Opinion  Others
Flawed evil twins strategy
Dr. Alon Ben-Meir
Published: 22.08.06, 20:27
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18 Talkbacks for this article
1. Interests are already "divided"
(08.22.06)
A nuclear bomb landing in Israel will kill more Arabs - Muslim & otherwise - than it will Jews.
2. No point in making peace with Alawite regim
Benjamin ,   TA Israel   (08.22.06)
They are tiny Shia minority among Sunny majority. Their power is unstable. Better wait until stable government representing sunny majority emerge and make peace with it.
3. Evil twins??
Sattouf ,   USA   (08.22.06)
Evil twins??... meaning Bush and Olmert??
4. Again joking
Eric ,   Chicago   (08.22.06)
This guy likes jokes. Now give Syria a portion of Israel, and they will love Jews more than Iranians. Perhaps, if you give Assad Tel Aviv he will convert to ... Sunny muslem. What a deal!
5. old roman trick?
alan ,   kodiak, alaska   (08.22.06)
Now we are playing Julius Caesar? Maybe all the Arabs can be divided into three parts? Not if the radical Islamicists take over. Then it will be one big Arab nation with plenty of internal conflicts. How someone can propose accomodation with a regime allowing rockets at this very moment to rearm the Hezis is a particualrly niave perspective from someone sitting safely in NY.
6. Regional war -weapons of mass destruction
Malcolm Light (Dr) ,   Cortegana, Spain   (08.22.06)
The simplest way for Israel to eliminate the possibility of a nuclear attack is to get rid of its own nuclear arsenal. That is what the muslims are worried about considering the extreme way Israel behaves at the smallest provocation.
7. Every country has to defend itself
Faisal ,   Hyderabad India   (08.23.06)
Israel is having peace with Egpyt and Jordan so these both countries in a sense accepted the state of Israel. Where as Lebonan and Syria are having border disputes with Israel ... Sheeba farms and Golan heights , If they got it back they will be in peace with Israel like Jordan and Egpyt. Palestinians are real suffers in all this since 1948 , In all wars Palestinians suffered alot and staying in refugee camps, Arab countries can take all Palestinians but they dont and in return ask Palestinians to fight for their Lands by themselves only. Palestinians resistance has changed in Terrorism now by which they will not get anything Iran is having no land dispute with Israel but still its trying to take excuse for its nuclear program. Israel have always gone in all its wars in an offensive way, and in 1973 war Israel was about to use nukes .. so Iran wants to make Israel influence less in ME . All the same if Israel can have nukes why not Iran. Both Israel and Iran are the same .. Zionists and Islamists , both are having worst ideologies and both bring religion in between. Israel should also give up its nukes and all countries who are having nukes should give up also including India and Pakistan. And in real Israelis always threathen by saying it will nuke its neighbours specailly Syria .. Syria and Iran alliance would be a big problem for Israel even when Israel is having nukes . Israel should return back all the occupied lands and then there will be peace in ME.and Iran will have no Excuse to go against world community .
8. Syria Iran
alfredo ,   France   (08.23.06)
the main problem the world has today is G W Bush he is mad the second is Tony Blair he is just a dog that does as his master. they are crazy and very dangerous they have practically destroyed Iraq have done the same to Afghanistan are on the process of achieving that in Britain and now in Israel, look at your political situation why do you follow Washington's dictum, Iraq is quite an example of this incompetent clowns. no wonder if citizens follow this mad men what do you expect. god save us from this crazy lot.
9. we can run 'til we puke but we
termite   (08.23.06)
can't beat a nuke. radiation flagellation then annihilation. Israel has a price that's jacked up like a sack of rice. just sit there and soon all will be buying rice krispies. the syrians don't even speak the same language as iran. one is arab and the other is persian. send a message and send the depleted uranium home to the land of the free and the home of the slaves (to propaganda) along with the bunker busters and arrows. no one can serve two masters. just who is deciding the future here??????
10. Maybe yes, maybe no. Proceed but with caution.
Karen R ,   USA   (08.23.06)
11. #9 Alfredo
Bill Pearlman ,   Chicago, USA   (08.23.06)
I really enjoyed eeing those ten French soldiers hiting the beach in Lebanon. It reminded me of Iwo Jima. Look buddy, any opinion emanating from France is worthless. Your a nothing country and how France wormed their way on the security council is an eternal mystery. The last competent French leader is lying in Napoleons tomb and he was Corisican
12. 7 So you are saying ...
freedom ,   canada   (08.24.06)
Palestinians should move out of the west bank, as that is occupied territory that Israel owns historically. You also would advocate Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Maybe you should take a look at the freedom of the press in Iran , as that is a good indicator of what a country is about.
13. 8 Main problem is militant Islam.
freedom ,   canada   (08.24.06)
When one thinks of terrorists, what are in general the descriptions. Fascists like Hizbullah and Hamass, use Islam in a perverted way to say its gods will to do what they do. You can deal with Bush can you deal with the whack job in Tehran. NO.. take a look at the many human rights abuses in Iran.
14. 11 France has embarassed itself.
freedom ,   canada   (08.24.06)
One only has to look at the backpedaling it did with the Lebanon fiasco. Personally, they should have their status removed as a security council member. Put in those that fought for freedom in the second world war.. How about Canada.. lol... toot toot the horn.
15. Bullying Damascus?
Jorge Banner ,   Bs.As.,Argentina   (08.24.06)
Don't "bully" damascus. Destroy them!
16. #8 Alfredo
Jon ,   FL   (08.25.06)
Perhaps we can always take a lesson from the French and just surrender. That would solve everything, right? Thank God we have leaders like Bush and Blair with enough COURAGE (a word unknown to many French) to stand up to those who would exhort others to strap bombs to themselves in order to kill as many innocents as possible (even the French!). You would appease the very people who would slit your own throat at the first opportunity....what a jerk!!!
17. Islam is NOT a religion
Martin Knopman ,   Philadelphia USA   (08.25.06)
The main problem that the West is having in dealing with the arab/persian/muslim problem is that we are wedded to notions of western civility that do not apply to these other parts of the world. This problem is most easily identified in the classification of islam as a religion, which it is NOT. Islam, while it may have fantasy lands and fairy tale figures, is not, in the western sense, a RELIGION. Islam is a POLITICAL ideology, not unlike Communism. The mimicry of Judaism and Christianity, in the prayer rituals of Islam - with the added arab touch of FULL SUBMISSION, as seen in being forced to kiss the ground 5 times a day ... - does not make Islam a religion any more than one praying to his Ferrari becomes a religion. Islam is, and has always been, POLITICAL in its main thrust, demanding the power of the state. This is directly at odds with the western notion of a religion existing independently of the state political machinery. Why is it important to declassify Islam as a religion? Because there are many cultural, political and military benefits that the west bestows upon religions that can no longer be extended to Islam. On the battlefield, the immediate differences would be stark and dramatic. Mosques would no longer be seen as religious sites, but as political and military centers (which we all know they ARE) and they would be on the first list of targets in any battle against a muslim foe. We all know that, with the destruction of all mosques in an area, much of the fighting will be made easier. It also sends a message to the Muslim world that the West is tired of playing around with them and is prepared to call a spade a spade. Diplomatic double-speak (for the benefit of the less advanced) has never been proven to improve any situation. It may not seem like much, but the delisting of Islam as a religion, and its inclusion in the list of political ideologies akin to Communism is the most important step any Western (or modern) country can take in this battle to save the civilized world from the aggressive onslaught by the primitive formalization of pre-agrarian nomadic culture as embodied in Islam.
18. religion and the middle east
confused ,   ny   (08.26.06)
all this is based on religion. what will happen if you destroyed jerusalem first. every one thinks that god gave them rights over others. if god is all that powerful why can't he do some thing about this mess where humans have done the worst damage. either make it a common pakce every one or get every body out of the place. give one party montana and the others alberta!
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