In the US, fear-mongering about the "War on Terror" is causing the US to forget the ideals that we used to live by and which could stand as an example for the World. Hating us is equally powerful. We can be hated for what we are, for what we do, and for what we don't do. We have committed acts which are not consistent with the values we espouse, and are hated as a consequence. Many of the terrorist leaders we know of or have captured have been educated members of the Islamic middle class. This was also true of the leaders of the infant Communist Party. An educated person knows history and can build great resentment over the "success" of the Western World, as compared to the Islamic World; particularly when history teaches that these roles were once reversed. We have done many things that have made us hated. The occupation of Iraq is one example, and the abuses of Human rights in places like Abu Graeb and Guantanamo further weaken our moral authority. An example of something we have not done, of late, is actively work to broker an equitable settlement of the Six-Days War, including the right to existence of the State of Israel.
The best intelligence estimates I have seen hold that, outside of Iraq, there are about 125,000 islamic terrorists bent on actually doing something. Yet, we continue to pursue policies that are alienating over one and a quarter billion Muslims throughout the World in the interests in acting tough to get those 125,000. Who knows how many there are in Iraq. From a handfull before our "liberation", there are now tens of thousands of Iraqis quite prepared to do violence to Americans. I am reminded of the US Battallion Commander who remarked after the first "liberation" of Fallujah: "Every time I kill one, I make two more." I think that Prime Minister Meir's construct is very useful as guidance for our actions: Will an action cause greater prosperity for the Arab or Iranian street? Will it enhance the notion the America is that "Bright shining city on a hill" that Ronald Reagan referred to? Or, will an action cause more people to hate us?
Prime Minister Meir was criticized after the Yom Kippur War for not striking preemptively. She said--correctly, according to Henry Kissneger--that if Israel had struck preemptively; it would not have received aid from the US and the rest of the International Community. The US struck Afganistan in self defense and received the aid of the World Community. The US struck Saddam preemptively, and has had little support from the World Community. The actions of our current Government have ignored the basic idea behind the Meir Construct, with the current disasterous results. Many criticized our current President's father for not going on to Baghdad. His wisdom, and that of his Foreign Policy Team is now apparent. Clearly, we must capture or kill terrorists. But we must pursue this objective tempered with attention to the idea behind the Meir quote. If we don't, then just as in Vietnam, we can win every battle and still lose the war. I am a second-tier candidate not receiving any support from the DCCC running against a first-term incumbent that has voted against Net Neutrality, Mike McCaul. You can read about me on my website Here and Contribute Here. You can also learn a lot from googling my name and looking at past Kos Diaries.
