, time to stand between the two parties and play Solomon.
Who’s got a baby we can cut in half?
Anyone…anyone?
Oh my! I have had several people ask my opinion on the crisis in the Middle East, which is somewhat comical –asking me for my opinion definitely not what’s happening with Lebanon and Israel.
I think it’s weird that suddenly the “made by” label is of such significance. One pundit actually said that HazbAllah does not make weapons, the Iranians, dealers in death (or words to that effect) made weapons.
Doh!
Don’t we make weapons? Do all those that make weapons bear the label of “dealers in death” or would that only be affixed to people we don’t like?
Everyone keeps looking at Lebanon as the purveyors of this latest incident, but I think that isn’t necessarily true. I just don’t want to get into who started what because I don’t know enough of the history and history is so important in this area, as are customs, traditions and religion. To start throwing out information like I have some working understanding of the Israeli or Lebanese or Syrian or Iranian culture would be insulting to everyone.
But isn’t that kind of what we did with Iraq?
Ignored the intricacies of culture, the complications of civilizations that have existed for thousands of years? Wasn’t that the biggest mistake we made, from the vantage point of hindsight?
The way I see it, we should be going in there with others from the EU, the UN whomever will go in with us, and start using our relationship with Israel to calm this down. Syria and Iran do not want to be dragged into this, as they are first to get fingered the minute there is unrest anywhere, but I believe that their more extreme factions will start swaying the moderates upon further devastation to Lebanon. I think that the Arab world can crush Israel, and restraint has been exercised thus far because they are wary of the relationship that Israel has with the US. But indicators are showing that the US is stretched, with a huge investment of its military bogged down in Afghanistan and Iraq. I think that the more rhetoric that comes out of Israel regarding this not being about the soldiers anymore and this being about getting rid of HazbAllah, the more the Arab nations are going to bond together in the belief that the countries that put parties into positions power are the ones that should remove them, not external forces. We wouldn’t much care for that would we? Although there are times that I think that’s what it’s going to take to get rid of our own national scourge a.k.a the Neocons. But I pretty much know for a FACT that I wouldn’t like who they put in to replace the overthrown regime in this country, so I don’t opt for that!
Also, much as I and most of the west do not like being called freakin’ infidels, I don’t think that Arab countries much appreciate being called terrorists. The labeling and name-calling is like, so middle school, y’all! Enough!
We need to get out of the bleachers on the side of Israel, don a striped shirt, white pantaloons, white socks, grab a whistle, a couple of flags, a yellow and a red card and get in the middle of the field.
Time to be ref, guys.
Or better yet, time to stand between the two parties and play Solomon.
Who’s got a baby we can cut in half?
Anyone…anyone?
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