| 6. We begin by understanding that the mess in the middle east took centuries to develop and will not be solved with any solution that involves quick or easy fixes. We also understand that the actions of the few (extreme fundementalists) do not require the oppression or extinction of the many. If you want to solve a problem, you have to first understand the nature of the problem, and learn to distinguish between symptoms and the illness itself. You don't treat heart conditions by cutting out the heart, nor by giving massive doses of pain killers to make that nasty tightness in your chest go away.
Now, for what I think should be done. We admit to the Arab world that in the past we have exploited them for our own benefit, and by we I mean not just the United States, but the Western powers. The middle east map looks the way it does today because of what was politically expedient during and after both World Wars. Colonialism rears it's ugly head again. If we want them to admit and face their shortcomings and political sins, we have to be willing to do the same. Next, we somehow convince the West that we do not always have the only answers and ours are not the only valid concerns in the world. Just like us, the average arab/muslim worries about feeding their families and securing a safe corner in their own world. But most importantly, the United States has to realize that if we expect others to respect us , we can not impose our specific will on the world, we must be willing to submit to the same world opinion we damn others with (submit to World Court jurisdiction) and we must be prepared to surrender some of the goodies we suck up in the world (check into the ecological footprint of the US). Will our citizens accept these things? I doubt it. Will our government ever move towards this track? Not in my lifetime. I am not arguing that anyone will accept my answers. I am saying that if we were really honest with ourselves and not just "patriotic", we would understand that the answers are out there, they just aren't the answers we want to hear. They hate us because we only care about us and our freedoms, not because we are free. They hate us because we support regeims who oppress them, ridicule their concerns and only consider them when our pocket books are affected. |