Root Cause of the Mid-East Crisis is...

[C0pernicus]

Even the pro-Arab side would characterize the "absence of Middle East peace" as a terrorist problem. I don't think the change in language changes the thrux of the of the G-8 statement....you can still choose your own favorite terrorist.

[ianlippert]

Wasnt the root of the whole problem the fact that we put the jewish state inbetween a bunch of countries that hate them? What was the middle east like before the end of world war 2?

[irvman21]

Vastly different, everyone held hands in a big circle and danced on a floor covered in rose petals while drinking the finest wine. Everyone prospered, literacy rates were 100%, and good times were had by all. And then the Jews came to town and ruined it all.

[C0pernicus]

[ QUOTE ]
Wasnt the root of the whole problem the fact that we put the jewish state inbetween a bunch of countries that hate them? What was the middle east like before the end of world war 2?

[/ QUOTE ]

The jewish state was "put" where it originated. What was Connecticut like before Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun? Or should the Pequots and Uncas have built their casinos in Greenland?

[SleeperHE]

[ QUOTE ]
Vastly different, everyone held hands in a big circle and danced on a floor covered in rose petals while drinking the finest wine. Everyone prospered, literacy rates were 100%, and good times were had by all. And then the Jews came to town and ruined it all.

[/ QUOTE ]

Heh... good one [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Mroberts3]

Your right that terrorism in and of itself is not the core problem. A more accurate statement would be that terrorism is the visible consequence of an irrational and dangerous belief system. Terrorism is the direct cause of many problems in the middle east, the belief system is the proximate cause. That is, it is because of certain beleifs that hezbollah and hamas etc exist and their existence and actions are the direct cause of continued violence.

Extra note: People have tried to convince me that it is poverty, oppression etc which causes terrorism and therefore those who are the oppressors, in the current situation they would say Israel, are to blame. If this is true then show me a Tibetan terrorist. Explain why Ghandi or MLK were not terrorists. There is a difference between an armed uprising brought on by oppression, real or perceived, such as the USA revolution which was delcared all nice and formal like, and the middle eastern terrorists who DELIBERATLY target civilians to make a point. Also remeber that Osama bin Laden is a rich man who has not been oppressed by anyone; his problems are purely religious.

Cliff notes version:

Religion=irrational beliefs. Irrational beliefs=irrational actions. Irrational actions (suicide bombing, terrorism)=pissed off victims. Pissed off victims=retaliation. Rinse and repeat last step indefinetly.

[C0pernicus]

indefintitely implies no victor and no one is defeated. I dont believe that is true. In fact I think there will be a near victory (there will always be pockets of resistance) for one side or the other in our lifetimes...Im just not sure which side.

[Mroberts3]

Sorry, I didn't mean for that to be taken literally. I just meant that it goes back and forth, but that there is a decernable original cause.

[morphball]

personally, sexual frustration is my thought on the subject

[Chris Alger]

There are too many factors, many overlapping and interrelated, to isolate a "root cause" of Israel's and Hizbollah's mutal terrorist campaigns. However, if we look for factors that rank high on the list of most obvious and most ignored, we must conclude that Israel's U.S.-backed determination to retain colonies in the occupied territories -- in stark contrast to the Arab and world consensus of making peace with Israel if it withdraws -- stands out as the most significant.

Almost any mainstream discussion that focuses on the word "terrorism" is almost by definition absurd. Terrorism means using violence against civilians (or defenseless innocents) to create fear that in turn might achieve political or other social goals. By this definition, both the U.S. and Israel are states with an extensive and unapologetic history of terrorism, the former having targeted and killed millions of civilians to further its aims.

To weasel out of this historical fact, terrorism is usually defined so that it excludes these states and allow them to retain terrorism as a military option. One defintion limits terrorism to irregular or guerilla forces (and hope that no one looks up the history of U.S.-backed irregualr terrorists in the Carribean and Latin America). Another is to contrast "war" with "terrorism," so that civilians targeted and killed by regular military forces can be shrugged off as "collateral" damage.