A change in Islam will not be for the better.

Submitted by Michael S (United States), Dec 4, 2014 at 23:46

Wow!

You have quite a dad, Daniel! I don't speak a word of Polish, but I was impressed by his quick wit. I hope that if and when I am his age, I can remember my name.

You are optimistic that Islam will change -- and I think you realize that it will take a generation for any meaningful change to happen. It is true, that Muslims are "having difficulty absorbing Western ways"; but those "Western ways" are atheism and hedonism. If the Muslims succeed in absorbing those ways, I will not feel at all at ease; because the very Westerners who are the models of these ways HATE ISRAEL.

If the Muslims give up suicide bombings, and become opinionated lawmakers like the Europeans, will Israel be safer? I say, they will be in greater danger than at any time in their history.

The greatest potential threat to Israel, is the United States abandoning her -- something I expect to see happen, any year now. When that does happen, The only defense I can see for Israel is the Samson option. Israel needs to take this seriously, and keep working on its ability to project a credible nuclear threat throughout the world. This is because Israel's enemies are throughout the world.

BTW, I did not catch any discussion of Russia. Perhaps that was in Polish. My take on Russia is this:

There are five great powers in the world, powers with nuclear weapons AND delivery systems such as satellites and submarine-launched ICBMs to send those weapons anywhere in the world. Those powers are:

1. the US; 2. Europe; 3. Russia; 4. China and 5. India.

Each of those powers has its forte, which it uses to advance its interests. The forte of the US is its nuclear backbone, coupled with the ability to project its power with aircraft carriers and stealth aircraft. The Europeans rely on "soft power", the clout they have amassed through an attractive Economic Union and supra-national institutions such as the ICC. The Russians have a nuclear backbone like the US, but not our reach; so they project their power through quick campaigns against neighbors such as Ukraine and Georgia. The Chinese have the economic clout to buy just about anyone; and the Indians have enough nukes to make a real mess of things for whoever troubles them.

Since the fall of the Soviet Union, there has been one great winner in the world: Europe. At the expense of the Russians, they have garnered into their fold former Soviet clients from Estonia to E. Germany to Albania. Besides this, they are not dependent on the US for protection against the Russians, as they were in the Cold War; so they have increased influence at the expense of the US as well.

China has also benefited; but they are less immediate a threat to Israel than Europe is. As I said above, the worst-case scenario for Israel is Muslims absorbing "Western" (namely, "European") culture, and forming common cause with them against Israel. Compared with that, the small land-grab by Russia in the Ukraine is insignificant.

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