For the massive nation building implied in the plan to succeed, the entire industrial world would have to invest throughout the region for a generation in order to build infrastructure, weave the area into the global economy, and create the fundamental cultural platform necessary for democracy - free non religious education, freedom of personal and political expression, freedom of press, basic human rights, and freedom from nationalized religion. The global threat of al Qaeda terror is simply not great enough, in my view, for that kind of focus to happen now. It's easier to simply let the US machine proceed.
But he assumes (wrongly) that even such a cooperation and consolidation of efforts existed, would it be sufficient in order to combat terrorism if limited to the nations mentioned? In which part of the region do the so-called American allies have the fundamental cultural platform necessary for democracy? On the contrary, US foreign policy has always supported, and it still does, the most anti-democratic elements and regimes just because they are willing to cut economic deals with the US.
This is the dilemma US faces. Without a general and costly policy change towards the region as a whole, I see little hope for success.
[1] Philbin is an American playwright and writer who contributes to publications and blogs about issues of political and cultural concerns. His play Finca Vigia was produced in the US in spring 2007.
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I believe that the road this country is on needs to be changed, and I do believe we need to get out of the Middle East and try different diplomatic efforts to improve our standings there, however with the extremists I believe it is too late.
ReplyDeleteI concur that converting extremists is a somewhat lost cause, but what fosters extremity and helps them grow in numbers should be tackled. As someone living in the Middle East, US diplomacy has always seemed to me awkward: it tries to crush those who hate what America stands for, while it negotiates with those who openly or discretely despises values like freedom, equality, free will, democracy, so and so forth. Despise is cold, and always grows, whereas hatred, no matter how difficult is, can be won. True, those who hate you will not love you, but they can respect you. Hence a reversal is in order: carrot to hatred, stick to despise.
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