My thoughts on the Mideast war
These are interesting times for an American to be living out of country. That being said, I am reminded of the Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times."
The latest war between Israel and Hezbollah as done perhaps more damage to the U.S. diplomatically than the Iraq war has. The U.S., who was once seen as a mediator and key player in the Arab-Israeli conflict, has shown its true face to the Arab world, namely that it is unequivocally on the side of the Israelis. Whereas European and U.N. diplomats call for an immediate ceasefire, the official U.S. government position seems to be, "Let's wait it out until Israel gets what it wants." Meanwhile, the civilian death toll on both sides of the front rises.
The result of this favoritism will have lasting consequences in the Middle East, namely that the U.S. will no longer be seen as a fair and impartial player. If the Palestinians and other Arabs had their doubts before, they can have no doubt now - the U.S. is there to promote Israel's interests. In doing this, the U.S. has effectively forfeited its diplomatic leverage in the Arab world to the Europeans, Russia and the U.N.
Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel is the only U.S. voice of any importance I know of who has called for an immediate ceasefire. Let's hope this voice of reason becomes stronger and soon, before this limited regional conflict brings in bigger players.
The latest war between Israel and Hezbollah as done perhaps more damage to the U.S. diplomatically than the Iraq war has. The U.S., who was once seen as a mediator and key player in the Arab-Israeli conflict, has shown its true face to the Arab world, namely that it is unequivocally on the side of the Israelis. Whereas European and U.N. diplomats call for an immediate ceasefire, the official U.S. government position seems to be, "Let's wait it out until Israel gets what it wants." Meanwhile, the civilian death toll on both sides of the front rises.
The result of this favoritism will have lasting consequences in the Middle East, namely that the U.S. will no longer be seen as a fair and impartial player. If the Palestinians and other Arabs had their doubts before, they can have no doubt now - the U.S. is there to promote Israel's interests. In doing this, the U.S. has effectively forfeited its diplomatic leverage in the Arab world to the Europeans, Russia and the U.N.
Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel is the only U.S. voice of any importance I know of who has called for an immediate ceasefire. Let's hope this voice of reason becomes stronger and soon, before this limited regional conflict brings in bigger players.
Comments