Comments on: EDITORIAL: A new cold war or a new Middle East http://warincontext.org/2008/05/14/editorial-a-new-cold-war-or-a-new-middle-east/ ... with attention to the unseen Thu, 09 Feb 2012 08:49:09 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Tim Peterson http://warincontext.org/2008/05/14/editorial-a-new-cold-war-or-a-new-middle-east/comment-page-1/#comment-2147 Tim Peterson Fri, 16 May 2008 00:56:03 +0000 http://warincontext.org/?p=1084#comment-2147 Voting Republican or Democratic has the same fundmental flaw; in either case you are voting for a politician. It is like asking if somebody would rather be locked in a room with a male or a female Cobra. In either case your going to get bit, it's going to hurt, and you will regret the decision. Voting Republican or Democratic has the same fundmental flaw; in either case you are voting for a politician. It is like asking if somebody would rather be locked in a room with a male or a female Cobra. In either case your going to get bit, it’s going to hurt, and you will regret the decision.

]]> By: halfnhalf http://warincontext.org/2008/05/14/editorial-a-new-cold-war-or-a-new-middle-east/comment-page-1/#comment-2144 halfnhalf Thu, 15 May 2008 16:26:07 +0000 http://warincontext.org/?p=1084#comment-2144 re: another way's comment "Is it ever a good idea in the long-term to have a fully militarized, autonomous entity in your country?" The answer must be yes, based on the summer of 2006 and the Israeli war with Lebanon. Hizbullah is not a marching army that can be defeated easily as the IDF found out...and as we are finding out in Iraq. re: another way’s comment “Is it ever a good idea in the long-term to have a fully militarized, autonomous entity in your country?”

The answer must be yes, based on the summer of 2006 and the Israeli war with Lebanon. Hizbullah is not a marching army that can be defeated easily as the IDF found out…and as we are finding out in Iraq.

]]> By: another way http://warincontext.org/2008/05/14/editorial-a-new-cold-war-or-a-new-middle-east/comment-page-1/#comment-2142 another way Thu, 15 May 2008 13:18:39 +0000 http://warincontext.org/?p=1084#comment-2142 I think you have hit on the primary theoretical issue that leads to a general miscalculation on the part of the US and Israeli public concerning Hizbullah and Hamas. The groups are continually portrayed as strategic concerns- mere proxies- while the real concern is Iran. Unfortunately, because these groups are grassroots, homegrown, democratically legitimated movements the policies that pretend they are not only serve to exacerbate the very reasons they are popular. I believe Hizbullah should be disarmed (is it ever a good idea in the long-term to have a fully militarized autonomous entity in your country?) but that in reality the prospect of that happening is YEARS away. If the US wants progress towards that goal, then they have to begin by admitting that Hizbullah is a legitimate voice in Lebanese politics. I think you have hit on the primary theoretical issue that leads to a general miscalculation on the part of the US and Israeli public concerning Hizbullah and Hamas. The groups are continually portrayed as strategic concerns- mere proxies- while the real concern is Iran. Unfortunately, because these groups are grassroots, homegrown, democratically legitimated movements the policies that pretend they are not only serve to exacerbate the very reasons they are popular.
I believe Hizbullah should be disarmed (is it ever a good idea in the long-term to have a fully militarized autonomous entity in your country?) but that in reality the prospect of that happening is YEARS away. If the US wants progress towards that goal, then they have to begin by admitting that Hizbullah is a legitimate voice in Lebanese politics.

]]> By: Carol Elkins http://warincontext.org/2008/05/14/editorial-a-new-cold-war-or-a-new-middle-east/comment-page-1/#comment-2141 Carol Elkins Thu, 15 May 2008 10:46:08 +0000 http://warincontext.org/?p=1084#comment-2141 If the next President is Obama, we can look for something new. That is a possibility because in order for him to be elected, a fundamental change will have already occurred. If he loses, even the nomination, it will be a sign that we have looked at the possibility of change in the eye, and run away from it. The fundamental change from which all others can follow is the very slight turn, even so much as five degrees, away from racism. If the next President is Obama, we can look for something new. That is a possibility because in order for him to be elected, a fundamental change will have already occurred. If he loses, even the nomination, it will be a sign that we have looked at the possibility of change in the eye, and run away from it.

The fundamental change from which all others can follow is the very slight turn, even so much as five degrees, away from racism.

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