Islamic culture is based upon a strict series of rules that govern virtually every aspect of a devout Muslim's life. Unfortunately, when there is a non-Muslim minority in a country dominated by Sharia they must also live under its guidelines or face severe penalties. I have already discussed this topic in my previous post "Better Dead than Dhimmi" but now I want to discuss a very specific aspect of dhimmitude: the jizya. The jizya is a poll tax levied against any "protected" people, or dhimmis. The jizya is what America's Founding Fathers would have called "taxation without representation;" that is, those who pay this tax are not allowed an active voice in how that money is spent. It is extortion plain and simple that serves two purposes: it funnels wealth from the productive class of farmers and craftsmen to a consumer class of soldiers and bureaucrats while serving as a constant reminder to Jews, Christians, and Hindus (among select others) of their inferiority. This tax was established to break any possible spirit to resist Islamic occupation among conquered (and unconverted) peoples as well as deny them the funds and resources to put up a fight.
Since the glorious events of the Arab Spring, there has been extensive talk about the establishment of a new Caliphate (discussed in the previous post "Keys to the Caliphate"). Sharia-based governments are springing (no pun intended) up all over the Middle East. Naturally, with the world economy the way it is right now, some very influential Muslim scholars have called for the official return of the jizya to help cover costs. Nowhere is this talk more rampant than Egypt. Egypt's Coptic population has been a target of violence and discrimination for decades, but the heat has really been turned up in the months since Mubarak's exit. Recent testimony to the United States House of Representatives by Cynthia Farahat has provided insight as to why the Copts have been so persecuted: "The large and educated minority of Copts in Egypt is the biggest obstacle for Islamists to turn Egypt into another Iran or another Saudi Arabia." Such a large, educated minority of non-believers is the perfect target for repressive taxes designed to transfer wealth toward the least productive elements of Islamic societies.
Ahmed Imran of Egypt's Salafi "Party of Light" said, "I say to those who fear we might govern, that it was the Muslims who liberated the Copts from Roman slaughter and that Copts are obligated to pay the jizya, and it will only be half a dinar, taken from the rich and given to the poor." Wow, somebody's been watching re-runs of old Robin Hood movies, haven't they? If you were listening to that speech, you could be forgiven for mistaking the position of the "Party of Light" with the position of the Occupy Wall Street crowd. Actually, there really isn't a mistake: it's the same position. Socialists, Communists, and Islamists all want someone else to pick up the tab for their lifestyles. This is one reason that they all work well together despite what may seem like irreconcilable differences (the whole "Religion is the opiate of the masses" thing doesn't mesh well with Islamic fervor). Once the actual productive members of society are either exterminated or dominated, the various "-ism" groups will fight for power. But that is the subject of another article for another day.
The words of Koran 9:29 may sum it up best: "Fight those who believe not in Allah or the Last Day...until they pay the jizya with willing submission and feel themselves subdued." The purpose of targeted economic pressure is to express dominance, whether over dhimmis or the German Jews of the 1930s. That is why the Founding Fathers chose the issue of taxation as the hill that they were willing to die on. They understood that the ability of a free man to control his destiny is inexorably linked to his ability to control his wealth. When a portion of that wealth is claimed by someone who has not earned it, whether a government bureaucrat or an Islamic invader, you lose a portion of your self-determination.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Friday, December 16, 2011
Back in Action
For those of you who didn't notice last week's post, my temporary break has come to an end. I will be changing my posting schedule so that new posts will be up every weekend instead of specifically Fridays. This will allow me a bit more leeway. The alternating Mondays poll schedule will not change. Look for a full post tomorrow. It's good to be back.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Iran: The Coming Conflict
For over three decades, the Iranian regime has been a major player among the world's bad guys. Granted, at the time of the Iranian Revolution most of the world was still overwhelmingly concerned with a little spat called the Cold War, but we should have been paying attention to the long-term. Iran waged a brutal war with Iraq (hard to know who to root for in that one) and became the key supporter for terrorist groups in the region and beyond. But in the 21st century, the Iranians have upped the ante by seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. While the majority of the speculation focuses on a genocide against Israel (and not without reason), none of the Sunni-majority nations are eager to see the Iranians gain such devastating capabilities. There is a sort of dreadful certainty among anyone paying attention to these events that we are rapidly approaching a point of no return, although what that point looks like and what it will mean are still unclear.
While the world may seem on the brink of war, in some ways the fighting has already started. The Iranians have spent decades playing in the shadows, and their games are starting to get serious. Iranian intelligence services are engaging in an information blitz, trying to dominate the intelligence game in the region from the very start of any conflict. The Iranians have also been working on electronic warfare, which could reduce the advantage of technically superior Israeli or American forces. The Iranians have already hacked the so-called "virtual embassy" set up by the American State Department, and they claim to have taken control of a RQ-170 drone that appears to have crashed in Iran. The Iranians are also growing increasingly fearful of conflict, particularly because of the destabilization of Syria, a key Iranian ally. The Iranian regime has also been heavily invested in a propaganda campaign in the Middle East, and especially in the Arabian Peninsula. But perhaps the most disturbing move made by the Iranian regime has been the recent string of targeted assassinations against Saudi diplomats.
While we watch the Iranians carefully, we must not forget about their proxy groups such as Hezbollah. In fact, one deterrent against an Israeli strike on Iran has been the threat of retribution by Hezbollah forces. The terror group has acquired thousands of rockets, including a large delivery from Syria, and have them aimed at every square inch of Israeli territory. That is a reality Israelis have be forced to deal with for years. Any military action against Iran will likely spark a new war between Israel and the Hezbollah-led Lebanon, with the possibility that Syria may join the fighting (if their troops are not too busy butchering their own people).
As bad as things look at the moment, Israel and the United States (if we get some real leadership in Washington, D.C.) will have unexpected allies against Iranian aggression. The Saudis, who are getting pretty peeved about the whole "assassinations" thing, are one group that we can be reasonably sure will support any action that will eliminate their primary threat in the region. Saudi Arabia is still the powerhouse of the Middle East and does not want to surrender that title to some wacky Persians (and Shias, to boot!). They have even been strengthening their ties to Pakistan (who is also uncomfortably close to Iran and does not want to be stuck between a nuclear Iran and a nuclear India) in the hopes of acquiring a few nuclear weapons of their own as a deterrent to Iranian aggression. The Turkish government has also expressed serious concerns about Iran. Turkish Ambassador Namik Tan said rather pointedly, "We cannot tolerate Iran having a nuclear weapon." However, he didn't go so far as to say, "We'll even support those yucky Jews if we have to."
Yet there may be a path that does not require open warfare and the devastation it will inevitably produce on an already reeling world economy. The major Western powers need to get serious about supporting the Iranian resistance (and, while we're at it, the resistance in Syria, as well). The Iranian regime appears strong, but it is brittle. I have already written about some of the internal vulnerability in my previous post "Modern Janissaries: Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps." The Ayhotollahs need to keep their people in fear of the outside so that they will not rise up against them. We need to challenge that. For one thing, Christian evangelism efforts must be stepped up and openly supported by the West. Christianity is spreading quickly in Iran, and recent crackdowns have been a direct result of that surge in popularity. Another problem facing the regime is the widespread series of strikes. The regime has, like all other totalitarian systems, ruined much of the country's economic sector and now is facing some of the consequences. Opposition forces in Iran are better organized than the regime would like to admit, and are believed to be responsible for a series of attacks against Revolutionary Guard bases, refineries, and pipelines.
Whatever we may be doing, the Iranians are certainly getting ready for war. The Revolutionary Guard has been ordered to operational readiness status. The Iranians are alert. The question now is, "Are we?"
While the world may seem on the brink of war, in some ways the fighting has already started. The Iranians have spent decades playing in the shadows, and their games are starting to get serious. Iranian intelligence services are engaging in an information blitz, trying to dominate the intelligence game in the region from the very start of any conflict. The Iranians have also been working on electronic warfare, which could reduce the advantage of technically superior Israeli or American forces. The Iranians have already hacked the so-called "virtual embassy" set up by the American State Department, and they claim to have taken control of a RQ-170 drone that appears to have crashed in Iran. The Iranians are also growing increasingly fearful of conflict, particularly because of the destabilization of Syria, a key Iranian ally. The Iranian regime has also been heavily invested in a propaganda campaign in the Middle East, and especially in the Arabian Peninsula. But perhaps the most disturbing move made by the Iranian regime has been the recent string of targeted assassinations against Saudi diplomats.
While we watch the Iranians carefully, we must not forget about their proxy groups such as Hezbollah. In fact, one deterrent against an Israeli strike on Iran has been the threat of retribution by Hezbollah forces. The terror group has acquired thousands of rockets, including a large delivery from Syria, and have them aimed at every square inch of Israeli territory. That is a reality Israelis have be forced to deal with for years. Any military action against Iran will likely spark a new war between Israel and the Hezbollah-led Lebanon, with the possibility that Syria may join the fighting (if their troops are not too busy butchering their own people).
As bad as things look at the moment, Israel and the United States (if we get some real leadership in Washington, D.C.) will have unexpected allies against Iranian aggression. The Saudis, who are getting pretty peeved about the whole "assassinations" thing, are one group that we can be reasonably sure will support any action that will eliminate their primary threat in the region. Saudi Arabia is still the powerhouse of the Middle East and does not want to surrender that title to some wacky Persians (and Shias, to boot!). They have even been strengthening their ties to Pakistan (who is also uncomfortably close to Iran and does not want to be stuck between a nuclear Iran and a nuclear India) in the hopes of acquiring a few nuclear weapons of their own as a deterrent to Iranian aggression. The Turkish government has also expressed serious concerns about Iran. Turkish Ambassador Namik Tan said rather pointedly, "We cannot tolerate Iran having a nuclear weapon." However, he didn't go so far as to say, "We'll even support those yucky Jews if we have to."
Yet there may be a path that does not require open warfare and the devastation it will inevitably produce on an already reeling world economy. The major Western powers need to get serious about supporting the Iranian resistance (and, while we're at it, the resistance in Syria, as well). The Iranian regime appears strong, but it is brittle. I have already written about some of the internal vulnerability in my previous post "Modern Janissaries: Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps." The Ayhotollahs need to keep their people in fear of the outside so that they will not rise up against them. We need to challenge that. For one thing, Christian evangelism efforts must be stepped up and openly supported by the West. Christianity is spreading quickly in Iran, and recent crackdowns have been a direct result of that surge in popularity. Another problem facing the regime is the widespread series of strikes. The regime has, like all other totalitarian systems, ruined much of the country's economic sector and now is facing some of the consequences. Opposition forces in Iran are better organized than the regime would like to admit, and are believed to be responsible for a series of attacks against Revolutionary Guard bases, refineries, and pipelines.
Whatever we may be doing, the Iranians are certainly getting ready for war. The Revolutionary Guard has been ordered to operational readiness status. The Iranians are alert. The question now is, "Are we?"
Friday, November 4, 2011
Short Break
Unfortunately, due to the demands of an outside project I will have to temporarily postpone new blog posts for the next month or so. In the case of breaking news stories or other important events I will put up new posts as I can. There will also continue to be new polls every other Monday, so keep visiting. I will do my best to keep this break as short as possible. Thank you for your patience.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Sharia: 3-Democracy: 0
Ah, just smell that Spring air. The Arab Spring, that is. What a glorious example of oppressed peoples rising against tyrannical governments in order to achieve freedom. Why, it's just like 1776 all over again and- wait, what's that? All of the countries that have seen real changes (Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya) are adopting hardcore Sharia as the basis for their new governments? But... but Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said that the Muslim Brotherhood is "largely secular." Okay, some people like Glenn Beck pointed out the dangers of the Arab Spring from the very beginning, but that guy is "really angry" (Business Insider), "delusional" (David Brooks), engaging in "hysteria" and brings to mind "Robert Welch and the John Birch Society" (William Kristol). Plenty of these useful idiots on both the Right and Left have been trying to put their words into the mouths of the revolutionaries (after all, it's not like any of these commentators actually understand Arabic) in order to advance their own agendas. The academic Left sees it as an end to "imperialism" or "neo-colonialism" or whatever other "ism" has earned their ire (simply because they've been told it's bad) and the revolutionary Left sees both a collection of kindred spirits and a means to further destabilize things. Meanwhile those on the Right who support the revolutionaries see the Arab Spring as a fulfillment of the Bush-era idea that Islamism will be halted by spreading democracy in the region. Oops.
While tensions have been high for years, it was the revolution in Tunisia that really kicked off the landslide. Dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali (try saying that three times fast), who had not really faced any well-organized opposition up until that point, was overwhelmed by the sudden uprisings. In a stunning turn of events, Ben Ali resigned and fled to Saudi Arabia less than a month after the riots began. The international media rejoiced. The plucky underdogs had defeated the oppressive regime, and they had done it quickly enough that the viewing public had not grown bored with it. Of course, in all the excitement no one bothered asking, "How did these uprising spring up so fast, and who was coordinating them?" Well, now we have at least some idea. The Islamist party Ennahda, which was banned by Ben Ali, won the election and took control of the government. While the media has portrayed Ennahda as "moderate" (at least they didn't say "largely secular"), the group was founded according to the teachings of Sayyid Qutb (one of the major theorists of modern Islamism) and has been tied to a series of terrorists attacks. The Tunisian group still maintains close ties with the Muslim Brotherhood and have also reached out to Turkey's AK party (see "Islamists Flexing Their Muscles in Turkey" for more on them). Ennahda has made the imposition of Sharia one of its top priorities. Rachid Ghannouchi, Ennahda's founder and leader, defended the move. "Sharia is not something that is strange or alien to our societies... For example, in Britain we have Islamic finance and Islamic banking, and Islamic family law can be applied for marriage and divorce."
In other words: Sharia Law- Coming Soon To A City Near You!
Egypt was the next domino to topple. The Muslim Brotherhood was formed in Egypt and has engaged in acts of assassination and terror against the government for the better part of a century. Now they have formed an official political party for the first time since 1954, known as the Freedom and Justice Party, and are poised to make big gains in parliamentary elections. Meanwhile, Egypt's Coptic Christian population has suffered tremendous persecution since Mubarak was deposed (to be fair, it wasn't exactly sunshine and lollipops while Mubarak was in power). One event on October 9th, which would see the worst violence since Mubarak's fall from power, involved a massive mob that attacked a group of Christians who were protesting for better conditions in central Cairo. Rather than prevent the Muslim mob from beating, stabbing, and shooting the Christians, the security forces either stood by to watch or actively joined in the fray, including one incident in which a security van smashed into a crowd of Copts. When the dust settled, over twenty-five people were dead and hundreds more injured. To make matters worse, the military (the same ones that failed to stop the violence) have used the massacre as a tool to further strengthen their grip on the country.
While Ben Ali and Mubarak agreed with Shakespeare's Falstaff that "The better part of valor is discretion," Libya's Moammar Ghaddafi decided to stay and fight the revolutionaries that threatened to overthrow him. It worked in the short-term. Ghaddafi stayed in power much longer than Ben Ali or Mubarak had. But in the end, thanks in no small part to military intervention by NATO, Ghaddafi ended up with a bullet in the head. I've already written a post on this subject. However, it is worth repeating that the same people who very likely executed their prisoner in cold blood and are suspected to be responsible for mass graves have taken control of the government. At least Ghaddafi waited until he was in charge before committing war crimes. Some experts believe that Libya could be the next Afghanistan, run by a radical Taliban-style government and a safe haven for Islamic terrorist groups like al-Qaeda. Already the National Transitional Council under Mustafa Abdul-Jalil has declared that they will follow a more strict interpretation of Islamic law than many Western analysts predicted (go figure). Included in the new decrees were orders to reverse the ban on polygamy (Muslim men can have up to four wives under Sharia) and to forbid banks from charging interest in accordance with Sharia regulations.
We face an interesting dilemma when looking at the Arab world: every leader is tyrant on some level and as (mostly) freedom-loving people we despise tyrants. However, the current attitude of "We should support any movement to topple these dictators" is incredibly nihilistic. There are many in the West who say, "Who cares that Sharia is taking hold of these countries? That's what they want." The problem is that whenever a democracy votes itself into a dictatorship, it doesn't simply return to a democracy during the next election cycle. The German people elected Hitler, but it wasn't like the Nazis just said, "Okay, well we've been a totalitarian nightmare, but our term is up so we're going to go home." What happens if the people decide they don't want to be governed by Sharia any more? It has been so entrenched in the system that it would take another revolution, and a much bloodier one at that, to simply give people the option. And for those of you who still don't give a flying crap about the people in the Middle East (which probably aren't a lot if you've come to this blog), consider that these radical regimes are sitting on significant natural resources as well as critical supply choke points like the Suez Canal.
So now we know what "democracy" looks like: women in burkas, polygamy, virulent anti-Semitism and brutal apostasy laws. It doesn't appear as much like 1776 as it does 776.
While tensions have been high for years, it was the revolution in Tunisia that really kicked off the landslide. Dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali (try saying that three times fast), who had not really faced any well-organized opposition up until that point, was overwhelmed by the sudden uprisings. In a stunning turn of events, Ben Ali resigned and fled to Saudi Arabia less than a month after the riots began. The international media rejoiced. The plucky underdogs had defeated the oppressive regime, and they had done it quickly enough that the viewing public had not grown bored with it. Of course, in all the excitement no one bothered asking, "How did these uprising spring up so fast, and who was coordinating them?" Well, now we have at least some idea. The Islamist party Ennahda, which was banned by Ben Ali, won the election and took control of the government. While the media has portrayed Ennahda as "moderate" (at least they didn't say "largely secular"), the group was founded according to the teachings of Sayyid Qutb (one of the major theorists of modern Islamism) and has been tied to a series of terrorists attacks. The Tunisian group still maintains close ties with the Muslim Brotherhood and have also reached out to Turkey's AK party (see "Islamists Flexing Their Muscles in Turkey" for more on them). Ennahda has made the imposition of Sharia one of its top priorities. Rachid Ghannouchi, Ennahda's founder and leader, defended the move. "Sharia is not something that is strange or alien to our societies... For example, in Britain we have Islamic finance and Islamic banking, and Islamic family law can be applied for marriage and divorce."
In other words: Sharia Law- Coming Soon To A City Near You!
Egypt was the next domino to topple. The Muslim Brotherhood was formed in Egypt and has engaged in acts of assassination and terror against the government for the better part of a century. Now they have formed an official political party for the first time since 1954, known as the Freedom and Justice Party, and are poised to make big gains in parliamentary elections. Meanwhile, Egypt's Coptic Christian population has suffered tremendous persecution since Mubarak was deposed (to be fair, it wasn't exactly sunshine and lollipops while Mubarak was in power). One event on October 9th, which would see the worst violence since Mubarak's fall from power, involved a massive mob that attacked a group of Christians who were protesting for better conditions in central Cairo. Rather than prevent the Muslim mob from beating, stabbing, and shooting the Christians, the security forces either stood by to watch or actively joined in the fray, including one incident in which a security van smashed into a crowd of Copts. When the dust settled, over twenty-five people were dead and hundreds more injured. To make matters worse, the military (the same ones that failed to stop the violence) have used the massacre as a tool to further strengthen their grip on the country.
While Ben Ali and Mubarak agreed with Shakespeare's Falstaff that "The better part of valor is discretion," Libya's Moammar Ghaddafi decided to stay and fight the revolutionaries that threatened to overthrow him. It worked in the short-term. Ghaddafi stayed in power much longer than Ben Ali or Mubarak had. But in the end, thanks in no small part to military intervention by NATO, Ghaddafi ended up with a bullet in the head. I've already written a post on this subject. However, it is worth repeating that the same people who very likely executed their prisoner in cold blood and are suspected to be responsible for mass graves have taken control of the government. At least Ghaddafi waited until he was in charge before committing war crimes. Some experts believe that Libya could be the next Afghanistan, run by a radical Taliban-style government and a safe haven for Islamic terrorist groups like al-Qaeda. Already the National Transitional Council under Mustafa Abdul-Jalil has declared that they will follow a more strict interpretation of Islamic law than many Western analysts predicted (go figure). Included in the new decrees were orders to reverse the ban on polygamy (Muslim men can have up to four wives under Sharia) and to forbid banks from charging interest in accordance with Sharia regulations.
We face an interesting dilemma when looking at the Arab world: every leader is tyrant on some level and as (mostly) freedom-loving people we despise tyrants. However, the current attitude of "We should support any movement to topple these dictators" is incredibly nihilistic. There are many in the West who say, "Who cares that Sharia is taking hold of these countries? That's what they want." The problem is that whenever a democracy votes itself into a dictatorship, it doesn't simply return to a democracy during the next election cycle. The German people elected Hitler, but it wasn't like the Nazis just said, "Okay, well we've been a totalitarian nightmare, but our term is up so we're going to go home." What happens if the people decide they don't want to be governed by Sharia any more? It has been so entrenched in the system that it would take another revolution, and a much bloodier one at that, to simply give people the option. And for those of you who still don't give a flying crap about the people in the Middle East (which probably aren't a lot if you've come to this blog), consider that these radical regimes are sitting on significant natural resources as well as critical supply choke points like the Suez Canal.
So now we know what "democracy" looks like: women in burkas, polygamy, virulent anti-Semitism and brutal apostasy laws. It doesn't appear as much like 1776 as it does 776.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
The Dictator Is Dead. Long Live the Dictator.
I apologize for my failure to post the last couple of weeks. A combination of distractions and computer malfunctions are to blame, but I will do my best to make up for lost time. Stay tuned over the coming week for more posts, but until then here's something to whet your appetite.
It has been a couple of months since Libyan dictator Moammar Ghaddafi became the former Libyan dictator. Now he has officially become the late Moammar Ghaddafi after a chaotic gun battle in his hometown of Sirte resulted in a fatal wound to the head. The interesting part about this story is that Ghaddafi was captured alive and in relatively good condition before being killed "in the crossfire." I've heard a couple of theories from people skeptical of the official story regarding how a healthy captive became a decidedly unhealthy corpse. There are those who think Ghaddafi was killed by his own side in order to save them the embarrassment of being seen as following a criminal (if he was brought to trial). I think that a complete lack of discipline is to blame, either on the side of the insurgents (or new rulers, I guess) or on the side of Ghaddafi loyalists. But it would not surprise me for one second to find out that orders had come down from the very top of what passes for a chain of command among the Libyan revolutionaries that Ghaddafi was to be executed on the spot.
Ultimately finding who is to blame is not important. The die has been cast, and it is too late to turn back. Ghaddafi's death changed the game for the so-called Arab Spring, which until that point had seen the relatively peaceful transfer of power. This could be an important threshold and, unfortunately, we could see an upswing in violence in the remaining revolutions in the Arab world. After all, the revolutionaries will notice that violence took down Ghaddafi, so they must be wondering why it couldn't take down the government of Syria or Yemen?
An interesting question that I have is, "Okay, what is going to happen to the NATO forces deployed to Libya?" Political leaders around the world have been giving speeches about how the Libyans have now achieved their freedom. That makes for lovely little sound bites, but already the country appears to be devolving along regional and ethnic lines. If that happens we could see a significant upswing in violence as disparate groups fight for territory, resources, and influence rather than work together to properly run Libya's government. In such a case there are really two possible outcomes: the new government is too weak to keep the country from collapse or the new government will crack down on any troublemakers to preempt any civil unrest. Remember, the revolutionaries have not won a contest proving that they are more capable caretakers of Libya than Ghaddafi was. They have simply shown that they are willing and able to use violence to achieve their goals. Is there an actual depth to their abilities, or are they a one-trick pony? Look at the celebrations in Libya because Ghaddafi is dead. Not necessarily that they are free, but that their enemy is no longer living. That is a bit chilling when you think about it. When faced with the challenge of running a troubled nation, the gut reaction of the revolutionaries will be the use of force. And the one who can use that force best will naturally rise to the top. That is not to say they are doomed to a dictatorship, merely that the odds lie heavily stacked against them.
Something has seemed off about the Libyan revolution from the very beginning. I do not think that even a man like Ghaddafi deserved to die like he did, but ultimately it was inevitable. While the world cheers (including some of those who cried foul about bin Laden and al-Awlaki), Libya faces a difficult future. I know that there are many Libyans who sincerely seek a peaceful, stable government without oppression. But will they stand by and watch silently as the new government picks up where Ghaddafi left off as long as they are now the ones with power, or will they continue to stand against anyone who would rule by fear and intimidation? More importantly, how will the new government interact with the extreme Islamist elements at work in North Africa and within their own movement? Would they embrace the idea of a Caliphate with open arms or truly stand for independence?
One final thought: Obama made the announcement to the Libyan people that, "You have won your revolution." If Libya collapses into anarchy, and especially if there is a cry for renewed NATO operations, will we hear the media drone on and on about how mistaken Obama's speech was like they did to George W. Bush's infamous "Mission Accomplished" speech aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln? Then again, it was the same media that ignored the fact that Bush's speech was actually about how much harder things were going to be in Iraq, so perhaps we shouldn't expect too much from them.
It has been a couple of months since Libyan dictator Moammar Ghaddafi became the former Libyan dictator. Now he has officially become the late Moammar Ghaddafi after a chaotic gun battle in his hometown of Sirte resulted in a fatal wound to the head. The interesting part about this story is that Ghaddafi was captured alive and in relatively good condition before being killed "in the crossfire." I've heard a couple of theories from people skeptical of the official story regarding how a healthy captive became a decidedly unhealthy corpse. There are those who think Ghaddafi was killed by his own side in order to save them the embarrassment of being seen as following a criminal (if he was brought to trial). I think that a complete lack of discipline is to blame, either on the side of the insurgents (or new rulers, I guess) or on the side of Ghaddafi loyalists. But it would not surprise me for one second to find out that orders had come down from the very top of what passes for a chain of command among the Libyan revolutionaries that Ghaddafi was to be executed on the spot.
Ultimately finding who is to blame is not important. The die has been cast, and it is too late to turn back. Ghaddafi's death changed the game for the so-called Arab Spring, which until that point had seen the relatively peaceful transfer of power. This could be an important threshold and, unfortunately, we could see an upswing in violence in the remaining revolutions in the Arab world. After all, the revolutionaries will notice that violence took down Ghaddafi, so they must be wondering why it couldn't take down the government of Syria or Yemen?
An interesting question that I have is, "Okay, what is going to happen to the NATO forces deployed to Libya?" Political leaders around the world have been giving speeches about how the Libyans have now achieved their freedom. That makes for lovely little sound bites, but already the country appears to be devolving along regional and ethnic lines. If that happens we could see a significant upswing in violence as disparate groups fight for territory, resources, and influence rather than work together to properly run Libya's government. In such a case there are really two possible outcomes: the new government is too weak to keep the country from collapse or the new government will crack down on any troublemakers to preempt any civil unrest. Remember, the revolutionaries have not won a contest proving that they are more capable caretakers of Libya than Ghaddafi was. They have simply shown that they are willing and able to use violence to achieve their goals. Is there an actual depth to their abilities, or are they a one-trick pony? Look at the celebrations in Libya because Ghaddafi is dead. Not necessarily that they are free, but that their enemy is no longer living. That is a bit chilling when you think about it. When faced with the challenge of running a troubled nation, the gut reaction of the revolutionaries will be the use of force. And the one who can use that force best will naturally rise to the top. That is not to say they are doomed to a dictatorship, merely that the odds lie heavily stacked against them.
Something has seemed off about the Libyan revolution from the very beginning. I do not think that even a man like Ghaddafi deserved to die like he did, but ultimately it was inevitable. While the world cheers (including some of those who cried foul about bin Laden and al-Awlaki), Libya faces a difficult future. I know that there are many Libyans who sincerely seek a peaceful, stable government without oppression. But will they stand by and watch silently as the new government picks up where Ghaddafi left off as long as they are now the ones with power, or will they continue to stand against anyone who would rule by fear and intimidation? More importantly, how will the new government interact with the extreme Islamist elements at work in North Africa and within their own movement? Would they embrace the idea of a Caliphate with open arms or truly stand for independence?
One final thought: Obama made the announcement to the Libyan people that, "You have won your revolution." If Libya collapses into anarchy, and especially if there is a cry for renewed NATO operations, will we hear the media drone on and on about how mistaken Obama's speech was like they did to George W. Bush's infamous "Mission Accomplished" speech aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln? Then again, it was the same media that ignored the fact that Bush's speech was actually about how much harder things were going to be in Iraq, so perhaps we shouldn't expect too much from them.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Palestine? What Palestine?
In recent weeks, one of the leading stories around the world has been the Palestinian push for official statehood by the United Nations. Of course, while the world continues to beg the Israelis to "pursue peace" they conveniently overlook the terrorist acts of the Palestinians. The Israeli/Palestinian conflict is perhaps the most high-profile struggle in the modern world. For generations, world leaders have sought to make their mark on history by resolving the issue. But, time and time again, those same leaders have proven a complete lack of understanding of the reality of the situation. The truth of the matter is simple: Palestinians do not have a "right" to a sovereign state, even if Israel returned to the 1967 borders. A bold statement? Perhaps it seems so, but only because the ability to tell even simple truths has been so lacking among the media and political figures who have controlled the debate for decades. Let's examine some of the reasons I can make that statement.
1. Who are the Palestinians?
The history of the Middle East is a complex and sweeping epic that would (and has) taken entire libraries to fully catalogue, but in the interest of brevity I'm going to keep things simple and relatively recent. Following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in 1917 at the end of World War I, the British took possession of a chunk of real estate in the Middle East. They named this territory "Palestine," which comes from the name the Roman Empire gave to the region: "Palaestina." The British wanted to help create a homeland for the Jewish people, but they decided to divide the territory between Arabs and Jews. The Arabs were to receive the British Mandate lands east of the Jordan River, an area referred to as Transjordan, while the lands between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River would be used to help create a Jewish homeland. The Transjordan became the Kingdom of Jordan in 1946 while the term "Palestine" would be used to refer to the rest of the British-held territory. It was from these lands that the Zionists would attempt to make a Jewish state, but the division of the land was not finished yet. Not by a long shot.
2. Why didn't the Arabs get a sovereign state alongside Israel?
The short answer is: they did. Or at least, that was the original plan. In November of 1947 the United Nations adopted the Partition Plan to further divide "Palestine" into two distinct states: one for Arabs and another for Jews. For those of you keeping score at home, that is two times that the British "Palestine" got narrowed down in order to give Arabs land so they would accept a Jewish state in their midst. And so, after the Partition Plan everyone shook hands and went home with nothing but love and peace in their hearts. Right? Eh, not so much. In fact, before the ink was dry a war had erupted between the Jews and Arabs (including an army of foreign fighters from Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, and even members of the Muslim Brotherhood from Egypt. Boy, none of those places are causing trouble right now). Despite fighting a numerically superior foe with significant foreign support, the Jews managed to achieve significant victories. In 1948 the British, who had grown tired of getting caught in the cross-fire, decided to pack up and head home for good. On May 14, 1948 the state of Israel was officially created as a sovereign nation. The very next day what had been a not-so-civil war became a massive international conflict with the armies of Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia invaded the newly created Israel, hoping to eliminate it before it truly had a chance to begin. Naturally, the Israelis looked around at the massive waves of Arabs swarming towards them, yawned, and started to obliterate all comers. The Israeli fighting forces were so effective that they not only survived (obviously) but they captured significant portions of the lands set aside for the Arabs by the 1947 UN Partition Plan. When a ceasefire was declared in 1949, the remaining Arab lands of the Partition Plan were gobbled up by other Arab countries. The West Bank was seized by the Kingdom of Jordan. Meanwhile, the All-Palestine Government was set up in Gaza City by the Arab League, but it was not recognized by any non-Arab country. In reality, the Egyptians ruled the Gaza Strip completely, though they never officially annexed the land. While the Jordanians offered the people of the West Bank citizenship, no such offers were made by the Egyptians who kept the people of the Gaza Strip in refugee communities that relied heavily on the UN. When someone tells you how horrible the Israeli "occupation" is, bring up the Egyptian-run Gaza Strip or even the not-as-brutal Jordanian annexation.
3. If Israel returned to the 1967 borders, who would claim the West Bank and Gaza Strip?
President Obama made quite a stir when he said that the Israelis should expect a return to 1967 borders "with mutually agreed swaps" as part of peace negotiations. But think about it. During the Six Day War Gaza and the West Bank were not part of some Palestinian territory that got bulldozed in the fighting. Gaza was Egyptian territory while the West Bank was held by the Kingdom of Jordan. So, if we were to return to 1967 borders those lands should be returned to the country that owned them before their capture. If a Palestinian homeland is such a big deal, why are the Israelis the only ones expected to give away land? Where were the desperate pleas for a Palestinian state in Gaza and the West Bank while those areas were turned into hellholes by the Palestinians' so called "allies" prior to 1967? The answer to that one is easy: prior to the Six Day War, it was believed in the Muslim world that a united Arab army would easily sweep the Jews into the sea and then the Arab world could truly unite and become a world power in their own right (maybe even restore a Caliphate). Only it didn't happen that way. Twice. So Arabs like Yassar Arafat decided to change tactics and began twisting history to tell a tragic tale of stolen lands and trampled rights that played right into the revolutionary mood sweeping across the world in the late '60s and into the '70s, particularly in America, hoping to turn the world's opinion against Israel. After that, it was simple inertia. Decades of propaganda have turned the story of Israel's stand against a sea of totalitarian enemies into a story of Israeli hatred and oppression. It is time we changed that. The tale of Israel is one of miracles, triumph, and hope in a dark world. What greater inspiration is there?
Of course this only scratches the surface of the true history of the Israeli/Arab conflict. I hope that this will be a beginning for you to seek out more of Israel's amazing true history. I have several links I will post at the bottom so you can continue to learn. I will close with a final observation. One of the Arab claims since the failed war of 1948 was that the United Nations had no right to create the state of Israel (which is an oversimplification in itself). Why, then, would the Palestinians go to the United Nations and seek a similar process? Using their own logic, would that Palestinian state not be illegal, as well? Round and round the circular logic goes; when it makes sense, no one knows.
Links-
Who Are The Palestinians? (video)
The Truth About The West Bank (video)
The Truth About The Peace Process (video)
Debunking The Palestinian Lie (video)
31 Opportunities for Statehood Squandered in Favor of Genocide
1. Who are the Palestinians?
The history of the Middle East is a complex and sweeping epic that would (and has) taken entire libraries to fully catalogue, but in the interest of brevity I'm going to keep things simple and relatively recent. Following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in 1917 at the end of World War I, the British took possession of a chunk of real estate in the Middle East. They named this territory "Palestine," which comes from the name the Roman Empire gave to the region: "Palaestina." The British wanted to help create a homeland for the Jewish people, but they decided to divide the territory between Arabs and Jews. The Arabs were to receive the British Mandate lands east of the Jordan River, an area referred to as Transjordan, while the lands between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River would be used to help create a Jewish homeland. The Transjordan became the Kingdom of Jordan in 1946 while the term "Palestine" would be used to refer to the rest of the British-held territory. It was from these lands that the Zionists would attempt to make a Jewish state, but the division of the land was not finished yet. Not by a long shot.
2. Why didn't the Arabs get a sovereign state alongside Israel?
The short answer is: they did. Or at least, that was the original plan. In November of 1947 the United Nations adopted the Partition Plan to further divide "Palestine" into two distinct states: one for Arabs and another for Jews. For those of you keeping score at home, that is two times that the British "Palestine" got narrowed down in order to give Arabs land so they would accept a Jewish state in their midst. And so, after the Partition Plan everyone shook hands and went home with nothing but love and peace in their hearts. Right? Eh, not so much. In fact, before the ink was dry a war had erupted between the Jews and Arabs (including an army of foreign fighters from Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, and even members of the Muslim Brotherhood from Egypt. Boy, none of those places are causing trouble right now). Despite fighting a numerically superior foe with significant foreign support, the Jews managed to achieve significant victories. In 1948 the British, who had grown tired of getting caught in the cross-fire, decided to pack up and head home for good. On May 14, 1948 the state of Israel was officially created as a sovereign nation. The very next day what had been a not-so-civil war became a massive international conflict with the armies of Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia invaded the newly created Israel, hoping to eliminate it before it truly had a chance to begin. Naturally, the Israelis looked around at the massive waves of Arabs swarming towards them, yawned, and started to obliterate all comers. The Israeli fighting forces were so effective that they not only survived (obviously) but they captured significant portions of the lands set aside for the Arabs by the 1947 UN Partition Plan. When a ceasefire was declared in 1949, the remaining Arab lands of the Partition Plan were gobbled up by other Arab countries. The West Bank was seized by the Kingdom of Jordan. Meanwhile, the All-Palestine Government was set up in Gaza City by the Arab League, but it was not recognized by any non-Arab country. In reality, the Egyptians ruled the Gaza Strip completely, though they never officially annexed the land. While the Jordanians offered the people of the West Bank citizenship, no such offers were made by the Egyptians who kept the people of the Gaza Strip in refugee communities that relied heavily on the UN. When someone tells you how horrible the Israeli "occupation" is, bring up the Egyptian-run Gaza Strip or even the not-as-brutal Jordanian annexation.
3. If Israel returned to the 1967 borders, who would claim the West Bank and Gaza Strip?
President Obama made quite a stir when he said that the Israelis should expect a return to 1967 borders "with mutually agreed swaps" as part of peace negotiations. But think about it. During the Six Day War Gaza and the West Bank were not part of some Palestinian territory that got bulldozed in the fighting. Gaza was Egyptian territory while the West Bank was held by the Kingdom of Jordan. So, if we were to return to 1967 borders those lands should be returned to the country that owned them before their capture. If a Palestinian homeland is such a big deal, why are the Israelis the only ones expected to give away land? Where were the desperate pleas for a Palestinian state in Gaza and the West Bank while those areas were turned into hellholes by the Palestinians' so called "allies" prior to 1967? The answer to that one is easy: prior to the Six Day War, it was believed in the Muslim world that a united Arab army would easily sweep the Jews into the sea and then the Arab world could truly unite and become a world power in their own right (maybe even restore a Caliphate). Only it didn't happen that way. Twice. So Arabs like Yassar Arafat decided to change tactics and began twisting history to tell a tragic tale of stolen lands and trampled rights that played right into the revolutionary mood sweeping across the world in the late '60s and into the '70s, particularly in America, hoping to turn the world's opinion against Israel. After that, it was simple inertia. Decades of propaganda have turned the story of Israel's stand against a sea of totalitarian enemies into a story of Israeli hatred and oppression. It is time we changed that. The tale of Israel is one of miracles, triumph, and hope in a dark world. What greater inspiration is there?
Of course this only scratches the surface of the true history of the Israeli/Arab conflict. I hope that this will be a beginning for you to seek out more of Israel's amazing true history. I have several links I will post at the bottom so you can continue to learn. I will close with a final observation. One of the Arab claims since the failed war of 1948 was that the United Nations had no right to create the state of Israel (which is an oversimplification in itself). Why, then, would the Palestinians go to the United Nations and seek a similar process? Using their own logic, would that Palestinian state not be illegal, as well? Round and round the circular logic goes; when it makes sense, no one knows.
Links-
Who Are The Palestinians? (video)
The Truth About The West Bank (video)
The Truth About The Peace Process (video)
Debunking The Palestinian Lie (video)
31 Opportunities for Statehood Squandered in Favor of Genocide
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