Israel's failure to quickly defeat Hezbollah forced the U.S. to make significant compromises at the United Nations and looks likely to leave U.S. policies in the region as well as Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert damaged, according to diplomats and analysts.Even as Israel threw thousands of extra ground troops into a major assault to clear Hezbollah from Lebanese territory ahead of a cease-fire set to take effect at 8 a.m. Israel time today, analysts and diplomats said the effort may be a sign of Mr. Olmert's political desperation rather than of strength. The career politician has come under criticism that he has mishandled the month-long war by limiting the military to an air offensive, with relatively few troops on the ground.
So just to sum up: Israel gets goaded into hostilities by Hezbollah's rocket attacks and kidnapping. Israel fights Hezbollah for about a month, but because they failed to "quickly" defeat this hard-bitten terror group that blends in with the population in southern Lebanon and is well supplied by Syria and Iran the only logical response is to force a cease fire on the situation and declare it a loss for the U.S./Israel?
Anyone else thinking that's a bit...stupid?
Why does Israel have to crush Hezbollah quickly? That group may be comprised of a bunch of stone-aged religious zealots, but they are well organized and have strong backing in Syria and Iran. They pose a challenge even for a fighting force as well-trained, well armed and experienced as the Israeli Defense Forces, which is why this standard that requires Israel to either defeat Hezbollah in a month or admit that they can't do it at all is so dumb.
I'd even go so far as to say that this standard is exactly why hostilities between Israel and its neighbors continue in perpetuity. Israel is never allowed a victory against forces like Hezbollah or Hamas. Time after time Israel is provoked into war, the two sides fight for several weeks to a month or so and then the international community pressures Israel into a cease fire. Something that only serves to allow Israel's enemies to rest, resupply and recruit in preparation for the next cycle of violence.
If we want a solution to this situation we'll cease this silly expectation that Israel either win quickly or not at all.
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Comments: 15
This may or may not be correct. According to a recent article in The New Yorker, the plan for military incursion into Lebanon was drafted long before Hezbollah had done anything.
Aside from that, it appears as though you may finally be beginning to realize how drastically and tragically the BA foreign policies have failed, not only the US, but the rest of the world as well. Nice to see you coming around, Rob. There may be hope yet.
The war against terror is a thankless job. Ronald Reagan and Clinton never took the issue on because it is a battle that would be messy and long. For over 30 years terrorist organizations have been picking off our citizens w/ impunity.
When the war broke out after Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers the world's knee jerk reaction was to condemn Israel for overreacting. Bush to his credit was consistent and did not blame Israel as everyone else.
It is very clear from the statements made by the French minister that the UN force will not actively disarm Hezbollah. They are going to seek a "political solution". Lebanon has been given a second chance which is rare. Hopefully for Lebanon sake they will take this opportunity to make Hezbollah irrelevant.
It's also a charade. You cannot wage war against a tactic. Witness the stunning failures of the past 5 years, for instance. Global terrorist has risen exponentially since the much-lauded, though highly bogus "war on terra."
Clark,
Be more specific.
"Witness the stunning failures of the past 5 years, for instance. Global terrorist has risen exponentially since the much-lauded"
I disagree. According to Bernard Lewis (Princeton Professor, Middle Eastern Expert) when Americans asked after 9/11 "why do they hate us" we should have been asking instead "why do they not fear and respect us".
According to Lewis, it is very natural for them to hate us. They see this as a war between the two great religions, Christianity and Islam. And in their view they are losing. He advised to Bush was to either get tough or get out of the Middle East. So until we wean our economy off Oil we are stuck in the Middle East.
If you have better solutions please contribute.
How do you think we're doing in the War on Drugs, the War on Sex, the War on Terror? Why do you think we want to stop each of those things, and what success do you see in our efforts to do so?
Be more specific. "
Terrorism is an asymetrical war tactic, not an enemy. You cannot wage a war against a military tactic, because the only way that you positively guarantee that it would never be used against you is if you literally killed every living person. Leaving just one person standing negates the possibility of ever fully assuring "victory."
The best that can ever be hoped, if one wishes to avoid being attacked by terrorists, is to (as Noam Chomsky states) stop conducting them ourselves. That is, stop making our military act as extensions of American corporations.
Stop forcing OUR will on nations of the world by brute force.
Stop using words like "Islamo-fascists," "Crusade," "evildoers," and other such meaningless labels...they do nothing but stir yet more rage and hatred against us.
Stop allowing the military industrial complex to completely rule foreign policy.
Stop sleeping with and creating vicious dictators, thuggish governments, and known terrorists or supporters.
MYOB. Take care of the seaports, the borders, the chemical and nuke plants, the electrical plants and grids, the communications networks, the pipelines and refineries, etc., and stop invading and occupying soverign nations that pose no threat, except to have control of the oil beneath their own sand.
"I disagree. According to Bernard Lewis (Princeton Professor, Middle Eastern Expert) when Americans asked after 9/11 "why do they hate us" we should have been asking instead "why do they not fear and respect us". "
You disagree with published facts? How's that working out for you, then?
As for why they don't fear and respect us, read my above statements. They despise us, because we've caused them to do so.
"According to Lewis, it is very natural for them to hate us."
This is pure rightwing bullshit and nothing more. Of course, it does allow one to completely ignore what we've done over the past 60 years or so, doesn't it?
"And in their view they are losing."
Who is "we?" Are you suggesting that the US government is waging a religious war on behalf of Christianity? Because, I'm pretty sure that would be highly unconstitutional.
"He advised to Bush was to either get tough or get out of the Middle East. "
At least he's got it 1/2 right.
"So until we wean our economy off Oil we are stuck in the Middle East. "
And yet, with a formula for removing the threat of terrorist attack as simple as weaning ourselves off foreign oil, what has our "national security president done?" Drafted energy and economic policies that actually ENCOURAGE the further increased dependence on foreign oil. You still think we're fighting a "war on terror?"
"If you have better solutions please contribute. "
I'll post an article of my own in the next day or two. There are too many items to cover here.
It called war planning and war games Clark. If you would like Clark I will go into the reasoning behind it.
I find it rather compelling that Israel planned a major military incursion based upon two of their soldier being "kidnapped," prior to it actually happening, don't you?
"According to a Middle East expert with knowledge of the current thinking of both the Israeli and the U.S. governments, Israel had devised a plan for attacking Hezbollah—and shared it with Bush Administration officials—well before the July 12th kidnappings."