To Moshe on sounding strange

Submitted by Plato (United Arab Emirates), Jan 13, 2007 at 05:07

To people who are not part of the Middle Eastern cauldron, things can look a bit different from those who are a part of it, and from those who helped create it. That is why I sound strange to you.

Instead of taking out Saddam at the first opportunity, the West kept him going for another decade, and during that decade killed hundreds of thousands of innocents through an economic blockade. In order to keep Saddam weak the "free civilised" West was responsible for the lives countless innocents. That was unacceptable.

Another path for the "free civilised" West to democratise the Muslim countries is to simply stop mollycoddling the rulers. There is bound to be some initial chaos but I believe the democratic spirit in all of us including Muslims will prevail.

To quote your: "Even if such a miracle could happen..." Why should it take a miracle. The West stopping bankrolling the very people who want to destroy them is not something that should be called a miracle. If you are not going to accept some discomfort now you will have to go through hell later. Yes, we are talking about democratising them, but not with bombs and threats and bribes. I do not claim to have solutions on how to bring democracy to these countries but can only see what is not working, like propping up friendly dictators and kings and pouring easy money into the pockets of potential terror financiers, like Bin Laden's millions. And also not arming some and bombing others.

You wrote:"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".

Let us get away from the ME and go over to South Asia and the Far East. Once China had the N bomb, and since India has a problem with China,India acquired them too. Then so did Pakistan reason ditto. Now that N. Korea has will Japan and S. Korea be left behind. (Japan already has new Defence Ministry). So if Israel has A-bombs and America has them why should Teheran not have them. Mind you I am not for nuclear weapons or any kind of mass destruction weapons with anyone including the USA, India, Pakistan, etc. You don't seem as worried about Pakistan or N. Korea's bombs. That is because you have no problem with the two of them.

One has to be equitable in international matters, hasn't one?

About your two cardinal points.

1. We have known worse ones during the cold war era (Cuban crisis etc) and the India-Pakistan standoff.

2. The rhetoric out Iran does not sound very different from the rhetoric out of Washington to many of us. As to civilisational matters Iran's civilisation goes farther back than Germany's and there is no comparison between Hitler and Ahmedinejad, if I have to choose between the two, I would reluctantly take Ahmedinejad.

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