Peace - not Victory - in a Globalizing World & Globalism

Submitted by Robert (United States), Jan 18, 2022 at 13:15

Dear Dr. Daniel Pipes,

You wrote this article 5 years ago, give lees than 31 days, but you have not yet undated it in the context of the most Current Events, particularly, the Abraham Accords, Afghanistan, Hezbollah, Gaza, the UAE, Kazakhstan, etc.

As I maintain, your notion of Victory, especially in the context of ASYMMETRICAL WARFARE, is misleading at best. I know that you started studying Mathematics before you abandoned it; so I think you understand the concept of the Derivative; is we were able to plot Functions numerically, showing where events are going (Which we cannot do well at all today), or if we could use Artificial Intelligence Algorithms to do that, I thing Economics and Globalist Alliances would be the way Israel would Triumph (I'm deliberately avoiding the violence-related word "Victory").

As I wrote before, Marx died in 1883; accordingly I do not hold him responsible for Russian and Chinese Communism; neither am I a Communist or Socialism according to what these terms mean today. However, it was Marx (and industrialist Engels) who understood the role of the Steam Engine in the Industrial Revolution. He did not live long enough to comment on our Digital Age, with Drones, Missiles, and the Internet.

Your most recent article is on Conspiracy Theory. But I think you focused on the least important ones - those related to American Republicans as Conservatives. The more significant Conspiracy Theories involve the so called New Word Order, Rothchilds, and Anti-Semitism. All Conspiracy Theories work precisely they contain a grain of Truth. Anti-Zionism - just like Anti-Semitism - is the result of Jewish Exceptionalism. Israel - a small upstart country created just after WWII is an Economic Success, almost a Miracle. Ironically, it is a very small Arab country - the UAE - which is also a major success story. Before Israel was form, Jews lived all over the Mediterranean Lake" in axial center of Europe, Africa, and Asia. And they were manifesting an Economic Success Story; accordingly an Anti-Semitic Protagonist, a man named Wilhelm Marr, coined the term Anti-Semitism in the 19th Century (see "Der Weg zum Siege des Germanenthums uber das Judenthum. (The Way to Victory of Germanicism over Judaism") reached its 12th edition in 1879.

The greatest threat to the world, that emerged in WWII was Nuclear Warfare; the answer to that was Mutual Assure Destruction (MAD). But that could only work, as a Policy and Strategy if one assume some level of Rationality - as in the case of the Soviet Union, and its successor, the Russian Federation under Putin.

The Exception know is Iran and its (only) Theocracy under the current Ayatollah Khamenei.

The dynamics are very complex, and it is extremely difficult to describe the situation in a brief comment. Nevertheless, the climax (I do not mean just one) should be visible to a Middle-Eastern Scholar such as yourself. Actually, there are several peaks in the course of the current events (measured in years or decades). Perhaps the place to begin, is the 9-11 (2001) take-down of our Twin-Towers in Manhattan - which resulted in the take down of 2 Muslim countries: Iraq and Afghanistan. But what was our "Victory" here? So far, Afghanistan is a Failed State; and Iraq is now a Shina-majority state struggling to assert its independence from Iran and wanting to regain its connection to its Sunni Arab "family" (not "brotherhood" necessarily).

Because these events were of a Military nature, the non-military consequences are obscured. I the case of Afghanistan, we see the inability of instituting Regime Change from the outside (USA). And in the case of Iraq, we did Shia Iran a favor, which only someone like Kissinger could forecast; Iraq was ruled by a Sunni majority, as in the case of Syria, it was a Shia minority which rules under Bashar Hafez al-Assad.

In brief, Israel's Muslim Majority "enemies" are systematically turning into failed states, are already failed states, or are remaining failed states. It would be foolish to engage in a military "Victory" unless absolutely necessary.

This takes me next to the "Palestinians." One of the most critical issues is the UN-designated "Palestinian Refugee" status; what is critical here, that this Population now is a "spoiled minority" among the vastly greater Muslim Refugees of the World. It really does appear as if Providence is working on the side of Israel, but I am a Secularist here in my explanation.

Even the Muslim Brotherhood is now working in Israel's favor in the case of the current government - yes, Mamoud Abbas - not to be confused with the PA Abbas (Providence must have a sense of humor).

In summary, there is here a "gig-saw puzzle" to be solved by you, Dr. Pipes. Some of the pieces, which are not "military" in nature are not visible because of your military term "victory." And I believe that you are prejudiced against any so-called "economic" solutions not only because these did not work with the "Palestinians," but because that sounds like Communism, Socialism, and Marxism, etc.

Yes, there are Military Issues. However, these are confined to specific places, such a Iran, and its Para-military Proxies, such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis; and only one is a State, namely Iran. I therefore wish to confine the term "Victory" to this field, cohort, or demographic. And the latest concern on that issue is the US Legislature failure to finance the "Iron Dome" because of the holdout of one-vote.

W#here Israel is Succeeding (not "Victorious) is in every other realm which does not require literally War or Warfare. But that is less exciting, and therefore less visible, than shooting or bombing.

Therefore, I once again beseech you to return to your previous metaphor, before you came up with "Victory." Instead of focusing on a Victory over the Palestinians, one should merely continue "Mowing the Lawn," or letting it fester. Instead of the "bottom-up" approach (imposing a Victory over the Palestinians), israel should institute a Policy and Strategy of an Up-Down approach, beginning with the 125 UN States which voted recently in the General Assembly established so-called "Human Rights Council" to examine forever the alleged "War-Crimes" and alleged "Human Rights Violations within Mandatory Palestine. This must be construed as Antisemitism, in light of events in Syria (& Iran) and Western China.

"Peace" I prefer over "Victory" as a strategy because Israel is already Victorious in its Civil War since 1948; and as Communist China systematically maintains, that is an Internal Matter - especially when it comes to Tibet, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Accordingly, What is to Be Done in the Liberated (not "Occupied") Territories is an Internal Matter of the Soverign State of Israel.

PS: (Prehistorical?) Questions: Which current Muslim-majority State, besides Iran, truly wants today a Palestinian State? Maybe Israel should simply recognize Gaza as a Palestinian State? Maybe Israel should suggest an Autonomous Palestinian entity besides Gaza, annexed to an Israeli Federation? Think of Tibet, or maybe the Russian Federation? But that maybe way down the road, depending on such issues as how Mahmoud Abbas performs in the Israel Kneset?

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