Letters to the Editor
-
Israel is happy...
I guess I'm regurgitating old stuff, but I'll say it anyways..
1) Democrats will never say a word against the power of the Israel lobby influencing these war making decisions. They love the Jewish vote too much to say anything and plus they have that despicable Tom Lantos and other nutjobs who will never let Dem party say anything against Israel. Not that the Dem would ever say anything even without Tom Lantos and Feinstein and Nadler etc
2) Israel and US are perfectly happy to see the Sunnis and Shias duke it out in a genocidal fashion. After all less arabs = less opposition to Israel.
3) I dont see why Mr. Kamiya is getting all worked up about this arms deal. So what?! this is how US has operated. Why does he think any American politician will even attempt to learn anything from this?
-
No Clue
Bush's regime has never shown the slightest aptitude for geopolitics. Remember the bumbling bluster against China that blew up in the US' face once the Chinese were holding American airmen captive? The neoconservative obsession with burning down Russian-American relations over the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty even in the absence of any actual missile threat? Bush was already marching American influence off a cliff well before the September 11 debacle and the ensuing madness.
One would have expected some kind of entrenched, organized opposition from within the national political class over the past 7 years simply on the basis of this persistent, fundamental incompetence. Yet the irrational myth of Republican prowess in foreign policy, and the equally irrational but dismayingly stubborn fear of Democrats to aggressively engage the nation on these issues, seem largely intact no matter how hard Bush's people fall.
-
Saudi Arabia is moderate?
They behead homosexuals. Women can't drive. Music is illegal. No elections. The only thing that makes them moderate is they sell us a lot of cheap oil. Iran, which is a relatively well-functioning democracy (with music and women-powered cars!) is 'extremist' because they aren't pro-American. Bush just wants the middle east, including Israel, on a permanent war-footing. Peace is bad for business.
-
Why
Does the author call the countries in the region by their names - Kuwait, Oman, Iran, Lebanon, Egypt and so on but follow Israel with the title "the Jewish State"? Why not follow the name Saudi Arabia, whose constitution details Sha'aria as the law of the land, with the moniker "the Muslim State"?
Lets keep things professional, use official names on an equal basis and drop the monikers, can we?
Other than that, I am not a fan of Americas policy in the region but the subject can't be properly served in a letter, or even in a two page article. I think Kamiya tries to do too much here and spends too much time quoting cherry picked authors rather than really analysing the situation. Then again, I don't believe he is qualified to do so.
-
Speaking of weapons deals..
Did you hear how the Italian police broke up a deal where Iraq was going to buy weapons w/o US knowledge?
Iraq gets gobs of weapons from the US, but they'd prefer to get them thru the Mafia. They probably trust them more.
The mafia or the US government -- who do you trust more?
I know, I know. You need some time to think about it.
-
whipt
Nice to see Kamiya getting his stroke back.
-
Tangled? Or stuck on stupid?
Until the Americans wise up and become a good deal less impressed with American militarism exporting and the intention to sway the recipients of that militarism to see things as the Americans prefer this cycle will continue to lead to bad/unwanted blowback outcomes for the Americans in the ME.
It is plain to see that whatever better knowledge or possible insight was made available after the Shah was forced to leave Iran due to his inept rule(which the Americans backed) the Americans took away from that major ME event some very flawed conclusions and learned terribly little.
During the 1980's the Americans continued to draw and play the wrong cards over and over. With Israel. With Iraq. In Lebanon.
When Saddam read his tea leaves the wrong way and invaded Kuwait the Americans ended up having to confront the monster they had fed and unleashed happily during the 1980's against Iran.
Getting lucky with how that backfiring affair turned out the Americans decided to unwind Saddam and to do that turned Iraq into a free fire zone of/for civilian suffering,reversed economic outcomes all brought on by the worst of sanctions.
Israel meanwhile was greenlighted again and again by the Americans to do what it pleased in Lebanon and to take what it wanted when it wanted from Arab Palestine.
That is normal,standard official/unofficial American policy for/with Israel.You say not so? Ok...fairplay rules then...show/prove this to not be so.
The sanctions against Iraq surely proved to be very harsh in effect on the general Iraqi civilian population and WashDC did not seem ever very upset about any of that either.
Meanwhile the Americans during the 1980's and 1990's just kept importing more ME crude and burning it up faster.
When 9/11/2001 morning arrived the Americans were fully not expecting what by 12 noon California time had taken place back east. It was however not an attack sourced in Iraq. It came from a relatively unknown source. Several of those involved in flying those passenger carrying jetliners into the WTC towers or the Pentagon building in WashDC were Saudi Arabians.
So what did the Americans do over the next few days?
Saudi Arabians in the US were given abnormal considerations and cleared to leave the US unimpeded.
Who did the Bush/Cheney regime decide during 2002 to attack?
Saddam and Iraq.
Israel? The Israelis hijacked the Americans GWOT and used it to further already longplaying Israeli desires to expunge Arab Palestine.
The Bush/Cheney regime went into Iraq in March 2003 and now four years(easily will become five years) later is fully bound by its stupidity in having done so heedlessly,recklessly and with/in full disregard of the downside consequences.
Now it would seem it is the Iranians turn to suffer from American ME stupidity/arrogance/ignorance(SAI).
I can wait to find out how this American ME SAI turns out but sadly may not get to wait long.
The Great American V.P. Richard Cheney will likely ensure that it is/becomes a short wait.
So...pumping more American militarism into the ME seems to be where we are here in mid 2007.
Israel? Having derailed the latest Arab Palestinian political process( legal elections held,voters vote,Israel does not like who won so blow up results sums it up ) during which the Americans (the Agents of ME Democracy Spread don'cha know?) help Israel in small and large ways blow up Arab Palestinian legitimate vote process turnout and outcome. Huh? You may scratch your head over that if you wish.Confused? It is confusing.Or just apply SAI here and move on.
Maybe WashDC should just cut to the chase and declare all ME oil to be under American military/economic jurisdiction.
Declare Israel to be fully empowered to expunge Arab Palestine and send the Arab Palestinians packing into refugee status or stay and be killed off.Israels choice alone.
Americans will support Israels choice. As per American rules in place today.
Iraq? American garrison state. Iran? American garrison state.
Saudi Arabia?Egypt?Arab Gulf states? Bastions of American ME Militarism.Unless/until they should choose wrong.
Should they choose wrong then they too become American garrison states.
Big hint...be careful to not choose wrong.Running afoul of American SAI brings on truly SAI consequences from Americans.
Israel only ME nation allowed (Americans do allow this)to have atomic weapons or to imply/threaten use of atomic weapons.
When and against whom it picks as it sees fit. Call it the Israeli Nuke 24/7/365 Threat.
Oh...umm...wait...ok...Israeli Nuke 24/7/365 Threat is in place already. Ummm...ok...Americans can make it official then.
All other ME nations? Submit.Or suffer.
See Iraq (American version) or Lebanon(Americans Israeli proxy version)for what happens when submission is not made in timely or convincing fashion.
Upcoming American/Israeli ME demonstration of/for what happens when "wrong" submission choice is made?
The "or suffer" part.
Iran.