Recently, the “hot” war on terror spread from Iraq and Afghanistan to Lebanon.  Following are quotes from two analyses of how this development affects to Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The first is by the American President (07/21/2006, speech at the Port of Miami). 

The second is by a dentist in Baghdad (07/16/2006, in the Iraqi blog, “Iraq the Model”). 

What fascinates is how much they have in common.  In analyzing the Israel/Hezbollah dust-up, the American President and the Baghdad dentist both assert:

• That a peace which maintains the status quo is undesireable;
• That the fight against terrorists, whether Hezbollah or Al Qaeda, is transnational;
• That a ceasefire is secondary to the destruction of armed terrorist groups;
• That terror-supporting governments must be held to account for the actions of their surrogates; and
• That fighting terrorists, and those who harbor them, is essential to the security of the Free World.

Considering these points in turn, here is what President George W. Bush and Mohammed, dentist of Baghdad, had to say:
 
The “status quo” in the Middle East is undesirable

Bush, the President:

For decades, the status quo in the Middle East permitted tyranny and terror to thrive. And as we saw on September the 11th, the status quo in the Middle East led to death and destruction in the United States, and it had to change.

Mohammed, the Dentist:

The Arabic/Islamist strategy relies on keeping a crisis open, always reaching half-solutions to enable the leaderships to retain their positions…of course this also means keeping the countries of the region behind the rest of the world… I see the same strategy being employed this time.

The fight against terror is transnational

Bush, the President:

The current crisis is part of a larger struggle between the forces of freedom and the forces of terror… So America is opposing the forces of terror and promoting the cause of democracy across the broader Middle East.

Mohammed, the Dentist:

[T]he powers involved in this conflict between Lebanon and Israel are closely connected to the powers fighting in Iraq… In both cases we see a weak government suffering to control a powerful militia that is challenging the will of the rest of the country, and engaging in a proxy war, making the people suffer the results of regional  conflicts  that  can  in  no  way  benefit
their country.

Cessation of hostilities must break the cycle of terrorist violence

Bush, the President:

We’re going to work with our allies to bring before the United Nations Security Council a resolution that will end the violence and lay the groundwork for lasting peace in the Middle East. To achieve the peace that we want we must achieve certain clear objectives: Lebanon’s democratic government must be empowered to exercise sole authority over its territory.

Mohammed, the Dentist:

Iran proved that it’s able to drag the region into a state of chaos by maneuvering its tools in Syria, Hizbollah, Hamas and the militias in Iraq. Iran knows that such a conflict directed by militias that blend with civilians will lead to long-lasting chaos, and represents a half-solution that debilitates the other powers… At the same time, it’s not a costly tactic for Iran! A hundred million dollars in the hands of gangs are enough to cause a lot of destruction that cannot be cured by billions in reconstruction. It always costs less to destroy than to build.

The key point in this strategy is to keep the half-solution alive. This method proved successful in keeping the despotic regimes in power for decades and these regimes think this strategy is still valid.

[I]nternational comments came almost exactly as they always do; calls for restraint and urging a cease-fire which they (Iran and her allies) think will mean eventually going back to negotiations, which they know very well how to keep moving in an empty circle.

Governments that support non-state actors – terrorists, militias, etc. – must be identified, and called to account for their actions

Bush, the President:

Iran must end its financial support and supply of weapons to terrorist groups like Hezbollah. Syria must end its support for terror and respect the sovereignty of Lebanon.

Mohammed, the Dentist:

[F]irm and resolute measures have to be undertaken against Syria and Iran who are directly responsible for the mess in Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine

Confronting terrorism, and terror-sponsoring states, is a matter of security to the Free World

Bush, the President:

When democracy spreads in the Middle East the people of that troubled region will have a better future. The terrorists will lose their safe havens and their recruits, and the United States of America will be more secure. The hard work of helping people realize the benefits of liberty is laying the foundation of peace for generations to come.

Mohammed, the Dentist:

[T]hose who direct the conflict in the region do not seek a solution. Even if America looks geographically far right now, one should not forget that technology will not allow her to remain so in the future… I think dealing with conventional arsenals today is better than dealing with nukes in the future.

Thus, the American President; thus, the Baghdadi dentist….

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 1st, 2006 at 9:16 am and is filed under MSM. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.