Posted on 08/03/2006 3:23:21 AM PDT by white trash redneck
British prime minister Tony Blair has said he believes that there is a need for the world to “reappraise” its Middle East strategy in order to win the battle against extremism.
Speaking to an audience of more than 2,000 people at the World Affairs Council in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Blair said he believed the current conflict between Israel and Hezbollah is “in part a struggle between what I will call Reactionary Islam and Moderate, Mainstream Islam.”
"Unless we reappraise our strategy, unless we revitalise the broader global agenda on poverty, climate change, trade and in respect of the Middle East, bend every sinew of our will to make peace between Israel and Palestine we will not win and this is a battle we must win," Blair said.
He noted that: “In the end, even the issue of Israel is just part of the same, wider struggle for the soul of the region. If we recognised this struggle for what it truly is, we would be at least along the first steps of the path to winning it. But a vast part of the Western opinion is not remotely near this yet.”
Hezbollah provocation
The prime minister said that he had planned the basis of his speech “several weeks ago” and “The crisis in the Lebanon has not changed its thesis. It has brought it into sharp relief.”
But he immediately commented on the situation between Israel and Hezbollah.
"The purpose of the provocation that began the conflict was clear,” Blair said. “It was to create chaos, division and bloodshed to provoke retaliation by Israel that would lead to Arab and Muslim opinion being inflamed not against those who started the aggression but against those who responded to it."
“What is happening today out in the Middle East, in Afghanistan and beyond is an elemental struggle about the values that will shape our future.
“But its implications go far wider. We are fighting a war, but not just against terrorism but about how the world should govern itself in the early 21st century, about global values.”
Alongside America, the British leader has remained steadfast in his belief that it would be wrong to expect Israel to stop fighting Hezbollah without a guarantee that Hezbollah will disarm. This view has been countered by much of the European community who have called for an immediate ceasefire.
Understand Israel
Blair’s speech was made on the final leg of his American tour which included talks with US president George Bush.
In it he stressed the need to understand Israel’s position.
“I, and any halfway sentient human being, regards the loss of civilian life in Lebanon as unacceptable, grieves for that nation, is sickened by its plight and wants the war to stop now. But just for a moment, put yourself in Israel’s place. It has a crisis in Gaza, sparked by the kidnap of a solider by Hamas.
“Suddenly, without warning, Hezbollah who have been continuing to operate in Southern Lebanon for two years in defiance of UN Resolution 1559, cross the UN blue line, kill eight Israeli soldiers and kidnap two more. They then fire rockets indiscriminately at the civilian population in Northern Israel.
“Hezbollah gets their weapons from Iran. Iran are now also financing militant elements in Hamas. Iran’s President has called for Israel to be "wiped off the map". And he’s trying to acquire a nuclear weapon. Just to complete the picture, Israel’s main neighbour along its eastern flank is Syria who support Hizbollah and house the hardline leaders of Hamas. It’s not exactly a situation conducive to a feeling of security is it?”
As an aside, any time a politician talks about "climate change," I immediately consider him a buffoon.
Blair BUMP
And poverty? humm Saudia et al have more money than sense, imho
“But its implications go far wider. We are fighting a war, but not just against terrorism but about how the world should govern itself in the early 21st century, about global values.”
If sovereign nations cannot come together to eliminate a gang of anti-life, anti-freedom thugs launching 100+ missiles a day on a sovereign nation, there are no global values worth the consent of the governed.
Maybe it's just me and not enough coffee this morning, but the way I read the article, Blair starts out by describing the current conflict between Israel and Hezbollah as a conflict between extremist Muslims and Moderate Muslims.
Then, at some point, he appears to wake up or realize what he's talking about and goes on to describe the conflict in terms that tend to make one think he gets it. However, for as much as I like Tony Blair, the position he seems to be endorsing (when you parse the second part of his statement carefully), is one of cease-fire and appeasement.
This will not resolve this conflict once and for all. Ahmadinejab is still waiting in the wings for Aug. 22 to roll around (for whatever "surprise" he intends to pull off) and Syria is gearing up to get into the fight against Israel. For all of PM Blair's pollyannish words, invoking an arbitrary cease-fire does not bring this conflict to an end - it only puts off the ending for a little longer. Like it or not (and regardless how you characterize it), it appears that the next world war (aka Crusades, the Sequel) is before us in the ME. The Muslims have been slapped down everytime they have tried this in the past and they will be slapped down again. The only remaining question is whether or not Islam should be outlawed from the face of the earth.
"Unless we reappraise our strategy, unless we revitalise the broader global agenda on poverty, climate change, trade and in respect of the Middle East, bend every sinew of our will to make peace between Israel and Palestine we will not win and this is a battle we must win," Blair said.
“But its implications go far wider. We are fighting a war, but not just against terrorism but about how the world should govern itself in the early 21st century, about global values.”
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Blair is so full of happy horseshit, but what else should be expected from a liberal socialist.
What 'global values' does Islam have... when it is silent on the bloodletting its radical elements foster? This was NEVER a war with terrorism... using that term was the height of PC hypocrisy. It's a war with an evil, worldwide cult... no different than the most perverse elements that came out of Nazi Germany or the Empire of Japan.
Those who squeal for 'peace'... will get none of it from this ilk.
"in part a struggle between what I will call Reactionary Islam and Moderate, Mainstream Islam."Gosh, that sounds a lot like something George Bush has said now and then since 2001. Quite a reappraisal.
Alongside America, the British leader has remained steadfast in his belief that it would be wrong to expect Israel to stop fighting Hezbollah without a guarantee that Hezbollah will disarm. This view has been countered by much of the European community who have called for an immediate ceasefire.Funny, it seems to me that the German government (largest country in the EU, apart from our enemy, Russia) also failed to support calls for an immediate cease-fire.
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