[Dean's World] Aziz P: Israel will win

[notify at powerblogs.com]

Posted by Aziz P:
Israel will win
http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1154524147.shtml


   It depends on how you define "win". And all my recent pessimism on the
   short-term events aside, I do believe that in the long term, Israel
   will not only survive but even prosper. The simple reason is that
   Israel is free. And, there has been an inexorable trend towards
   increased freedom in the middle east - facilitated in no small part by
   Al Jazeera, possibly the single media forum most dedicated to genuine
   "air all views and let the audience decide" journalism in the world.

   Israel will pay a price for its short-sightedness in this campaign.
   That price will likely be in needless deaths of innocents due to
   ongoing violence - a price that every nation must pay, it seems, in
   the simultaneously sacred and cursed center of the world. But is
   Israel under an existential threat?

   Hizbollah poses zero threat to Israel's existence. It is a militia,
   tied to geography and to demography. A sophisticated one, to be sure,
   and one that can inflict terror upon Israeli civilians from afar due
   to its own state sponsorships. But remember the political cartoons in
   the US after 9-11: Uncle Sam, sporting a black eye, rolling up his
   sleeve. Not Uncle Sam, stabbed in the heart. Even a nuke in Miami
   would represent a wound, not a fatal stroke - we simply are too
   strong, their methods (being quintessentially asymmetric) are by their
   very nature too weak.

   Remember [1]the Blitz. During the first phase, London alone was
   targeted by over 200 bomber sorties per night, with over 13,000 tons
   of explosives and over 1 million incendiary bombs dropped in a period
   of three months. Sure, there were great losses of life, and
   [2]priceless heritage. And yet, like the [3]most beautiful building in
   London, the British remained strong. Bruised and bloodied, but all the
   more determined.

   Does Hizbollah possess even a fraction of the Nazi machine's arms? Can
   Iran, by proxy, supply even the tinest portion of the munitions needed
   to rival the Blitz? And even if it were so, would the Israelis succumb
   where the British did not?

   Mind you, the will to survive is not unique to Israelis or to the
   British. Lebanon too will rebuild. After all, they have [4]inspiration
   next door:

     a country noted for intellectuals, musicians, classical music
     concerts, raves, major publishing houses, incredible nightlife,
     beach parties, excellent local beer and wine, a diverse population
     of incredibly secular and incredibly religious people, leftists and
     libertarians, budding film directors. This is a country that has
     tremendous problems with all its neighbors. A country that feels
     oppressed by its neighbors. A country that has been greatly harmed
     by its neighbors.

   There are two nations on the Mediterranean, north of Egypt, bordering
   Syria, that fit this description. Someday, the sacrifices of the
   innocents will bear sweet fruit rather than the bitter lemons that are
   today's crop.

References

   1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blitz
   2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coventry_Cathedral
   3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Paul%27s_Cathedral
   4. http://lebop.blogspot.com/2006/08/do-you-really-support-israel.html