[dighton]

America could learn a thing or two from Israel's failures. In spite of its adherence to a doctrine of taking preemptive action and its experience in combating terrorism, Israeli casualties have been continually mounting in recent decades.

That "failure" is far better than extermination, which Israel's neighbors want and its doctrine has prevented.

[ancient_geezer]

The US should consider diplomacy as a first and last resort, writes Marwan Bishara*; Washington need only look to Europe to see the wisdom of this view.

Lets see, WWI, WWII, yep we should certainly look to Europe as to the efficacy of diplomacy only in resolving conflicts.

[struwwelpeter]

The author has it wrong. Force has always worked. What doesn't work are half-measures.

When someone is trying to kill you, negotiations are over.

[judicial meanz]

Given the current state of idiocy apparent in Europe, I wouldnt look to them for instructions on how to wipe my a**, much less anything else.
Geez I wanna disinter the family members that died in WWII and are buried there and move them home to get them off that toxic continent.

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on or off this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

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[wretchard]

I wish it were true that the "Pax Americana" was about to give way to the wise rule of a United Europe. Unfortunately, Europe continues to emasculate itself by delegating all its diplomatic initiatives to impotent multilateral organizations. The power of European diplomacy can be summed up in two words: Bosnia and Zimbabwe. Nor are things any better on the European military front. European defense budgets continue to shrink. They lack strategic mobility assets, global intelligence, space power and sea control, to mention only a few. Sixty years ago, European military might shook the world. Today, it can hardly shake a rattle.

It is dangerous when half of the western world has to be propped up by the other half. It is even more dangerous when the dependent half cries out "I'm gaining on you". Europe should put away its bottle of Delusion, roll up its sleeves and act like men.

[11B3]

Nice to hear the A-Rabs are still living in an alternate reality that shares nothing with our universe. Let's just kill ALL of them so we don't have to consider anything but that goal first - throughout the Arabian world. The peace that happens after the conflict is a lot easier to figure out when there is no one left alive in the kill zone.

[angkor]

This bozo is absolutely dead-on in saying that war will destabilize the entire Middle East. But he's absolutely stupid in asserting the inevitable result will be the ascension of even more Islamism.

It's certainly going to get very hot in the Middle East (and Pakistan and Indonesia), but it'll be Muslims sorting out among themselves the best way to protect their own futures.

A lot is going to change, and a lot of Islamists are going to die in that process.

The current status quo in the Middle East (and Islam) is intolerable to civilization.

They are right to be afraid.

[Nick Danger]

With 70 per cent of the Arab population under 25 years of age, the Middle East needs peace in order to groom an educated open-minded generation of Arabs capable of leading domestically and competing internationally.

But this can only take place if they remain alive. If war in Iraq is averted, and the result turns out be an attack on the U.S. with biological or nuclear weapons, this "educated and open-minded generation of Arabs" will not live to see the following week. It is only when this principle is fully understood that Arab policy toward Iraq and terrorism can be formulated. This is not a game. We are not going to sit here and get murdered by shadowy figures who claim no state while "educated and open-minded Arabs" slip them dollars and recruits under the table. Right now we're on a collision course with genocide. If you try to make it us, we'll make sure it's you instead. Capice?