This Answers a Slew of Questions by Beth Goodtree Mar 31, '05 /
A lot of things have been happening during the last few years that go against all logic and history: the United States granting legitimacy to those terrorist, name-stealing usurpers -- the Arabs who call themselves Palestinians -- Ariel Sharon's behavior, broken treaties with nary a raised eyebrow, ethnic cleansing of Jews from their land, etc. Separately, each event seems puzzling at best, but if you list them all and look for a connection, there is at least one solution that stands out.
So, first, let's list them.
1) Two weeks after 9-11, apparently in capitulation to terror, the US grants legitimacy and promises statehood to a group of people who have waged a war of terror on not merely Israel, but killed or maimed hundreds of Americans, including several of our diplomats. These people are the Arabs of Jordanian and Egyptian descent (mostly) who now occupy Jewish Palestine.
2) Ariel Sharon, going directly against his campaign promises and platform, in fact, his very lifelong beliefs, agrees to ethnically cleanse Jews from their homes and land. He also acts weak in the face of threats and aggression, letting the Arabs get away with hundreds of murders and maimings, and even rewarding them with multiple prisoner releases.
3) Then there's Russia. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia has yearned to once again be a superpower. It has insinuated itself into areas where it didn't belong; for example, foisting itself into the Middle East 'peace' process. And while supposedly having friendly relations with the US, it has opposed America on not a few critical issues; especially regarding terrorism and terroristic regimes bent upon waging war.
I kept asking myself why Russia would agree to help Iran build up its nuclear arsenal. Iran is an oil-rich country and certainly doesn't need nuclear plants to generate power. And she has made it plain, at every opportunity, that she will use whatever is in her means to destroy Israel the first chance she gets. That Russia needs the income it would generate is not an excuse enough for her to arm a country almost guaranteed to use nuclear weapons the first chance she gets.
And now Russia is arming another of the countries designated by her supposed ally, the US, as part of the 'Axis of Evil' -- Syria.
4) Next is Egypt. Egypt has broken almost all the guarantees of the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty. Okay, Israel chooses to ignore this for whatever reason; however, there is also another treaty that was signed at the time, guaranteeing that Egypt would, among other things, not arm herself with weapons that could be used against Israel. That treaty, signed by the US as a guarantor for Israel's safety, is called the Document of Agreement. The United States is now breaking that treaty by allowing Egypt to purchase weaponry, from the US, which will definitely threaten Israel.
5) Meanwhile, the US, the EU, Russia, and even many of Israel's own leaders are deliberately weakening Israel's stance. They are giving back territory that has been the only buffer between Israel and a sea of hostile countries. In the face of Arab aggression and murder, Israel does little but bomb empty, useless buildings, give back prisoners, and make other humiliating concessions in return for nothing. Israel is now looking and acting like a losing weakling.
6) Then there are many of the surrounding Arab countries. Suddenly, they are all arming themselves to the teeth.
7) Not to be left out is the twin problem of Iran and North Korea both developing nuclear weapons.
8) There is also the long-term problem of Saudi Arabia. As she did back in the early 1970s, she could wreak havoc on our oil flow, upon which our economy is based. As of today, Saudi Arabia continues to hold our economy hostage by the oil prices that she helps set through OPEC. And, perhaps worse, Saudi Arabia uses her vast wealth to fund the spread of a terrorist branch of Islam, Wahhabism, even within our own country, the USA.
9) And finally, there are the recent, perplexingly hypocritical statements by Condoleezza Rice. One week, she declares that leaving the occupying Arabs with two non-contiguous cantons is not letting them have a viable state. The next week, she proposes turning Israel into three non-contiguous, utterly indefensible cantons, with little water supply to sustain its current population and no room whatsoever for any natural growth. Her stated plans would turn Israel into a non-viable state ripe for the conquering.
It was Ms. Rice's recent statements that got me thinking.
Say you have these really big problems. You need to stop radical nations from getting nuclear weapons. You also need to control the flow and price of oil to keep your economy stable. You also need to stop the funding and spread of terror. But you also need not to look like a bigger bully than some are already painting you.
In other words, you need a damned good excuse to solve your problems with, shall we say, extreme prejudice. How do you do it without overextending your resources and also looking like the good guy?
Easy. You get yourself a good excuse.
Coming to the defense of an ally who is fighting for her very existence is an excellent excuse. Especially if you have treaties to back you up and that ally was not the aggressor in the current conflict.
Enter Israel.
It is no secret that the Arab/Muslim world would like to destroy Israel. They have tried it five times in the past (and failed in a most humiliating way, I might add). Even those countries that ostensibly have peace agreements with Israel are hardly peaceful in their anti-Israel, anti-Jewish rhetoric. In truth, there are no real peace agreements, merely a lack of overt war at this time.
Then there is the Arab Muslim psychology. We in the civilized world view weak nations as ones to be protected and nurtured. The Arab Muslim world views them as ripe for attacking and conquering. Don't believe me? If the history of their attacks on Israel is not proof enough, look at what's happening on the African continent. There are a number of wars over there right now, all perpetrated by Arabs or Muslims against weak governments in an attempt to conquer them and force them into becoming Muslim.
While the US has no stake or protection treaties with these African nations currently under attack, she has a big responsibility towards Israel's survival. A frontal attack on Israel would be a green light for America to come dashing to her aid.
So, how do you solve your oil/terror problem in one fell swoop? You sucker the Arab Muslim world into attacking Israel. You do this by making Israel appear weak and vulnerable, while allowing the Arab Muslim world to build up their arms. Then, when the first missile is fired at your ally, Israel, you respond with fierce, rapid and utter finality. No diddling with 'limited' urban wars. No ground troops. You use your biggest guns on the enemy's most vital and sacred centers.
Would Israel survive such a first-strike scenario? Most assuredly. Not only does she have the most advanced anti-missile batteries, she has a laser beam defense weapon under development, but already working well in tests, called THEL (Tactical High Energy Laser). THEL is designed to destroy short-range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, ground- and air-launched rockets, unmanned aerial vehicles, mortar shells and artillery projectiles. It consists of advanced radar that detects and tracks incoming rockets, and uses a high-energy laser beam to destroy them.
So, if the Middle Eastern Muslim world (I'm including at least Iran here, but maybe even Pakistan) goes after a weakened and supposedly indefensibly-bordered Israel, they might not even get one bomb through. But they will have given the US and Israel the justification to attack with no holds barred. And the missiles fired at Israel? If the defense systems work as designed, they will be exploded before they reach Israel, falling on the surrounding Arab countries.
This would explain Ariel Sharon's turnaround on the Jewish cities and towns of Judea, Samaria and Gaza, as well as his silence about Condoleezza Rice's vision to turn Israel into three indefensible cantons. Perhaps he was told that if he goes along with this, knowing the Arab Muslim mindset of hubris, pride and bullying, the above scenario would take place. And when the shooting stops, all those Arabs' lands will be ripe for the taking as recompense for their war of aggression.
And even if the entire Arab and Muslim world does not attack Israel, I can guarantee that the Arabs now occupying Jewish Palestine will. You cannot raise two generations of people on hatred and a lust to commit genocide and not expect them to attack. And once they attack, Israel will have every right to wipe them out and reclaim her land, and more.
And where does Russia fit into all this? Russia would like to still be a superpower. Even if she sides with the US, she will, at most, be second best. Russia also has a Muslim problem of her own, as evidenced by Chechnya. She also has an economic problem.
By arming Syria and helping Iran get the ability to produce nuclear weapons, she is putting herself on the side of the 'Axis of Evil'. She is showing the Muslims in her country that she is pro-Muslim and hoping that they'll stop taking over elementary schools and murdering hundreds of children. Or taking over theaters and murdering the patrons.
Russia is gambling that the Arab Muslim world will win a war against the US and Israel, thus catapulting her into being the only superpower on the planet. But even if the Arab Muslims never start a war, or if they lose, Russia's made a few billion bucks, and earned what she thinks will be the good will of the Muslims. And if there is a war, it won't be on Russian soil. She is also betting that America and her allies won't go after Russia for selling arms to terrorist nations. Russia, therefore, sees herself in a win-win situation.
As for North Korea, such a scenario, with America's entry into a war of ultimate finality, will be a lesson they are not likely to ignore.
