Originally posted by: cwjerome
Sultan's original post shows a lot of cynicism. I would like to hear his solutions.
I must believe that region isn't hopelessly damned. They are just people... human beings like me and you. They have the same potential for good and bad. It's just the cultural atmosphere that's been building for hundreds of years has a stranglehold on SOME of them. Blind religious fanaticism, non-separation of church and state, tribalism, racism, despotism, barbarism, etc... those are just beliefs-- ideas that can change. 500 years from now, do you think the region will still be the same way? I don't... it's going to be a long struggle. It won't happen overnight, but there's got to be a starting point. The starting point has to be NOW.
I don't believe we have a choice, and what we are doing today is just the beginning of a process of change. It will sometimes be ugly, but I sincerely think that in 50+ years history will look back and see America's greatness in defeating religious facism and terror, and pulling the Middle East/Muslim community out of the dark ages and into civilized modernity. There's a lot of really bad people flowing in over there to prevent this, and it's a difficult road. But most truly worthwhile things are difficult. Iraq has the resources and population to be a very successful country. Staying the course... nobody thinks that Iraq will be a little America, but it can be a Turkey.
Well, the region is NOT hopelessly damned. They are of course people and what you perceive as barbarism or religious fanaticism is not perceived as such in Iraq or in that region. I refuse to accept your suggestion regarding separation of church and state. If the people in that region want that to happen, why should you or I or the United States impose their own will on those people?
In 50+ years, I believe this misadventure will be regarded as a bigger catastraphe in our history than the Vietnam war. Of course we will celebrate our soldiers as heroes (which "some" of them are) but the overall effect will be worse than the result of the Vietnam war. We have invaded a nation - wrongly - in the heart of the Middle East where already the sentiments of the people are very much against the United States for its policies such as immense support for Israel, hostility towards nations such as Syria and Iran and the unwanted military presence in nations such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, etc.
How do you argue that the Middle East/Muslim community is in the dark ages and not in "civilized modernity"? The living standards of many Middle Eastern nations is pretty good, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman have envious living standards. Malaysia, Indonesia and other Muslim nations also have a pretty healthy economy. Just because they have a different way of living does not constitute the community being in the "dark ages".
