Good information for concerned historians, Antoun, keep up the good work.

Certainly Middle East complicity largely backed by Bush et al, must be totally uncovered, otherwise as Kissinger warned so many years ago, that Nixon allowing Israel to go Nuko, would cause serious trouble for the Middle East.

In fact, from your more up to date historical accounts, Antoun, looks like Obama will need to carefully watch his way, as he could easily become part of the blame.

I personally appreciate an article on contemporary Middle East conflict that offers objective reasoning rather than extremist rhetoric.
There's not a great deal Australians can do to resolve this conflict other than to maintain an independent National Policy not tied to the blatant militarism of the United states and it's Israeli proxy.
So far we appear to have achieved that with the Rudd Government and I believe we should encourage Rudd to continue with such policies into the Obama Presidency.

No, sorry to say, Macaras, Rudd is starting to make mistakes, not only with getting rid of the Single Desk marketing system in favour of Big Biz, but also in supporting Bush, Blair and Howard in fully backing Israel.

Only wish both Rudd and Julia Gillard would confer with a few genuine political historians re' the scary Middle East problems.

And could say the same for Obama.

Regards, BB, WA.

It’s good to see that the enemies of freedom and of the values of Western civilization in our midst can write uncensored under the freedom of expression and expose themselves for what they are.

It’s a well known adage that it’s in critical situations, such as presently in Gaza, that one reveals his true beliefs. And Antoun Issa is a perfect example of this. In his reverential support of Hamas-Hezbollah and its state sponsors Iran and Syria and in his identification of the West’s “devil”, he exposes himself to be just another fanatic of the Diaspora of the Muslim Brotherhood. In two paragraphs following each other in his article he states and condemns the perfidy of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan to make “a deal with the devil”, without however naming the latter, which obviously is America. This is the pre-eminent slogan of the Muslim Brotherhood, and al-Qaeda, i.e., the Great Satan America, under which they recruit the holy warriors of Mohammed. Antoun by adopting this slogan and characterizing America as the “devil” shows himself to be, if not a holy warrior in the flesh, definitively a holy warrior in the spirit.

Moreover, he exposes the fallacy of so many in the West who insist that if only their governments relinquished their ‘Islamophobia’ and supported the moderate Muslims, the latter would have taken up the cudgels against the extremists. Antoun makes it quite clear that the “Arab street” is in full support of Hamas-Hezbollah and the Muslim Brotherhood. And is this surprising, when their radical imams are preaching for years now to their ‘open-mouthed’ credulous flock the great evils that afflict the West and especially America?

http://kotzabasis4.wordpress.com

Themistocles, are you implying that the author's critique lacks credibility or just flogging a pro-American/Israeli line whilst ignoring the disproportionate military offensive and loss of innocents lives in Gaza..It would appear the latter is the case

Themistocles,
My concern with your response is a bit like coming into a complex Chinese movie halfway and trying to make sense of it.
Clearly there is no simple solution for the well entrenched problems that make up the cesspit that is Middle East politics. Much less the idiotic immoral suggestion of from the ashes of war….et al of the web site you posted.

One is left to wonder who is the war between? How wide it will be?
Containment is something the US isn’t very good at, given the supply of arms available.
2016/20 isn’t that far away. Take your pick White turbans V blue turbans Nostrodamas’ arcane predictions or Mayan end of the Cycle.
I don’t believe that the end of the world is nigh but if you play with explosives you don’t understand then don’t be surprised if you get blown up.

Bush at sec went into Iraq without any real idea of what was involved and the consequences are a quagmire of proxy power plays.

The one issue missing in most pieces on the Middle East is the destitution and utter hopelessness of the people. Egypt e.g. Has an underclass of unemployable graduates. If we add to this a repressive corrupt dictatorship and we shouldn’t be surprised that there is a popular support for another system a more radical one.
Consider Czarist Russia 1917 and the violence and extremism it spawned.
One doesn’t need to be too smart to see the same forces brewing in the Middle East.
Likewise all those self interested countries that profit and interfere by propping up local despots are seen as ‘Great Satans’…hardly a surprise. Iran and the Shah should have told us that.

If we add to that arbitrary divisions and giving away land to interlopers. What do you expect?

It is simply cause and effect if we continue to support Israel at all costs then don’t be surprised if we are in their cross hairs.
What is forgotten most Muslims really want a fair go the longer we deny that the greater the anger