Dear Plato, you sound a bit strange!

Submitted by Moshe (Israel), Jan 12, 2007 at 04:42

Dear Plato,

You still did not answer my question with regard to what in your mind would be the right way for "the "free civilized" West help the benighted Muslim nations to democratize themselves"?

Reducing the dependence of the free world on Middle Eastern oil, as you suggested, would certainly cause a parallel reduction of the power and influence of the Arab countries on global politics, and would no doubt work miracles in containing the Islamist threat. But even if such a miracle could happen, I don't see how it would help "the benighted Muslim nations democratize". It would only turn them back from "rich" third world countries into their initial and natural condition: starving third world countries. However, we are talking about democratizing them, aren't we?

In your previous post you sounded like somebody who has a workable solution to elevating the Muslim nations to a reasonable level of normal and civilized people, and which is different from what has been done in Iraq and Afghanistan. So let's hear about it!

With regard to Iran's nuclear ambitions I am still wondering what is hiding behind your impressive "open minded" and so movingly fair evenhandedness. You are in fact telling us that since in their mind Israel is a threat ("even if for the wrong reasons"); they have every right to arm themselves with the dooms-day's weapon. You are telling me that "as a free country Iran should not be coerced into abandoning what it considers are its best interests".

Plato, do you remember Nazi Germany? It was also a free country, and was acting for what it considered to be its best interests. And just as the current Nazi Islamists, they also were considering the Jews as their worst enemies (again "even if for the wrong reasons"). Is the present Iranian nuclear threat less serious than the Nazi German one used to be? Can you explain us why?

I think that the present Iranian threat is much graver for two cardinal reasons:

1. The danger of unleashing a nuclear holocaust is much more serious than any previous threat we have known.

2. Based on Islamist rhetoric, but even more on actual Islamist record, their threats are indeed credible. Germany used to have the reputation of a modern and civilized European Christian country, and behold what they did. Islamist Iran doesn't even enjoy the benefit of the doubt!

Plato, you owe us a good explanation for your sudden moral relativism. Does it perhaps apply only to the Jewish State? Just curious.

Moshe

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