Posted on 09/09/2004 10:19:36 PM PDT by faludeh_shirazi
I am neither pro-Bush nor pro-Kerry, and as a recent college graduate and young citizen of our great nation, I believe I am what most Americans are, but have found little room for the expression of, as we loiter in a period of time characterized by a suffocating "left/right", "up/down", "with me or against me" polarity. When did just being an "American" go out of style? Political parties are great ideas in the sense that they serve a "networking" function for like-minded citizens, who would otherwise find themselves stranded in an overwhelming sea of views. We need political parties, but in today's America, where our political environment is divided into two parties that each believe they are right and that they are the ultimate sayers of truth, I believe such a system is not only unnecessary but is also in need of a major re-engineering.
The symptoms of this broken system can be seen everywhere. When a particular party says that they are "the party" who will defend America and will be the great champions of freedom and the other party will do just the opposite, we're witnessing a symptom. When the best-selling books of our times are those which profess 300 pages of animosity and personal attacks, we're witnessing a symptom. When a significant portion of our citizenry believes that "anyone but Bush" is the answer, we're witnessing a symptom. When a significant portion of America believes that John Kerry, if he were president, would sell our souls to the United Nations and the EU, we're witnessing a symptom. When the total cost of both parties' campaigns to win November's election amounts to over half a billion dollars, money that could be invested into our society, we're witnessing a symptom.
Is it not a better foreign and domestic policy for us, as Americans, to break away from this diseased and paralyzing system, and instead try to better educate ourselves, respectfully listen to and discuss the issues with one another, and eventually make a more informed and intelligent choice as to who our leaders should be and what policies they pursue?
An objective to secure freedom and peace here at home and throughout the world is noble, and in my view, achievable. Unfortunately though, I don't think either party nor do I think either of the two candidates has proved himself competent and worthy of such a mission.
Governor George Pataki was correct when he spoke Thursday night of these important times we find ourselves in. Without a doubt, the policies we pursue with regard to international relations and the pursuit of liberty and peace will certainly decide what type of world our children enter into, and so I conclude this letter with a few thoughts on how to better address this "War on Terror" while paving the way for the security and prosperity that is so badly needed throughout our world.
In this effort to confront terrorism, our government has adopted a policy of killing and arresting the "terrorists", and subsequently claims that such a strategy will help to achieve the peace and freedom of the greater Middle East and its inhabitants. I am not opposed to an aspect of foreign policy that works to eliminate fanatics such as the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas, Saddam Hussein, and every other individual, group or regime that acts on such fanatical ideologies; however, I believe this should only be one piece of a larger three-part strategy.
Aside from killing the "fanatics", I believe there are two other crucial issues that we have yet to solve and which in many cases have failed miserably to address. Achieving a permanent resolution to the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians is a pivotal objective that must be achieved -- not eventually, but now! Granted, there are fanatics and individuals in both the Israeli and Palestinian camps who are opposed to resolving this nightmare which terrorizes both populations, but this is not a reason to accept the status quo. To allow this conflict to persist, regardless of how unimportant and minuscule in may seem to us as Americans, it will over time, be one of the failures that condemns our freedom, our way of life, and our leadership throughout the world, to death.
The tragedy of the Palestinian/Israeli conflict is a complicated one that was caused, and is now sustained, by a laundry list of factors, but nevertheless, it is this conflict that continues to breathe life into the fire of Islamic fanaticism. Fanaticism that is professed by groups such as the clerical regime of Mullahs in Iran, or by the many Madrassas (Islamic schools) that are used to indoctrinate the region's young, gets most if not all of its leverage and sustenance through the exploitation and manipulation of this very conflict. If America can work with other nations of the world, but more importantly if we can work directly with the Israeli and Palestinian people to bring about a permanent solution to their crisis, we will have dealt a blow of greater strength and consequence to oppressive regimes and their fanatical proxies, than any stealth bomber or M-16 could ever do. I believe that the achievement of a sustainable solution would greatly undercut the fanatics and elevate our nation in the eyes of billions.
Since the very birth of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which was brought into being not by the Iranian people, but rather by the West's betrayal of the Shah and by a foreign policy at the time that called for the creation of a so-called "green belt" or Islamist "buffer-zone" around the Soviet Empire, the clerical regime of Mullahs have not only been the world's worst abusers of human rights, but have also been the biggest state sponsor of international terrorism! This "green belt" policy, a brainchild of the Carter Administration's Zbigniew Brezenski, was not the only reason for the ousting of the Shah, as governments from England to France were eager to install their Khomenist regime puppets so they could lucratively exploit Iran. It is not my intention to delve into a conversation of foreign policies of the past; I'm drawing attention to this moment in history because it is a perfect example of how self-interested goals and short-sighted policies always come back to haunt us down the road.
If America wants to win the "War on Terror" then we must work towards the removal of the Islamic regime in Iran. This is an objective of the utmost importance, not only because this regime is dead-set on achieving nuclear capabilities, but because they will continue to do everything in their power to thwart the "march to freedom" in Iraq. In our effort to remove this tyranny from power, it is vital that America refrain from launching military strikes against the Iranian nation. Recognizing that the Iranian people are the most pro-American population in the Middle East, with the possible exception of the Israeli people, launching military strikes against Iran, would be falling right into the hands of the Mullahs by potentially diminishing what is today a vibrant pro-US sentiment among Iranians. If we stand with the Iranian people and defend their right to liberty and simultaneously isolate the clerical regime, it is very likely that this will create the needed spark for the Iranian people to finally tear the Islamic Republic from the fabric of history.
By aggressively going after terrorists around the world, by bringing about a peaceful settlement to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, and by removing the clerical regime in Iran through an alliance with the Iranian people, I believe we will have set into motion a domino effect against which the terrorists and their financiers will be helpless.
Our future can certainly be a future of liberty, but only if we re-think the way we do things here at home and pursue the "Missing Element" abroad.
Dariush Shirazi is the pseudonym of a California-based freelance journalist and can be reached at dariushshirazi@hotmail.com
free IraN!
The bitterness and dissension of the current campaign can be distressing, but none the less, it is for the best. Rancorous campaigns are cathartic; they are required by the American body politic to deal with Political issues. It might not seem like it, but America has adjusted better to a changing world than any other country. A few hundred years ago we were tiny, weak and thankfully isolated from Europe by big oceans. Our capacity for change is the source of our economic, military and cultural power. Thus, as a reflection of this, our campaigns are noisy and accusative, but unlike other countries, no matter how much we feel like doing it, we kill few of our political opponents. The hot air we generate on the stump will dissipate, and the country will find a new direction, a new world view and a strategy for dealing with the terrorists.
The problem, this election, is not simply the war and how best to wage it, but that it is time for America to put Vietnam and the communist menace behind it. Vietnam represents unfinished business for many Americans. The Liberal Establishment got us into the war, botched the job and then made their political opponents pay the price instead of them. A mass conspiracy was then erected in The Media, Hollywood and Higher Education to deflect blame off them, but that conspiracy is crumbling. The reason is that the Democratic Party is losing power and alternative news has been developed to make an end run around the Liberal Establishment. News that has been thwarted for thirty-five years is becoming available. Of course, this was due to a miscalculation on Kerry’s part, but America must still go through this.
What America does about Israel, Syria and Iran is part of President Bush’s Strategy for winning the war against the Islamic Militants. But, the Israeli/ Palestinian war is a side issue, not a root cause. If Israel did not exist, America would still be in this war. These are complex issues, so let’s wait a bit to talk about those.
What ever it takes to stop the bearded ones from developing nukes. That's our first priority.
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