12 January 2009

"Tell Me How This Ends"-Discussion

General Petraeus is often quoted as saying, right after the invasion of 2003, "Tell me how this ends", in reference to the building of a stable democracy in Iraq.  

Tonight I ask the same about the situation in Gaza.  What long-term solution will military action have in Gaza on the security situation in Israel?  What will/could Israel combine with military strength in order to gain some sort of security gain in the Gaza Strip?

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Religion must frame the Israeli/Palestinian conflict - not to mention nearly all the conflicts in the Middle East. I know that seems like stating the obvious but I've seen so many of the secular Western news try and frame it in their cultural references (in which religion only plays a minor role).

We must understand that this is a conflict that is without a solution that will, neatly or not, fit into the Western, secular, democratic frame of reference. Israel's only solution is peace through superior firepower while the only solution on the Palestinian side is the complete destruction (and probably genocide) of Israel. That doesn't play well on CNN but it's the reality.

Starbuck said...

Religion is the 500 lb. gorilla in the room, but I can't help but think that there are other factors tied in to it.

Although every time I try to go to economics in Palestine, I keep winding back up in religion.