We all know how stupid Israeli attempts at problem solving and conflict resolution are in the political/military arena. I have always seen Israeli’s conflict resolution tactics as little more than futile attempts at applying tried and true salesmanship and business principles to the resolution of the local violent conflict.
It really appears as if they are doing no more than applying The One Minute Manager combined with How to Win Friends & Influence People (great books in and of themselves, unfortunately they haven’t yet gotten to The Gift of Fear) in order to create peace with fanatical Islam. It’s ridiculous. But that’s probably why business works in Israel and politics does not.
Here is a great little piece by Barry Rubin (I like his stuff; you can find more of it at gloriacenter.org) on what I would call straight up Israeli Realist common sense:
Let me say it again: despite the mountains of speeches, conferences, articles, committees, foundation grants, projects, currencies of every description and policies expended on it, there is no solution in sight for the conflict. It will continue for decades.
Afterwards read this other piece by Rubin:
ENGAGEMENTS, OF course, have effects other than direct success. One is to buy time for someone. But for who? If one party subverts other states, builds nuclear weapons, demoralizes the other's allies and sponsors terrorism during talks while the other side... just talks, the first side clearly benefits far more.
Then tie them all together with this little tidbit from the economist on the futility of going overboard essentially on problem solving and negotiation:
What this shows is that even with one negotiator having perspective-taking abilities it can produce a better overall outcome for both sides. “You want to understand what the other side's interests are, but you do not want to sacrifice your own interests,” says Dr Galinksy. “A large amount of empathy can actually impair the ability of people to reach a creative deal.”
As a bonus, take a good read of Caroline Glick's interview with the National Review:
The shackled warrior is Israel. Between the Israeli peace movement, the local and international media, the U.N., Europe and the U.S., Israel is both forced to fight the war being waged against it with both hands tied behind its back and to believe that it bears responsibility for the genocidal anti-Semitism that has taken over the Islamic world.
Enjoy the Frankness!
A story-
ReplyDeleteA man feels poorly and goes to his doctor. The doctor tells him he has a spreading cancer. He asks the doctor, "Can't you cut out the cancer?" The doctor answers, "Of course not. Your cancer cells have as much right to live as do your normal cells."
You would consider that doctor to be insane. But isn't that the same attitude as our politicians, and, unfortunately, most of our politically correct fellow citizens express?
From: "Sarah A." saraharef101@hotmail.com
ReplyDelete"Sarah A." wrote:
In the name of Allah the most merciful the most gracious
To whoever u are,
I have seen ur website and I would like to tell you that all it is is lies.
You mentioned aya's from the holy Quran...why don't you site them???? Maybe its because they do not exist. Muslims are poor people but they are united. We don't need any of your terrisam garbage. By the way we all know George is a very stupid man...he's helping the people of Israel. Has it ever occured to you why the heck he's even trying to help? Or why he's bombing Iraq.Uh..lets see maybe because of oil. Freedom why does he even care? Oh and by the way if the Quran is not true WHY IS ISLAM THE SECOND LARGEST RELIGON ON EARTH AND WHY IS IT THE FASTEST GROWING RELIGON ON EARTH??? Oh and by the way how can anyone believe a book that is made up by four people who dont even know thier own last names. May God save you from hell fire and turn your heart toward the right path.
Dear Sarah:
Thank you for your E-mail. I value it.
Since you don't know who I am, I take it you didn't really read my article, "Islam Versus Civilization". So your accusation that it is all lies is irrelevant.
Even so, any attack on a belief system is considered lies by it's believers, in the same sense that "the earth is round" was considered a lie by those who believed it was flat.
You head your E-mail with "Allah, the most merciful". Merciful to whom? Islam is the enemy of every Muslim not in a position of authority. The haves of Islam can claim mercy but the lay Muslims are among the most wretched of all people.
I don't know what you mean by "ayas" so I couldn't cite them.
The great majority of Muslims are indeed poor, but hardly united.
Unfortunately, the bombing of Iraq has ceased, but the bombing of our troops by cowards continues.
I think Islam is indeed the largest belief system, having one billion, three hundred million ignorant primitives. It is the fastest-growing due to the fact that it attracts the least intelligent, because of the down breeding of our species. If belief systems were body parts, Islam would be the lower colon, gathering the dregs and refuse of
humanity.
Bible people didn't have last names. Did Mohammed?
Your reference to hell fire reminds me of my mother. In her Church Of Christ fanaticism, she often told me, when I was little, that everyone who wasn't a member of her church would burn in Hell. Sweet, but dumb as a box of rocks.
You have inspired me to go on:
And what do Muslims have to show for Allah's patronage? Where is their technology, their science, their art, their literature? What talent do they have but bearing as many offspring as biology allows?
The nineteen idiots of 9/11 guaranteed the eventual destruction of world Islam. But you seem to believe that sheer numbers will accomplish Allah's purpose. But Allah, with its hundreds of millions of Muslim vermin couldn't even defeat the tiny state of Israel.
When I was a child, I had a pocket blow torch. One day when out playing, I saw an ant's nest covered an inch deep by an eight inch circle with large red and black ants, probably ready to swarm. I lit the torch and passed it over the ants and must have killed a hundred thousand. I wouldn't do that today, but then I was a child.
When the TV shows thousands of screaming Muslims, burning our flag, cursing and threatening America, I think of those ants. Especially so when I see hundreds of thousands of Muslim pilgrims milling around the Kaabah. A small nuclear device. Ants.
You Muslims call us the "Great Satan". We reject the title. But isn't it ironic that Allah, the greatest being and the only god, cannot prevail against his lowliest creation, the devil? From the Crusades onwards, the forces of Allah have been overcome with ease by infidels.
What about this god of yours, Allah? Allah was a traditional myth of Arabs long before Mohammed used it to unite several savage tribes under his control. To the ignorant, it was a religion. But to Mohammed, his relatives and lieutenants, it was a system of mind control. If getting ignorant youngsters to strap on bombs in hopes of
murdering a few non-involved civilians is anything but mind control, what is?
Nearly every page of the Quran demands belief and slavish submission to this non-existent being, Allah. Wouldn't
that mean that it wants to be recognized as a god? What with radio, TV, the Internet, if Allah were a god, couldn't it use the media to make itself known to all, without the aid of thousands of lying, domineering clergy?
Allah's clergy, threaten to take over the world and establish Islamic law, after killing all who won't submit to Allah's will. Would a god need this to establish its power? What god would promise a bisexual whorehouse Muslims call "Paradise" as a reward for murderers? Muslims worship a devil and call it Allah.
It does no good for Muslims to rant about our morality, which leaves much to be desired. It's true that many of our womenfolk do disport themselves in a most unladylike manner.
Muslim women are subdued and modest. They wear veils so as not to inspire lust. They allow themselves to be treated worse than whores by their menfolk. Saudi women wear black veils that reach the ground, making them look like so many walking trash bags.
But things are changing among Muslim women. Their menfolk now allow them to become suicide bombers and here lately, they outnumber male bombers. So now, instead of being modestly covered, they lie naked and torn for all to see.
No, Sarah, Allah is not a god. Islam is not a religion. Islam has become a trouble and a threat to the world. Islam must die.
I do hope you will respond. Even better, show this to one of your clergy and have him respond.