Most poins well taken, Ianus

Submitted by sara (United States), Jun 19, 2012 at 19:13

I must say you make compelling arguments and I agree with most of your points. I now see the dilemma that GIK has been wrestling with in discussing with you. And I do not mean that as a slight against either of you. Yes, you are quite correct in stating that the US has made her share of mistakes and misbegotten alliances. The two you mention are exemplary. Iran-Contra and fighting Russia via arming the Afghan Mujahedeen was in retrospect a critical error. In fact, many of the problems that exist today are courtesy of the chess game between the USSR and USA, including the Palestinians themselves. I do blame Russia for starting the whole Mujahedin fad when they stupidly invaded Afghanistan. I also blame Russia for inventing the Palestinians in order to gain leverage against the US in the region. So it comes down to a subjective judgement, whose actions/errors affected each of us on a more personal level.

So I do not absolve or paint with one brush any one country. You are right again in reference to the mistakes made in Europe and it was again lack of foresight and oversimplification. However, we must hold on to something, believe in something. So we have to selectively remember the past and deal mostly with the present and future, hoping to have learned from the mistakes. I find myself putting on rose colored glasses when it comes to Israel as well. I have not agreed with everything and I do not like to look too closely at other things, but by and large, I must have faith that Israel will prevail and that she is in her essence a fair and democratic country that I can support and who deserves to defend herself. Nothing is black and white, but at some point we have to choose sides, warts and all, much as we accept family members or friends who have done past wrongs. It's family, what can you do.

That said, I am interested to hear your solutions and future projections given your argument. What now? We need to let go and move on, no?

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