Be careful what you wish for.
I suppose what bugs me the most about the neo-cons is their seemingly unending idealism that has no basis in world reality.
Gentle reader I am sure you can come up with many of your own examples, but mine today could be entitled "careful what you ask for".
The victory of Hammas should come as no surprise to anyone even remotely familiar with the modern Middle East. That it comes as a surprise to this administration is appalling. Same can be said for the present leadership in Iraq.
Their problem is that their line of thinking has been wrong from the start. We were not welcomed with open arms in Iran. Our war has turned many fence sitting arabs to being anti-American. Therefore any group even remotely associated with American interest is immediately less popular.
Second is Hammas itself. While never denying it is a terrorist organization, they have been providing social services, education, housing and assistance to not only Palestinians but Syrians as well. Meanwhile Fatah has been busily embezzling money, looking completely disorganized, and generally looking very corrupt.
So Hammas has placed itself where Sein Fein (sp?) did a few years ago. The only difference is that they are not so hypocritical as to claim they don't offer violent means to their ends. Now I don't condone violence in any form and have always thought the Arabs have hurt their cause much more than ever helped by being violent. In fact I would challenge you to show me one positive aspect for their society that has been brought by violence. But Hammas is winning the "hearts and minds" of the Arab people. There is a lesson to be learned here. Stomping in violently and not providing social services in the first few months in Iraq has had tragic consequences for our battle for those hearts and minds through out the region.
That being said, it is now up to the international community to help Hammas transition from a violent organization to one of social and political stature.
However getting back to my original meme for the day, I'll boil it down since I have rambled too much already. Beware of the things you ask for. If you want Democracy in the Middle East without a strong Middle Class you will find the poor voting in the radicals and then the radicals taking and keeping power. The Middle East is not ready for Democracy now, and this is the fatal shorfall of the neo-cons. Wholly thinking and fantasy thought process'. I hope they are comfortable living with what they have wrought.
I suppose what bugs me the most about the neo-cons is their seemingly unending idealism that has no basis in world reality.
Gentle reader I am sure you can come up with many of your own examples, but mine today could be entitled "careful what you ask for".
The victory of Hammas should come as no surprise to anyone even remotely familiar with the modern Middle East. That it comes as a surprise to this administration is appalling. Same can be said for the present leadership in Iraq.
Their problem is that their line of thinking has been wrong from the start. We were not welcomed with open arms in Iran. Our war has turned many fence sitting arabs to being anti-American. Therefore any group even remotely associated with American interest is immediately less popular.
Second is Hammas itself. While never denying it is a terrorist organization, they have been providing social services, education, housing and assistance to not only Palestinians but Syrians as well. Meanwhile Fatah has been busily embezzling money, looking completely disorganized, and generally looking very corrupt.
So Hammas has placed itself where Sein Fein (sp?) did a few years ago. The only difference is that they are not so hypocritical as to claim they don't offer violent means to their ends. Now I don't condone violence in any form and have always thought the Arabs have hurt their cause much more than ever helped by being violent. In fact I would challenge you to show me one positive aspect for their society that has been brought by violence. But Hammas is winning the "hearts and minds" of the Arab people. There is a lesson to be learned here. Stomping in violently and not providing social services in the first few months in Iraq has had tragic consequences for our battle for those hearts and minds through out the region.
That being said, it is now up to the international community to help Hammas transition from a violent organization to one of social and political stature.
However getting back to my original meme for the day, I'll boil it down since I have rambled too much already. Beware of the things you ask for. If you want Democracy in the Middle East without a strong Middle Class you will find the poor voting in the radicals and then the radicals taking and keeping power. The Middle East is not ready for Democracy now, and this is the fatal shorfall of the neo-cons. Wholly thinking and fantasy thought process'. I hope they are comfortable living with what they have wrought.
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