Condeleeza Rice visits the Middle East. What is the purpose? To bring a conclusion to the war, preferably with an Israeli victory over Hezbollah.
We are seeing the birth of a new Middle East. In the times before, even only in the last presidency of Bill Clinton, we dealt with the age-old Middle East conflict of Arab vs. Jew heightened by the question of Palestinian/Jewish sovereingty. The new Middle East is being shaped by state-backed radicals jousting for power over more moderate Arab states. It is divided along religious lines of Shii and Sunni. But though the moderate Arab states' governments are Sunni, as their populace, the confluence of the rise of Shii power and aggression by Western states is radicalizing even the predominantly Sunni populace. The real victor of the American invasion of Iraq is overwhelmingly Iran (and not the United States), who has now lost their traditional enemy who had long kept them in check. In retrospect, the American policy of bolstering Sadaam did indeed prevent an influential, strong, and very anti-American Islamic power from rising. But that has been carelessly discarded.
There is nothing for Condi Rice to do now but cheerlead Israel into all of Lebanon and risk a war with Syria. Unwavering support for the Israeli war on Lebanon has become downright embarrassing to the United States, as Israel had become completely undiscriminating in the wholesale killing of civilians and civilian infrastructure, whatever the stated objective. The option to broker a peace with Syria and Iran is well off the table, for these states could only offer empty bargaining in a sue for a cease-fire because of the loss of the American ability to be an honest broker after the Iraqi misadventure. Condi Rice's trip will be short indeed.
Look forward to an Israeli war with Syria, since Syria can now not stop Hezbollah. I was right six months ago that Iran was the victor of the Iraqi invasion. All signals point to a widening of the war. If I am right again, it is only because Condi's actions will basically tell the world that Israel has the American blessing to go after Syria.
Condi is smart, but she is just a smart school teacher when compared to others before her in the same position, such as Madeleine Albright, Zbignew Zrebinsky, and even Henry Kissinger. This is all the result of a United States being led by a bunch of amateurs in the White House. The forthcoming 8th year of G.W. Bush will have given birth to a new and uncontrollable Middle East monster. It seems the Christian fundamentalist cohorts of the younger Bush are successfully fulfilling their own dreaded prophecy.
We are seeing the birth of a new Middle East. In the times before, even only in the last presidency of Bill Clinton, we dealt with the age-old Middle East conflict of Arab vs. Jew heightened by the question of Palestinian/Jewish sovereingty. The new Middle East is being shaped by state-backed radicals jousting for power over more moderate Arab states. It is divided along religious lines of Shii and Sunni. But though the moderate Arab states' governments are Sunni, as their populace, the confluence of the rise of Shii power and aggression by Western states is radicalizing even the predominantly Sunni populace. The real victor of the American invasion of Iraq is overwhelmingly Iran (and not the United States), who has now lost their traditional enemy who had long kept them in check. In retrospect, the American policy of bolstering Sadaam did indeed prevent an influential, strong, and very anti-American Islamic power from rising. But that has been carelessly discarded.
There is nothing for Condi Rice to do now but cheerlead Israel into all of Lebanon and risk a war with Syria. Unwavering support for the Israeli war on Lebanon has become downright embarrassing to the United States, as Israel had become completely undiscriminating in the wholesale killing of civilians and civilian infrastructure, whatever the stated objective. The option to broker a peace with Syria and Iran is well off the table, for these states could only offer empty bargaining in a sue for a cease-fire because of the loss of the American ability to be an honest broker after the Iraqi misadventure. Condi Rice's trip will be short indeed.
Look forward to an Israeli war with Syria, since Syria can now not stop Hezbollah. I was right six months ago that Iran was the victor of the Iraqi invasion. All signals point to a widening of the war. If I am right again, it is only because Condi's actions will basically tell the world that Israel has the American blessing to go after Syria.
Condi is smart, but she is just a smart school teacher when compared to others before her in the same position, such as Madeleine Albright, Zbignew Zrebinsky, and even Henry Kissinger. This is all the result of a United States being led by a bunch of amateurs in the White House. The forthcoming 8th year of G.W. Bush will have given birth to a new and uncontrollable Middle East monster. It seems the Christian fundamentalist cohorts of the younger Bush are successfully fulfilling their own dreaded prophecy.
