I may just have to start watching again. They haven’t had any steel in their broadcasts since the Clinton administration. God knows how I missed this, because it’s a week old, but it’s a beautiful example of the mainstream media actually demanding an explanation and not settling for flackery. This is not a talking head, ladies and gentlemen, this is a reporter!
raincoaster 
Ooh. Those were some tough questions….and Isreal is “deeply deeply” sorry. If I had a $ for every “deeply”, could pop on the Greyhound to Vancouver and take you out for lunch!
I’d deeply like you to do that. But ———(deleted joke about cheap governments because it’s Israel and, well, you know)
As opposed to the IDF, who are trying to hold the whole of Lebanon hostage to the demands of Israel?
If the IRA had taken two of our soliders hostage and said we had to empty the maze to get them back in the 80’s we’d have told them where to go.
Steven, the fact is that they asked for women and children to be released. A lot of them, yes, but women and children.
And it’s because you finally STOPPED shooting the IRA that you were able to bring about peace in Northern Ireland. Thatcher’s hardline position only escalated violence; it was when you began recognizing Sinn Fein and allowing debate and negotiation under ceasefire conditions that the IRA stopped blowing up London and the English stopped shooting up Belfast. Look it up.
Try this link http://hotair.com/archives/2006/08/09/video-charles-johnson-howard-kurtz-anderson-cooper-on-reutersgate/
and then look for “white T-shirt man” here
http://eureferendum.blogspot.com/2006/08/vital-to-telling-story.html
he definitely appears in the video from CNN.
Truth can be abused by both sides.
Re Northern Ireland: peace came about (if we can call it that; they still kneecap kids and engage in organised crime) because after 9/11 the USA made it clear they would not tolerate terrorists from anywhere and without the back up of US monies and poltical influence the IRA had nowhere else to go.
Truth can be abused by both sides.
ScotsToryB
ps sorry to take so long to comment or reply yo comments but I unfortunately have to do other things…….
No time limit on comments.
As for Northern Ireland, it’s been clear for a very long time that the US will, in fact, tolerate terrorism on behalf of their own goals; this is, as you rightly point out, how the IRA was funded for most of its life. But Gerry Adams went from being an official non-person to being a statesman during the Major era (if one can call it that). Clinton was not incidental to this process, actually. It was far more diplomatic than otherwise, and involved concessions by both sides and long negotiations. The UK is to be congratulated for essentially replacing terrorism with the democratic process in Northern Ireland.
We can discuss the Irish Question itself some other time; what I want to bring up here is the process of moving from terrorism and counter-terrorism to participatory democracy. Will it take Israel and Lebanon eighty years as well, I wonder?
Agreed. I should have emphasised that the US do not tolerate terrorism when it suits them not to.
Will it take Israel and Lebanon eighty years as well? As long as the West continue to see the middle East as its’ personal fiefdom(i.e.to over simplify, to control the oil) it may well do.
Lets do the history bit. The USA placed the Shah in power, who was overthrown by Khomeini, who had been given safe haven in France, which had a UN mandate over what is now Syria and Lebanon. The UK had a mandate over Iraq & Transjordan which became Jordan and Israel/Palestine ( I know this is kindergarden simplifying). The US is now in three countries around Iran. Both Israel and Iran are engaged with China (technology and oil respectively). Iran is currently becoming closer to Russia: they have a vested interest in carving up the world gas market between them. Iran is developing weapons grade plutonium(?) despite warnings from the USA not to and Russia offering to process their fuel for them.
And then there’s Hezbollah, the cuckoo in the nest.
So what about participatory democracy? Hamas was duly elected in Palestine and Israel, amongst others held back monies due to Palestine. Israel has also arrested members of the Palestinain cabinet. Neither the Israelis nor the Palestinians are stupid people – if they are not having undisclosed discussions about their combined future, as it transpired Adams and the UK had done, then there is no hope. I like to think that, even under the current circumstances, sense will out. Perhaps the Israeliis will remember they were once thought of as terrorists….
So, Hezbollah.
My understanding is that it is an Iranian sponsored and Syrian supported group. Syria, which had reined in its sponsorship of such groups after the invasion of Iraq seems once again to be trying to establish itself as a leader (or 2nd in charge to Iran?). Iran’s president has stated he wants “regime change” in Israel. I am using what I believe to be the translation of what he said, not what has been the interpretation given us by our politicians. However, I find it hard to distinguish between regime change and no state of Israel.
Lebanon is being used for Iranain ends. Why? To destroy Israel and allow the Iranian objective of an Islamic/Sharia greater Middle East. The use of Hezbollah is strategically intelligent. It allows the world to see killing of Lebanese, apparently indiscriminately, by Israel, allows Hamas to continue armed attacks (again like Adams, politics and paramilitaries) and takes the world’s eyes away from Iranian nuclear proliferation. Hezbollah has also played a smart game by using Gramsciian techniques to win hearts and minds.
So, can participatory democracy be established? I believe it could by now have been a reality between Lebanon and Israel had the will been there to help the Lebanese remove Hezbollah. By help I mean military backup. This would have meant a UN force (not, I emphasise, a peace keeping force). The US would probably have scuppered any UN involvement as they are openly contemptuous of it. Despite this, if the Israeliis or the proposed international force do remove Hezbollah, Lebanon can achieve democracy and learn to live, if uneasily, with Israel.
Hamas, I believe, will eventually achieve something akin to what has been achieved in Northern Ireland and a genuine State of Palestine will be established.
Syria remains Iran’s puppet and it is Iran that will remain the source of conflict in the region.
What to do about that ?
Over to you!
ScotsToryB
Solve the Iranian problem. Oh, is THAT all.
I’m pretty egotistical, but even I must admit that I do not currently understand enough about the Iranian situation to even begin to offer a proposal. I don’t understand why Syria is considered by the US to be untouchable, when they are and have been so clearly destabilizing to the Middle East for decades. I don’t know the recent (post-Ayatollah Khomeni) history of Iran. I don’t know the relationship between Iran and Saudi Arabia, nor am I as aware as I’d like to be about Saudi’s place as a leader of Muslim thought.
Can’t solve this one in the comments, at least not right now.