Thru Other Eyes

Life Outside The Tunnel - Part III

It's surprising and can even be transformational when we look outside the tunnel often imposed on how we see the world. Our over-reliance on mainstream media is not only limiting but it may sometimes create more distortion than clarity. Nowhere is this more apparent or important than when it comes to the Middle East and the misunderstandings between the West and the Muslim world. In this installment I would like to turn our attention to the conflict with Iran.



An alternative way forward with Iran

John Bryson Chane, the Episcopal Bishop for the diocese of Washington, D.C. wrote about his recent discussions in Iran with Iranian academic and religious leaders "who are very concerned about the possibility of a US military incursion against their homeland." Given the failure of traditional diplomacy, the Bishop makes a plea for a new creative parallel path of diplomacy:

"A new 21st century understanding of Track II diplomacy, initiated through theological diplomacy, must go hand-in-hand with the formal diplomatic search for the peace that has always been at the centre of the Holy Books of both Christianity and Islam."

He believes

Life Outside The Tunnel - Part II

In order to participate in the democratic process we need to be informed. Unfortunately limits of time and the tunnel vision that mainstream media creates rarely allow us to see the broader picture. This can lead to a lack of understanding and even worse to dangerous misconceptions. When it comes to the Middle East and relations with the Muslim world, our tunnel vision is a true recipe for bad policy and missed opportunities.



In the second part of Life Outside The Tunnel I'd like to share a few more hopeful points of view and developments that you may have missed or had no chance to see.

Life Outside The Tunnel

Our impressions of the conflicts in the Middle East and the tensions between the West and the Muslim world are naturally shaped and limited by what we know. And what we know of these weighty global issues is pretty much limited by the inescapable and inevitable tunnel vision created by our primary source of information – the mainstream media.

For example: The last weeks have been as usual a mixed bag in the Middle East. Bush’s visit was a resounding victory for Israel, an embarrassing defeat for the Palestinians and further confirmation of America’s self-righteousness for the rest of the Arab world. The resolution of the conflict in Lebanon was a welcome respite for the Lebanese but perhaps has sown the seeds for more serious problems in the future. The announcement of back-channel talks between Israel and Syria is hopeful but already the two sides are now fighting out their positions in the media which can only serve to significantly reduce any prospects for eventual success. Egypt’s mediation efforts over a possible Gaza truce between Israel and Hamas seemed to have died a silent death amongst all the real death that continues.

In other words, the more things change, the more they seem to stay the same. Or do they? In today’s post I want to present a small tour of some hopeful things that may have been missed because they received such little and fleeting attention, or no attention at all, in the mainstream media. I hope this overview

The Emperor's New Clothes

Sometimes a picture is really worth a thousand words.....

60 Years

We can celebrate many things on this 60th anniversary of the founding of the modern day State of Israel. There is much to be thankful for. There is much that we have achieved. Israel has been the source of many innovations in the areas of water management and agriculture, science, medicine and technology. The country enjoys its own form of democracy and for many of its citizens it has created economic prosperity with an open and dynamic economy.

(NOTE: This article is somewhat longer than what I usually present here. For those who find it more convenient to read hard copy, you can download and print a copy at the end of the article.)

The fact that the state of Israel even exists, after thousands of years of Jewish statelessness,

War Games

Yesterday I read about a new weapons system Israel is deploying on the border with Gaza. Although I find any weapons system repugnant, this one made me especially stop and think about what happens when war becomes like a game.

According to Ynetnews, an Israeli news website from Yedioth:

"IDF deploys new anti-terror system around Gaza

"Army upgrades its capabilities in the Gaza region: New system combines camera, machine gun and enables IDF troops stationed in operations room to identify and fire at terrorists without risking themselves...

"The systems, which are equipped with a camera and a machine gun, enable soldiers to watch any activity that takes place near the fence and if necessary to fire at the push of a button. The new system will soon be officially declared "operational."

"We will be able to distinguish between terrorists and innocent civilians," another military official said."

There's just something about this new weapons system

Five Years Iraq

For me today, the only appropriate way to pause on the fifth anniversary, this fifth memorial for the war in Iraq is to have my thoughts with all those who have lost and given their lives in this war. So many lives and so many futures lost; it is a heavy burden we bear.

As I look at all the events around us today: the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, other trouble spots where war is waging, the elections in the USA, I think about our individual responsibility as citizens of democracies. Especially the responsibility we create when we send boys and girls, men and women, off to die and to kill.

Death of darkness, death of night,
Let me feel the warmth of your blinding light.
Heroes one, Heroes all.
They felt the haunting of Gabriel’s call.

You couldn't have died for sins unknown.
Perhaps for a sin I must call my own?
Why did we send you, did we do what’s right?
Whose war was this you left to fight?

Forgive me my brother, my mother, my father,
Forgive me my lover, my sister, my daughter and son,
Forgive me my silence, the love that I squandered,
I hold onto your pain, for I’ve let you down.

~ Thru Other Eyes

Our Brave Vets Speak Out - We Should Listen

Today marks the start of Iraq Veterans Against the War's 'Winter Soldier: Iraq & Afghanistan' event in Washington, D.C. You can follow the proceedings via the Web.

Inspired by the Vietnam Veterans Against the War's original Winter Soldier Investigation of 1971, Iraq Veterans Against the War are holding a similar event this weekend in Washington, D.C.

Regardless of how one feels about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan it is fundamentally important to respect those who have chosen in good conscious to serve their country in this way. Too many have paid the ultimate price with their lives and too many have come home as physically and psychologically shattered men and women.

The very least we can do is to listen to these courageous men and women who are bravely stepping forward to bear witness to the true horrors of the wars we have sent them to fight in.

From IVAW's website:

STOP THE INSANITY!

Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

~ Albert Einstein

Take a look at life over the cuckoo's nest and you too will get the feeling that the patients are running the asylum.....

Listen… Listen Close Enough to Hear… His Words Resonate As Loud As Ever

Monday, January 21, is Martin Luther King Day in the United States. I dedicated some time over the weekend to read and watch some of his speeches and to see a wonderful CNN special appropriately entitled MLK: Words That Changed a Nation.

Dr. King did indeed change a nation and it was primarily through his words that he catalyzed and led that change. The purity and incontrovertible truth of what he wanted to share with us, the absolute passion and humility with which he spoke and the magic oratory style he was a master of brought his concepts to life in a way that could not be ignored. And as I read and watched this weekend, I realized that those of us who care deeply about or are in whatever way involved in the conflict between Israel and Palestine need to hear his words as if for the first time. We need to understand as never before what Dr. King lived and died for.

Most people know his “I Have a Dream” and “I’ve Been to the Mountain Top” speeches. Fewer people may be familiar with one of his lesser known sermons from 1957, a Sunday church sermon that enunciated so clearly and so beautifully

Shall we continue to dance or shall we sit down and eat?

There has of course been an incredible amount said and written about Annapolis and the upcoming peace process. But everyone makes it so complex. It is actually quite a simple equation. If both parties truly want to see a peace deal then the terms of the deal are known. Everyone knows it in their heart but no one is brave enough yet to give up the song and dance and just get on with it.

For peace to be achieved, for peace to be successful and lasting, for peace to lead to regional stability and development, these are pretty much the only terms possible on the core issues, give or take:

Israel's Fear of Commitment?

Israel’s objection to America’s proposed UN resolution supporting the efforts to strive towards concluding a peace agreement in 2008, and its subsequent quick withdrawal, provides an interesting window into Israel’s emotional angst regarding the peace process. This angst was further underlined today when Prime Minister’s Olmert played down the chances and expectations of achieving a peace deal in 2008.

Like many over-testosteroned youngsters, Israel has a fear of intimacy and therefore commitment, not to some college sweetheart but rather to the peace process itself. This fear of commitment tells us several interesting things about the nation's mindset at this crucial juncture in Middle East history.

The first thing it lays bare

Where alternatives lie? Look within

NOTE: The service that issues my email updates has apparently malfunctioned and issued an email as if this article was newly (re)published. My excuses for the inconvenience as I do not want you to feel that I am 'spamming' your email address with old articles. I have asked the supplier to look into this problem as it has occurred a few times in the past. Thank you for your understanding. Lennybruce

A few days ago in Haaretz's (Israeli newspaper) forum there was a lively discussion about Israel's consideration to make Gazans pay for Quassam rocket attacks on Israel by shutting off Gaza's water and electricity. I was one of a few readers who made some comments about the appropriateness and legality of collective punishment of civilians. I identified myself as an Israeli veteran living in Amsterdam. Several readers posted angry and insulting reactions to my comments claiming that I could be neither Jewish nor Israeli; that I was a fraud and liar if I could have such thoughts. I took the unusual step of posting my weblog's address where anyone could see that I indeed was Jewish and an Israeli veteran. Several people found their way here and one person left behind the following comment on one of my articles about my experiences in Lebanon:

Hi there,
Came a cross of your post on Haaretz Talkback where you invited people to check if you were an Israeli. I took it as invitation and read your piece on Lebanon war. So what in your opinion should have been done differently? Do you think there should have been no invasion? All the thoughts that visited you and that you described (very well I should say) are not new. About stupidity and irrationality of war there are hundreds of books written for at least one century. I am sure you have read “Farewell to Arms”. There is another one that I like “THE GOOD SOLDIER SVEJK AND HIS FORTUNES IN THE WORLD WAR.” by Jaroslav Hasek. They both show the concept of stupidity and immorality of the war very well but they do not show the alternative. By the way what in your opinion should have been done last summer?

Ilya

This comment challenged me to write the following:

Alice in Wonderland – Down the rabbit hole and through the looking glass with President George Bush leading the way

America is in trouble. American democracy is in trouble. The country is being led by two men who have proven themselves to be totally unfit for their positions of responsibility and leadership. To the extent that their policies have had any benefit, either by circumstance or design, only a very small group of mainly privileged Americans have any reason to be happy with 7 years of Bush-Cheney. These two men have disappointed and betrayed the public trust in so many varied and serious ways.

If you were to take a look at

Two, four, six, eight, let’s go obfuscate

Obfuscate: To make so confused or opaque as to be difficult to perceive or understand
Synonyms:  camouflage, disguise, cloud, obscure

(click image to view full size)

I have always been disgusted by the term collateral damage especially when it is applied to the destroyed lives of totally innocent men, women and children. It is how we sterilize and de-humanize the horror of war. It is how we insulate ourselves from the gruesome consequences of the actions we actively support or facilitate by our inaction. It’s a word that soothes our individual and collective conscience and allows us to sleep at night. It’s how we replace the guiltless yet bloodied and mangled face of innocent death with a false mask of acceptability. It’s the sugar that helps the disgusting medicine of war go down.

In both the Afghanistan and Iraq wars

This madness has got to stop

Dear cousin,

This madness has got to stop. I can’t take seeing so much suffering and hopelessness eat its way through a whole people. I would say ‘enough’ regardless of which people was in this situation. But in this case they are my neighbors and they are my cousins. And if I can’t take seeing it any more, I can only begin to imagine how awful and terrifying it must be for you to have to live this seemingly endless human catastrophe.

For that reason alone,

40 years of wandering. Time to enter the Promised Land.

Dear cousin,

When I look around me and see what the last 40 years has brought us, since our war in June, 1967, I must confess I am very sad. But why should I feel today anything less or more or different than after 39 or 41 years. What’s in a number? What’s in this number?

Many important, even defining, biblical moments in Judaism involved the number 40. And I have just read that the prophet Mohammad had his first vision and revelations from the angel Gabriel at age 40 after fasting and praying for 40 days. Maybe we should not treat this 40 year anniversary as every one before, or God forbid, every one to come. After all, 40 seems to be a number of some spiritual importances to both of us.

The biblical importance of 40 got me thinking about our shared biblical origins: two narratives with one starting point and constant overlap. What we share now is mostly friction and conflict. Why? How did it all really start between us? What can we learn on this anniversary of when the last 40 years began?

The Time 100 - Part 1

You have probably noticed that Time magazine published this week their list of the 100 most influential people on the planet – the Time 100. Since I don’t subscribe to Time, I became aware of the Time 100 Friday while watching FoxNews’ morning show ‘Fox and Friends’. One of the hosts, Brian Kilmeade, was mocking the list as liberal media fare pointing out how incredulous it is that Osama Bin Laden populates the list while President George Bush does not. Of course that sufficiently piqued my curiosity to see exactly who was on the Time 100.

In going thru the 100 my overall impression was that with few exceptions (Bin Laden, Ali Khamenei and Omar Hassan al-Bashir for example) the list is one of hope and optimism. Although many of these 100 are reasonably to very well known, there are plenty that for me were not household names.

I have chosen for myself 5 themes out of this list,

hy·poc·ri·sy

I hope as much as anyone that the 15 British service people being held in Iran will be released unharmed as soon as possible. And I am sure that even if they are treated respectfully that this is a traumatic and harrowing experience. What we now have is a chess game between Iran and Britain and her allies. And although the statements from all sides are exactly what one would expect, when I listen to Tony Blair’s comments and those of his foreign secretary, Margaret Beckett, I can’t prevent one particular word from popping into my mind. And that word is ‘hypocrisy’.

Freedom Is In The Air

Next week Jews all over the world will celebrate the holiday of Passover or Pesah as we call it in Hebrew. The holiday is a celebration of freedom, both physical and spiritual, freedom from destitution and hunger, freedom from repression and freedom from hate - in other words the freedom to live with respect in dignity and peace. The events of the last few years, from the Middle East to Africa and Asia, to the Gulf Coast of America and sadly everywhere in between have made me realize one thing more then ever before: We can only truly be free when all peoples are free. Celebrate with me the hope for that glorious day when freedom in all its forms belongs to all people everywhere.

Freedom's In The Air

Will the Real Mr. Peanut Please Stand Up? Part II

As we have seen, both Bush and Ahmadinejad are devout religious fundamentalists who seem to be in some measure directed by their beliefs of what their respective Gods desire of them. But there are some interesting differences in how they exercise power.

Ahmadinejad does not have the absolute last word in his country. He is subject to the checks and balances inherent in the Iranian form of theocracy. In the first instance you have the Supreme Leader who does not hesitate to put Ahmadinejad in his place when necessary, for example just recently concerning the President’s shortcomings on economic policy. Ahmadinejad is also subject to the whims of the voters as recently demonstrated by the strong rebuke  his domestic policies received in his first mid-term. And it is no secret that large portions of the Iranian public are dissatisfied with Ahmadinejad’s unfulfilled promises to attack domestic problems. And in fact, several months ago a motion of impeachment was even introduced in the Iranian parliament.

Bush on the other hand

Will the Real Mr. Peanut Please Stand Up? Part I

When I think about Bush and Ahmadinejad I usually get two varying images in my head. Sometimes I see them as two nuts, two peanuts, two Mr. Peanuts if you will and sometimes I see Bush and Ahmadinejad as two peas in a pod. Since both the peanut and the pea are actually in the same family, I guess I could just think of them as two whacky and wild pea nuts.

But seriously, whatever image these two guys conjure up in your head, one reason why they have developed into such arch rivals, with an enmity that has become palpably personal, lies partially in the fact that they are actually quite similar. And maybe that’s why they just can’t seem to get along.

Both men are motivated by their deep religious convictions. As is well known,

The Narrative of Iraq

The most recent National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) from America’s sixteen intelligence agencies paints a bleak picture of the current situation in Iraq. The picture it sketches for the document’s future time horizon, 12 to 18 months, also provides little comfort. This current NIE contains almost every tragic narrative of today’s Iraq: the inability to establish any meaningful central governmental and security authority; the growing polarization, mistrust and antagonism between Iraq’s sectarian communities with its resulting violence, population shifts and middle and upper class emigration; the deepening and sharpening Shia – Sunni split in the broader Middle East.

Although each of these merits attention in its own right, these are stories that we are already too familiar with. There is one narrative in this NIE, that although not entirely new for many, has never been publicly recognized by the US administration. This narrative is a bleak one and is told in one sentence:

“Nevertheless, even if violence is diminished, given the current winner-take-all attitude and sectarian animosities infecting the political scene, Iraqi leaders will be hard pressed to achieve sustained political reconciliation in the time frame of this Estimate.”

When the President’s National Security Advisor,

Looking in Carter's Mirror

There has hardly been a book recently that has stirred up so much controversy as Jimmy Carter’s Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid. Although the book has been out since late November, it is still being reviewed by major papers, as recently as last Sunday in the New York Times, with an op-ed piece critiquing the book on Tuesday.  And of course it is still all the buzz in the blogosphere.

Many of the reviews take full swing at Carter’s pro-Palestinian perspective and the many “facts” that various reviewers claim are either not true or open to varying interpretations. Many reviewers bemoan the fact that Carter may have a hidden ‘Christian’ agenda. These areas of criticism all seem to be fair game in reviewing a clearly controversial and provocative book. And as we say in Dutch, “Tall trees catch a lot of wind.”

I have been intrigued by many comments and reviews that seem extremely emotional and in their emotionality approach or pass the limits of the logical and the nonsensical. Years ago, one of my mentors, or coaches or perhaps a psychologist taught me that if I have an exaggerated emotional reaction to something, that there is more to be learned by exploring my reaction than by exploring the thing that evoked the reaction.

The Decider decides... to wait

Yes the Decider has decided... to wait. The lack of urgency and the stalling is perhaps geared towards totally letting the ISG report fade from memory, or stems from a genuine blank regarding how to proceed or whom to listen to. Most likely it's a combination of those factors.

The ISG report shocked America with its candid and frightening assessment of the situation in Iraq. It created a sense of urgency that the President has worked hard to disarm. A full week after the report’s publication and polite reception by the President, he let us know he wouldn’t be rushed as he deliberates a new strategy. As the country anxiously waited for leadership, hope against hope,

A genuinely 'new way' forward in Iraq

Since the release of the Baker-Hamilton report, the discussions have gotten faster and more furious while moving no closer to any bipartisan or international consensus. In fact, the ISG report has pretty much come and gone, already overtaken by dynamics on the ground, both in Iraq and in Washington. The discussions in Washington are perhaps now overshadowing the ISG but still suffer from the flaws that made the ISG a still-born baby.

What have we seen since the release of the ISG? Bush still talks about not leaving before the job is done. Democratic representative John Murtha still wants to disengage as soon as possible while the Republican leader of the House, John Boehner says, “We will not accomplish victory by setting arbitrary deadlines or negotiating with hostile governments.” Senator McCain called the ISG a recipe that will bring us closer to defeat while Iraq’s President Talabani has called the report dangerous and insulting to Iraq’s sovereignty.  Massoud Barzani, the president of the northern Iraqi Kurdistan region, accused the commission of trying to impose the "wrong solutions" on the Iraqi people.

The general with day-to-day command of US troops in Iraq wants more time and money to create Iraqi jobs but sees no need for more troops.  Pentagon planners on the other hand appear ready to recommend a major infusion of additional troops to quell the insurgency in Baghdad while Iraq’s national security advisor wants US troops to leave Baghdad.

These fundamental disagreements have more to do with competing visions of the desired end game than how to best achieve an agreed-to objective. Without a clear destination any single road can be either good or bad depending on your perspective or agenda. Until all the players agree where they want to go with Iraq, we can never have a fruitful discussion about the best way to get there.

What’s desperately needed is

TOE's Take on the Baker-Hamilton Report

Iraq policy end of year clearance sale

Last week’s presentation of the Baker-Hamilton Iraq Study Group (ISG) report and the ensuing discussions remind me of the day after Thanksgiving in America. As you may know, that day marks the start of the holiday shopping season. With bated breath, hordes of shoppers swamp America’s malls and begin looking for gifts. And so the season continues up to and after the holidays, finally ending with the pandemonium of grand end of year clearance sales for all the leftovers in order to make room for the spring collections.

So too the ISG report. With pent up frustration and hopelessness over the war, America waited anxiously to see what wares Baker and Hamilton had to offer. The impact of this much anticipated report was made greater by the fact that it filled a long-standing policy vacuum making it basically the only shop in town with open doors. But instead of a high-quality upscale Iraq-policy shopper’s paradise, the ISG report is more like those tables with all the year end clearance items. And the effect is the same. The anticipation of the window display had us all lining up. But once inside,

Ghosts of Vietnam

Question: What's the difference between Iraq and Vietnam?
Answer: Bush had a plan to get out of Vietnam.

Bush’s trip to Vietnam provides a bizarre background to the troubles he faces, or rather created, in Iraq. For all the talk of the ‘thumping’ his administration got in the recent elections, the firing of Rumsfeld and talk of looking at Iraq with ‘fresh eyes,’ Bush and his administration still don’t get it.

Asked the inevitable questions regarding what lessons the experience in Vietnam offers for Iraq, Bush said, “We tend to want there to be instant success in the world, and the task in Iraq is going to take awhile… it's just going to take a long period of time for an ideology of freedom to overcome an ideology of hate. Yet, the world that we live in today is one where they want things to happen immediately.”

And then in perhaps the most puzzling comment possible in the context of Vietnam’s lessons for Iraq,

The White Man's Truth - follow-up

Yesterday’s post – ‘The White Man’s Truth’ – provided some good discussion and debate. Terms like colonialism, imperialism and post-colonialism were all introduced and as one commentator put it, “I am well aware of how influential post-colonialism is in Western (and Eastern, from the opposite direction) academic thought. But it's simply the wrong framework.”

I wasn’t attempting to create any framework for academic thought. Without going into a deep academic analysis, I was attempting to make the point that the Middle East has long been, and remains today, a power-playground for many outside powers and for many different reasons. The Crusades, the rule of the Ottoman Empire and the British and French Mandates are good examples. And out of the French and British mandates came the carving up of their respective mandate areas into the countries we have today in the Middle East, a carving up which was more geared to solidifying their respective spheres of influence than anything else.

Unfortunately perhaps for the residents of the Middle East, that area has long been and continues to be one of the most strategically vital areas of the world for other people.

The White Man's Truth

The events of the past week have been weighing heavy on my mind. The American elections, the ‘war on terror,’ events in Iraq and the horrible images from Beit Hanoun in Gaza all had me focused on the Middle East. The things I was reading and the comments I were exchanging this week on weblogs from Israel, Jordan, Palestine and Malaysia had me asking myself where does my anger and pain come from. And after some introspection I felt there was a bit of white man’s truth that needed to be said.

The way I was brought up by my parents and the values I absorbed from my Jewish cultural and religious education helped me develop a deep sensitivity to universal justice and fairness. About twenty years ago, I was attending my wonderful sister’s law school graduation. One of the last speakers, either the dean or the guest speaker, sent those fresh young lawyers from this socially progressive university off on their future paths with a powerful three-word admonition: “Agitate, agitate, agitate.”

That those words have so vividly stuck with me over twenty years is testimony to how deep they resonated with my own intense sense of justice and fairness. And when I look at events in the Middle East, especially those involving Israel and Palestine because of my own ties to that area, that sense of justice and fairness is inflamed and enraged.

What’s really going on the Middle East?

We Will Remember

We remember the nearly 3000 innocent souls who were killed on 9 11
We will not forget.

We remember the courage of the men and women of the emergency services.
We will not forget.

We remember the estimated 40,000 American people who are now sick and dying from the toxic wastes they were exposed to at ground zero, while their government insisted there was no danger and is slow to come to their aid.
We will not forget.

We remember the tens of thousands of men and women in uniform who have died or been injured since being sent to war by their governments.
We will not forget.

We remember the tens of thousands or more innocent souls who have been killed in Iraq and the untold numbers of those injured.
We will not forget.

We remember the political partisanship and manipulation, and the
half-truths and untruths that have been told by too many of our leaders.
We will not forget.

We remember the original world-wide solidarity with America after 9-11.
We will not forget.

We remember the heartbreaking loss of so many beautiful futures, the
loss of trust and faith and the loss of hope.
We will not forget.

WHEN TWO TRIBES GO TO WAR

You heard it here first! Bush's speech yesterday (see article below from 6 sept) apparently was inspired by one of King George's favorite music videos. In fact, rumours circulating on the Internet seem to indicate that he was taking notes while watching this video from 'Frankie Goes to Hollywood.' He is reported to have given the video to his speechwriters with a handwritten note, "Yeah, this is what I'm fucking talking about." Art imitating life imitating art? Take a look, its about 4 and a half minutes, and then you will have the essence of the whole speech in case you missed it yesterday.

"When two tribes go to war, one is all that you can score. When two tribes go to war, one is all that you can score"

Bush may not have struck fear into Bin Laden’s heart but he sure struck fear into mine

Todays speech was nothing less than Bush's Declaration of War of Survival versus Islam.

As I watched his speech to the Military Officers Association of America many cowboy images and cliches went through my mind: ‘Texas showdown,’ ‘Shootout at the OK Coral,’ ‘Alamo's Last Stand,’ ‘This town ain’t big enough for the two of us.’

But then I realized that the speech was so serious and alarming that I would just say it right out, "Declaration of War of Survival versus the Islam."  Although he will claim that he was talking about the terrorists only, his use of quotes, lack of balance or nuance and virulent tonality will leave the uninitiated viewer with the feeling that it is Islam we need to fear. And I believe that is Bush's intention.

My guess is, that Bin Laden may find the frenzy he has let loose in Bush quite satisfying, and actually playing right into his hands. Maybe he got Bush right where he wants him: painting Islam in the unnuanced, frightening, threatening, extreme and hysterical monochromatic hues of extreme terror.

Nothing was held back, no stone left unturned in his effort to awaken every possible sinew of deep fear for this unknown phenomenon called Islam. And let's be homest, most people know very very little about Islam.

This speech is going to be 'Introduction to Islam' for most of his audience: an extreme, one-sided, intentionally unnuanced 'Introduction to Islam'. An 'Introduction to Islam' which will instill holy Christian-Judaic fear into Bush’s followers. And that may be exactly what he is striving for, in the best case because of upcoming elections and in the worst case because of some upcoming war of grand and apocalyptic proportions.

Bush uses half of his 5500 word speech

Iran 2 - Say it ain't so Sam, say it ain't so

As the clouds of confrontation gather on the Iranian horizon, two odd coincidences come to mind. And they both have to do with the Bush - Cheney - Halliburton energy axis. Read and pass on to others...

Admittedly I may have grown a little cynical about the Bush-Cheney-neoconservative political-business axis and their grand plans to reshape the Middle East in their own image.

Coincidence #1, and perhaps only an incredible coincidence, but the Middle East is still one of the world’s most important energy baskets.

But can you blame me for some healthy cynicism? Remember the “slam-dunk” evidence of Iraq’s imminent danger, WMD programs and connections to international terrorism? Maybe that’s where my cynicism started. Maybe it comes from the fact that since the fall of Saddam, to put it mildly, things don’t yet seem to be going the way we were promised they would.

And the fact that the administration's current language and posturing on Iran are all too reminiscent of the run-up to the war in Iraq doesn’t help either. In fact, the similarities are quite scary. So I can’t help but ask myself, does the administration know what its doing? Perhaps they think they know exactly what they are doing but that’s just not quite the same as what they are telling us about what they are doing.

Could it all be about oil as the consipracy theorists and total cynics claim? Even I don’t believe that. I am sure its also about natural gas. No seriously, even though I don’t believe its all about the energy, one can’t hide from the fact that its got something to do with energy security, the business of energy and the business of business. The only question is how much.

Coincidence #2: Few people's lives, careers and networks are more connected and plugged into the energy business then those of Bush and Cheney. Perhaps that’s also just an incredible coincidence. In any case, that's two uncomfortable coincidences for me.

The popular singer Anastacia sings, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." And it was either Albert Einstein or the English novelist Doris Lessing who said, "Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous."

Both of those quotes, equally disturbing in this context, popped into my head today when I came across this bit of information in the recent Iran country report from the Energy Information Center, the official government office supplying energy statistics:

Iran 1 - The road from Beirut to Teheran

It’s no secret that just as one Middle East crisis is being contained between Lebanon and Israel, the next one, inter-related but also independent, is blossoming in Iran. I am quite frankly very frightened by the developing dynamics regarding this Iranian crisis. The world seems to be at a loss of how to deal with Iran, can find no consensus and demonstrates far too little subtle and insightful thinking into the complex Iranian mindset.

Oddly enough the inconclusive outcome of the war creates an opportunity in addressing the Iranian crisis according to this interesting op-ed piece in today's Beirut Daily Star, written by Habib Malik from the American University in Beirut. Malik does a good job of tracing the themes which start in Beirut and converge in Teheran. He stresses the importance of direct US-Iranian engagement in order to capitalize on this opportunity. This engagement theme is going to become subject of much debate in the coming months given Bush’s propensity for the ‘silent treatment’ as a foreign policy tool.

He opens his article with the Iranian theme:

Listen to this voice of Arab moderation

If you read yesterday’s essay ('America's Monologue'), you know I am not entirely convinced of America’s capacity to lead us through the crises in the Middle East. My advice is that “America should start seeking out and listening to other voices, especially Middle Eastern voices.” One voice that the West listened to and respected was that of the late King Hussein of Jordan. Although he is sorely missed in this hour of need, his brother, Prince Hassan bin Talal, is also a moderate and thoughtful man who always shared his brother’s genuine desire for peace.

Ha’aretz, one of Israel’s most influential newspapers, recently published a very interesting column from Prince Hassan. The Prince makes an eloquent plea to the West to listen more intently to her allies in the Middle East, writing in part,

Will Someone Interrupt America’s Monologue, Please

I probably read and watch too much news. I admit it. I probably read too many varying points of views on weblogs. I admit it. But today something struck me and I want to get it off my chest. Everyone will agree, I think, that the Middle East is a pretty scary place at the moment. The dynamics that are converging there could almost make one believe in any of the freely available versions of an apocalyptic Messianic end of days.

But something struck me today when I took a step back and looked at the entire picture (a cute aside, it happened while I was enjoying a kosher corned beef sandwich at Sal’s Lunchroom with one of my dear Dutch gentile friends). What I’m thinking, and I am afraid to say it, but the biggest hurdle in handling all these problems in the Middle East may be America’s unchallenged policy monologue on the world stage.

Let’s make up the balance for a moment. Iraq is either

Voices of hope and inspiration

On another weblog which I frequently read, Dove’s Eye View, I came across a very hopeful op-ed piece which appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. It was written by an Israeli and a Lebanese Shia doctor, currently research colleagues at the University of Pittsburgh. These two doctors let their optimistic, hopeful and inspiring voices be heard, in unison, from a very personal perspective. We should listen.

A few excerpts:

Existential survival or existential peace – that is the question

In the aftermath to the war against Hezbollah a very interesting thing has happened in Israel. The immediate reaction, among the citizens and the government has been soul searching, recriminations and an investigative committee focusing on went wrong militarily and how to deal a more lethal blow in the future. Hidden in this reaction is a key and fundamental point about Israel's past and perhaps a liability regarding her future.

For almost 2600 years, since the fall of the first temple and the forced exile of Jews to Babylonia, the theme of existential survival has been one of the primary themes in Jewish history, perhaps the primary theme. The existential threat to our existence and the tools we have developed to ensure our existential survival have become part of our cultural DNA.

To be sure, this DNA is what allowed the Jewish people to survive forced dispersions,

Through Another's Eyes

A few days ago, I invited my friends and family to take a look at my weblog. I wrote them, in part, “...It may not always be everyone's cup of tea (so be forewarned), but I can say that it is always reasonably balanced and well thought out. But you can judge for yourself...” Quite a few took a look and some did exactly what I asked, they judged for themselves. One reply, from someone whom I dearly love and respect greatly, called me to task on my promise to be “reasonably balanced” (referring to log entry ‘Take My Hand’) and had a reaction he wanted to share regarding my described experiences in Lebanon (‘How I learned to hate war and love country music’). I offered to republish his remarks here and he agreed. I invite you to read what he wrote and 

How I learned to hate war and love country music - my spiritual journey in Lebanon

LennyBruce<