If Lebanese factional leader Saad Hariri tells Jackson Diehl the US should isolate Syria then I guess the only thing to do is follow Diehl in uncritically endorsing the idea that Hariri has America's best interests at heart here. I mean, surely it's not possible that Hariri is trying to push an agenda that he thinks serves Hariri's interests or those of his faction inside Lebanon rather than America's.
« From Bogota to Kabul | Main | Laughter »
Always Trust Foreigners Talking to Newspaper Columnists
08 Oct 2007 11:50 am
Comments (14)
What? I think Matthew completely missed the point of the column. Who is arguing that Hariri "has America's best interests at heart here"??? Nobody, as far as I can tell. Hariri clearly has Lebanon's interests at heart. The point of the column is an argument that Lebanon's interests and America's interests are congruent.
It is odd to see Matthew sputtering with rage at the idea of liberal democracy in Lebanon. (I liked Matthew's locution so much, I think I'll use it myself!)
This only works when said "foreigners" are advocating a hawkish agenda.
Millions of "foreigners" speaking in simultaneous paragraphs in every nation of the world matter naught compared to one useful figure endorsing the hawks.
"please correct me if I'm wrong but I think Jackson Diehl, like Ignatius, Hoagland, Broder, Roger Cohen, Mallaby, Marcus, Samuelson, is part of the Washington Post "stable of fools"."
From where I'm sitting, Syria continuously assassinates anti-Syrian politicians in Lebanon. Hariri's father for one. Six in the past two and half years, two since June.
Now the Left complains when Israel assassinates leaders of Hamas, but it's fine when Syria assassinates politicians? The Syrian dictatorship's only hope, like Burma, is China.
I think Matt missed the main flaw of the piece, which is that the writer clearly knows very little about Lebanon's politics and is simply uncritically passing on what Hariri is saying with the barest vestiges of analysis.
My personal beef with it is how it trots out the same tired old domino theory we see every time some country's elite want US support. Does anyone still believe this silly nonsense? That Arabs just haven't figured out that democracy will benefit them and only (often bloody) intervention in their neighboring states will produce that consciousness? They're not children, they understand the idea. The bigger problem is that it's rather hard to install democracies against US-supported dictators...
It is odd to see Matthew sputtering with rage at the idea of liberal democracy in Lebanon.
Well, it would sure be odder than seeing Al manufacture stuff to argue against.
Now the Left complains when Israel assassinates leaders of Hamas, but it's fine when Syria assassinates politicians?
Haha, good one, as if the American Left actually EVER complained about one single assassination out of the thousands that the IDF has committed in the last ten years.
good one, Peter, reminding us of the absolute silence we get when IDF assassination squads remove their political opponents in Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan. a real knee slapper.
Hell, given Jackson Diehl's track record, the fact that he's supporting something is a solid reason right there to take a hard, critical look.
Googling will show what I mean; Nexisizing even more so. If there's a vile foreign policy option, Diehl is there to advocate for it.
Re mrs. ibrahim al-jafaari
Ms. jafaari tells one everything one wants to know about her when she refers to the terrorists that the IDF assassinates as "political opponents." I guess the Osama bin Laden is a "political opponent" by that standard.
SLC,
Do you believe that every swarthy guy whom the US military has rounded up and/or killed in the last 6 years was an evil-doing terrorist? No? Then why do you ascribe greater integrity to the Israeli military?
Re nbt
Let's look at the record. It is estimated that thus far ~4000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the 2nd intifada in 2000 (i.e. 7 years). Compare that with the estimated 100,000+ Iraqis who have been killed since the invasion of Iraq in 2003 (i.e. 4 years) and the 20,000 residents of the Syrian city of Hama who were killed in 1982 by the Syrian army (i.e. 2 days). By these standards, the the IDF looks almost like a humanitarian organization. The answer to Mr. nbts' question is no. Not all of the Palestinians killed have been terrorists. However, the efforts of the IDF to limit collateral damage in their targeted assassination campaign make one wish that the Blackwater thugs operating in our name in Iraq would be so solicitous.
Wait -- this is being commented on here as though this is merely a matter of high minded principle?
Is there any evidence that a U.S. effort to "isolate" Syria would change its influence over Lebanese politics?
Does this matter? Syria is one of those regimes which do not care, generally, about human rights minded denunciations. Are we back to the foreign policy of the deluded hawks, where real world factors and real world results don't matter, simply comic book symbolism?
For the child minded, is this all "rewards "& "punishment"?
Any sort of engagement and move toward peaceful negotiation is a "reward" -- no matter if it may lead to a better situation for the civilians at risk in the region -- and "isolation" or hawkish provocation or actual military attack, no matter how many problems or crises it may cause is merely "punishment"?
So once again, to hell with the actual results of policies and yay for U.S. chest beating?
Why do these infantile freaks obsessed with macho symbolism always come to dominate foreign policy?
Although if it's Iraqi politicians about ten posts prior, you should definitely believe exactly what they say. They never posture, change their minds or make mistakes.
This is the sort of thing SLC wants you to believe doesn't happen:
Goldberg might also have mentioned--but doesn't--the notorious case of the Israeli captain who in October 2004 fired two bullets at point blank range into the head of a 13-year-old Palestinian schoolgirl while she was lying on the ground already injured, and then, after starting to walk away, turned back to riddle her body with at least 20 more bullets, including seven to her head. The officer was subsequently acquitted of all charges, received hefty monetary compensation from the State and a promotion in his rank--clearly because, for God's sake, he did not try to kill her.
This is from Normal Finkelstein's review of Jeffrey Goldberg's book on Israel:
Jeffrey Goldberg's Prison
http://www.counterpunch.org/finkelstein10062007.html
Read the review. If you don't understand how the Israelis are Nazis, this will enlighten you.
With regard to Syria, I have yet to see any evidence, let alone proof, provided that Syria was behind any of the Lebanese assassinations. Whereas it is a known fact that Israel has conducted several assassinations in Lebanon.
The suspicion of many people is that Israel has knocked off the Lebanese politicians so as to point the finger at Syria. After all, the primary beneficiary of Syria leaving Lebanon is Israel - who didn't have to worry about attacking Syria when they wanted to attack Lebanon last year.
And we know that targeted assassinations is a standard method of Israeli "foreign policy", both in the occupied territories and elsewhere in the world as they feel the need.
The other beneficiary, of course, has been Hizballah. I have no idea whether they might have been involved in such an assassination, but given the fact that it forced Syria, their ostensible supporter, to leave Lebanon, I would assume it would not be in Hizballah's interest to do that.
Competing conspiracy theories will be examined critically.
Comments closed October 22, 2007.
| 
Heads in the Sand
please correct me if I'm wrong but I think Jackson Diehl, like Ignatius, Hoagland, Broder, Roger Cohen, Mallaby, Marcus, Samuelson, is part of the Washington Post "stable of fools". This term has been used by many to distinguish this group of columnists from the right-wing lunatics like Hiatt, Krauthammer, the Kagans (guest permanent columnists) that regularly spout their hatred and venom. George Will in all his majesterial fatuity looks relatively good in this crowd.
Posted by della Rovere | October 8, 2007 12:12 PM