[DannyTN]

"The cumulative result of all this is the caricature of Arabs and Muslims who are supposed be:

1. Extremely religious "

While far from an expert. I would say that only a few of them are "extremely religious" which are the martyrs against the west. The rest seem to be more peaceful than the cariacture, despite certain tenants of their religion.

2. Extremely angry about whatever happens to be the subject of the day. (Their "street" is always about to explode but doesn't!)

The street does often sees anti-western protests, fanned by anti-western mullahs and Al Jazeera. One must assume that the Arab street is no different than US streets and can become filled with protests from the most extreme and vocal members of society. Protestors which often do not represent the society very well at all.

However there does seem to be a certain amount of group think in that region. Where are the opposing, "peace" marches for Palestine. I've seen none! Where are the anti-terror marches? Where are the pro-american marches?

3. Drunk with the idea of Palestine and hatred of Israel and the United States

Where are the anti-suicide protests? The silence is condemning, in this regard. Even if this is not true of the Arab people, then it seems it must be true of the Arab regimes.

4. Incapable of conceiving of politics beyond terrorism, suicide-attacks, and war.

I think this is true of some of the Arab regimes, but perhaps not of the Arab people in general.

Once such a caricature is established, two opposite ways of dealing with it are proposed.

One is to press a gun to the caricature's temple, push its back to the wall, and force it to submit to the will of the West, whatever it happens to be.

To the extent that the caricature is the result of certain regimes, this approach may well be warranted. I'm open to suggestions otherwise, but appeasement should not be one of them.

The other is to recall "the crimes of Colonialism and Imperialism," blame the West for the caricature's supposed "suffering and humiliation," and regard even the most vicious behaviour by Arabs and Muslims as "legitimate responses to injustice."

This is a strictly leftist response that doesn't represent the US well at all, and I reject it. But to the extent that the left does this, it does tend to reinforce those elements in the middle east that feel this way.

[MHGinTN]

The author can characterize the complexities in many ways, but the reality is, forces in countries like Iran see a freed Iraqi population as a threat. The murder of two religious leaders in An Najaf is a case in point, a case where the radicalism of Irani designs works to destabilize the threatening peace of self-governance. Those two clerics were murdered by Irani agent provacateurs inciting maniacal reaction from a mob. The main threat to peace and self-governance in Iraq is Iran's desire to establish a religious state in Iraq. Radical Islam, Islamism, is the main threat to coexistence between religions. Peace in Iraq without a Shariia central authority (the desire of the Irani's working behind the scenes to destabilize) is going to be a hard road. Hopefully, freedom will win out in the end among the Iraqi people, and they will work to establish a secular state in which freedom to worship can prevail.