It is not easy in these days to have a coherent and sensible opinion about world affairs. Today, I heard some excerpts of an interview of "Bachar Al Assad". I was amazed to hear him say that the violence going on in Iraq is a legitimate resistance, except for the acts that kill civilians ...

   What does resistance mean in the current situation in Iraq? What could be its objectives? To get the US soldiers out? that is the stupidest thing that can be done, for that will simply make things worse in Iraq, and make the world even more open to terrorism that it is today. The US war on Iraq was wrong, and it should never have happened. But now that there is no longer any order or stability in there, if the US leaves, it will simply make the place worse, and let the criminal terrorist groups think they can do as they wish all around the world. The responsible attitude would be to try and bring back some legitimacy to the situation, and work on a mid term stability plan that will leave Iraq at the end free of foreign forces. That needs to include an increasing international involvement, especially by the Arab and Muslim countries, and a smooth slow process of democratizing the country so that it can stand up by itself again.

   Another issue I see as total madness is that of the war on Terror. There are quite a few issues there that are simply dealt with in a totally stupid manner. The very first of those is to think that unorganized, spread all over the place gangs can be fought in a war... I have no military experience, but I simply think there is some analogy to a situation where an army is fighting against a militia that has spread all over a desert. Does it sound sensible in that situation to airbomb each individual militia person? The right way to go about it is to cut the ties between the militia and the population, so that they find no support and they can then be fought by all... The same applies to the Terrorists. I don't believe that anybody in the world really supports the acts of those groups, and that the main issue is that a big part of the world is feeling targetted, so they think that it is a good tactic to ally with those that are fighting their enemy... The only way Terrorism is going to be defeated is to fight the root issues that make the arabs and muslims feel targeted today. The war on Iraq was a huge mistake, in that it made sensible people feel their families are not safe. The main conflict that had prepared the world to the current madness is the Israeli-Palestinian situation. If the world was to deal with that situation in a just manner, there would be very little animosity among the muslims against the US, and the terrorists would have no hatred to build upon. The war on Iraq, at the same time as the Israeli government is trying to violently crush the palestinians with full support from the US has only made everything worse.

   I think that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a very difficult one to solve, but that it simply cannot be solved by trying to impose a resolution from the US. The Jews and the Arabs are cousins, and they both belong to that land. The only way anyone can be of help there is for him to be distant and neutral, mediating so that the cousins start talking real talk... It is never the job of the mediator to start saying who is right and who is wrong, and it is never from the outside to even form a knowlegeable opinion about what is really happening. The mesiator has also to be acceptable to both parties, and to be that, he needs to be totally neutral, not an ally of one side.

   Instead, the US has the exact opposite behavior, which makes the muslims feel as if the US is against them, and thus they view it as their enemy that needs to be defeated. When both the Isrealis and the Palestinians will understand that they just have to talk with each other and find some way to live together (I don't care if it is in the same country or in two separate countries, they still need each other, and will never survive unless they get their differences sorted out), then the situation will be much better in the whole world.

   What the US can do for their Israeli and Arab friends, is to have a longer term vision, and understand that being against Israel today can mean helping them solve the problems they are facing. The US should use its influence in takin a position against all parties until they sort out the problem, so that they all feel compeled to make a courageous effort. As long as the Israelis think they are in a stronger position than the Palestinians, and that the Palestinians think that their weak position doesn't allow for a just solution, the Israelis will try to use their force to kill the problem, and the palestinians would use hopeless means - including terror - the same way a hopeless person can commit suicide...

   Both parties should be brought to think that it is equally impossible to win by violence, and that none has any advantage. Then they will both think seriously about peace, and that is all that is needed to solve the problem.

   The madness needs to stop, and the people of earth need to realize how stupid all of this is. I for myself feel that countries have no meaning, and that race, religion, borders, and all other stupid means of making a person think he is different than the next guy is dumb, and that it is making life worse for us and for our children. I dream of a day when there will be no more nations, no more races, but just a happy crowd of humans living in peace all around the globe.

4/28/2004 8:11:51 PM UTC