Middle East Problems and Sharing the Blame.

Extracts from Paul Kennedy, Professor of History.

It is problematic whether the Muslim world's problems are cultural or historical. Western critics point to the region's intolerance, technological backwardness, and a feudal cast of mind, forgetting that before the Reformation, Islam led the world in mathematics, cartography, medicine, and history and science generally.

Iraq and Persia now Iran, were part of a Middle East intelligentsia, mostly due to Hellenistic influence, the Great Library of Alexandria in Egypt built in tribute to Alexander.

While blame goes to earlier Middle Easterners for accepting the simplicity of Islamic preaching in preference to Hellenism, others blame the Germanic barbarians whose acceptance of both Christianity and Hellenistic Reasoning, began the progress of the present Western world.

Thus in an earthly sense, while Christianity was lifted out of the Dark Ages by an admixture of Greek philosophy and Germanic fire, so the former ME Intelligentsia by accepting Islam, gradually dropped into its own Dark Ages, many virtually accepting Death in preference to life on Earth.

Professor Kennedy goes on to tell how with the end of the Islamic Mughal Empire after WW2, the Eastern Mediterranean was peppered with Western influence, instigating coups against what was left of Islamic leaders.

And then since WW2, we find the rebirth of little Israel. Jewish hearts torn by the inhuman bestiality of the Nazis.

But now so cocky after proving themselves better at war than the Arabs, with blessings from America with the illegal allowance of the most modern means of nuclear defence/or attack as protection against the ill-armed Arabs.

Islam today suffers many self-inflicted problems. But if much of its angry confrontational stance toward the international order is due to a long held fear of being overrun by the West with Israeli help, something more sensible than just plain superiority must be contemplated by the West.

Missiles, bombs and small arms were all used by Israel against the UN - leading to dozens of deaths!
A United Nations inquiry into the war in Gaza has found that Israel was to blame for at least seven direct attacks on UN operations - including schools and medical centres.
The UN report, commissioned by Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, said the Israeli military intentionally fired at UN facilities and civilians hiding in them during the war and used disproportionate force.
Despite these atrocities will we hear the sound of international condemnation? Will we hear the US condemning such actions as a breach of human rights?

Oh No! Because as we have seen in the past any criticism of Israel is immediately interpreted as ‘Anti Semitism’ I commend Ban Ki Moon and the UN, and I say to those who proclaim biblical rights; God espouses ‘Love thy Neighbor and turn the other cheek’; and by the way the first amendment says ‘Freedom of Religion’.

So, will the USA show the courage of a true leader and ratify what the rest of the world sees as bottom line human rights abuse? Will the US recognize that there cannot be peace in the Middle East without Israel putting down their guns, (and US armed support)? Or will this be another example of the US only conforming to international law when it chooses to?

These questions nee to be answered and this report is a test for the Obama administration. Will we see a continuation of US policy that chooses to conform with international law when it chooses to or is there a real change in the Washington that acknowledges and respects the differences of humanity and shows real world leadership

Stuobmor, at least, seeing that there has been no response to our suggestions of the need for more Western understanding concerning Middle East problems, shows that our sensible plus sensitive use of history at least has achieved something.

To be sure in the above case, silence is never golden, but black as the Ace of Spuds, a true symbol of guilt.

Regards, BB, WA.