Beyond Israel: ripple effect of Bush's stand

[UpInArms]

http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0416/p02s02-usfp.html

WASHINGTON AND BIDU, WEST BANK – By signaling a major shift aligning US policy with Israel on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, President Bush may have turned Arab and Muslim sentiment further against the US as he seeks the region's help in Iraq.

<snip>

But at the same time, he appears to have cemented the view widely held across Arab states that the US is no longer the "honest broker" it once was in the Middle East. When Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage visits the region to solicit help on Iraq, he is likely to hear more about the Arab perception that the US is once again presenting a set of faits accomplis that run counter to Arab positions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"With Arabs and Muslims already so suspicious of the US and with the situation in Iraq reaching a critical point, this change could not have come at a worse time," says Fawaz Gerges, a Middle East expert at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, N.Y. "This is a flat rejection of the standpoints of moderate Arabs and as such plays into the hands of the radicals and extremists."

<snip>

But analysts like Mr. Gerges say what may be good politics does not make for good strategic policy for a region the administration has placed at the top of its priority list. "What we're seeing is an approach that is motivated by short-term political goals rather than by a long-range, strategic vision," he says.

...more...

(note to mods: I do hope that you agree that this is an LBN story in that it covers the broader range of the Middle East and specifically the consequences this policy will have on the Iraqi conflict. If I have erred, please accept my apology and delete my post. UIA)

[keithyboy]

1. Did Bush just cut Amitage's legs out from under him?

Armitage should resign in protest. Is there no decency or honor among this regime?

[saigon68]

4. Armitage= Thug + Hoodlum+ Lap Dog

http://www.democraticunderground.com/articles/02/03/29_lies.html

Scandals and Lies
March 29, 2002
By Bridget Gibson

There was no "scandal" when key figures, John Negroponte (complicit in the Honduran Death Squads), Richard Armitage (linked to illegal arms transfers and CIA drug-running operations), Otto Reich (propaganda operative), John Poindexter (convicted of conspiracy {obstruction of inquiries and proceedings, false statements, falsification, destruction and removal of documents}; two counts of obstruction of Congress and two counts of false statements) of the Iran-Contra Affair have re-appeared in official governmental positions by appointment by George Walker Bush, the sitting Republican President, the son of the former Republican President, George Herbert Walker Bush, for whom these men worked.

Guess who is taking Viceroy Bremer's JOB ?????????

why John Negroponte OF COURSE

[tinnypriv]

2. Bush's stand?

You mean Ariel Sharon's stand - demanded of Bush.

Headline in the Hebrew press: "Sharon Threatens, Bush Surrenders".

[daa]

11. Go figure

Lapdog Blair for Bush.

Lapdog Bush for Sharon.

[tinnypriv]

25. If you're interested

I posted the info about that story down in the I/P dungeon.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=124x65200

:)

[daa]

27. Unbelievable nt

[The empressof all]

3. Well duuuuuuh

I can honestly say I'm not an expert on the Middle East in any way shape or form but even I can figure out that this will only inflame anti American sentiment throughout the region. What the heck was Bush thinking?

Oh sorry I forgot he can't do that real good :)

[pinto]

5. Bush's alienation of moderates across political spectra is a festering

sore...

It is slowly but surely establishing a line in the sand, you are for us or against us. That's not a long term foreign policy, it's a long term disaster.

[muriel_volestrangler]

20. Heck, he's alienating his own State Dept

"At the State Department, officials say the "good" of the new policy is being lost in the focus on the controversial. But they acknowledge that the announcement will not make a smooth visit to the region for Mr. Armitage, who plans to visit Gulf countries next week. "The withdrawal from Gaza is good, that's a positive thing," says a State Department official. "The bad side is to say we're not going to prejudge final-status issues, and then to rush headlong into that. It wasn't necessary to do that (now).""

So now his own officials are accusing Bush of flip-flops.

[Go Eagles]

6. motivated by short-term political goals?

Of course that is what's behind this. It's an election year, he doesn't want to jeopardize the Jewish vote and he has to pander to the wing nut fundamentalist base. All this administration is about is power and their twisted ideological goals and that will override everything else. Facts don't matter and strategic policy can be flushed down the toilet if it jeopardizes this election. Who cares about consequences; by the time things really come home to roost, these thieves will be so stinking rich and protected from their plundering and they won't give a dam.

[yardwork]

7. Chimpy is pushing the biblical prophecy of armageddon.

* really meant it when he said "bring it on." He wants a huge conflagration. He thinks "we" will win and go straight to heaven. The rest of "us" will stay behind and be tortured by devils.

Chimpy doesn't believe in much, but I think he believes this.

I don't think Sharon believes it, but he's happy to have Bush's support any way he can get it.

I wonder how many people in the world recognize that the American president is a drunken lunatic? How embarrassing.

[Go Eagles]

8. The scary thing is

that bin Laden also wants this huge conflagration. He couldn't have a better pawn then Shrub and Co.

[Change has come]

10. Unfortunately, Kerry has publicly endorsed this policy

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1081998810231&p=1006688055060


:wtf:

[Leilani]

17. Sharon refused to meet with Kerry

according to the title of this article.

How pathetic is that?

Kerry thinks the Bush/Sharon plan is just great, & Sharon tells him to take a hike.

[Generator]

9. This is what scares me too, the messianic vibe

[MGKrebs]

12. I agree yardwork.

I don't think they are shortsighted on this at all. I think on this one they are doing exactly what they want. They WANT the confrontation. Bush and his minions have been saying this for weeks now: they think there are only a limited number of evildoers, and once they kill them, all will be right with the world. "Bring 'em on". We'll take 'em out.

It's not shortsightedness that is the problem, it is blindness! Blindness to the fallacy that killing these "enemies" results in fewer of them. Hasn't worked for Israel. Didn't work in Ireland. Didn't work in Afghanistan. Didn't work in Viet Nam.

Of course, there is a point where you COULD kill enough Arabs to actually make a difference, but it would probably involve nukes, and you would have to make sure to maximize the destruction of women and children.

The sickest part of that is that there are plenty of Americans who think that would be just fine.

[phantom power]

13. reckless sh-t like this makes me wonder too

I try to be skeptical about this sort of theory, but this level of recklessness makes me wonder if it's really true.

[Disturbed]

14. Plutocracy

It's about Business. Multi-Corps don't give a damn about
democracy. They wll deal with any sort of regime. Bushco is
more advantageous for Big Business but if his regime starts to appear weak the Plutocracy will go with J. Kerry. The leaders of ME countries
will deal with whatever party is in power in the US. Bushco has no
political ideology except Capitalism. Everthing else is window dressing for their base.

[CabalBuster]

15. Kerry is shameless if he's playing election year politics by

endorsing the Bush/Sharon plan.

[David__77]

16. Egypt, Jordan et al. will be endangered by this.

How can the "moderate Arab states" continue to have relations with Israel and support US policy? It's not possible. The accomodationist forces will lose and the rejectionist forces win.

I don't really see any point to the PA continuing to exist. What reason is there?

[Mari333]

18. The danger this places the soldiers in is enormous and horrible

April 15, 9:45 am EST. Baghdad, Iraq -- I've just been reading all the controversy about George Bush's endorsement of Ariel Sharon's plan and, in particular, of the Israelis retaining their major West Bank settlements.

This is a spectacularly inflammatory move. Considering the situation in Iraq right now, the timing also reeks of arrogance. It will certainly reconfirm Iraqis suspicions that the occupation of Iraq is about, as one said to me recently, "the building of Greater Israel from the Nile to the Euphrates."





www.empirenotes.org

[Karenina]

19. BINGO!!!

I think we have a winner here!!! :argh: :mad: :mad: :mad: :argh:

[0007]

21. Poppy sez folks get don't get it!!

[Just Me]

22. Sadly,...Bush proved he is a divider rather a uniter,...

,...and is akin to a "gang" mentality willing to do whatever it takes to assert power.

I was absolutely appalled at his demonstration of being ANTI-DEMOCRATIC,...and ANTI-EQUAL and ANTI-FREEDOM. He has become the worst playground asshole bully that we all hate. What a freakin' simpleton.

[Laughing Mirror]

23. "You simply cannot uproot tens of thousands of Israelis"

But millions of Palestinian refugees returning to their homeland is deemed impossible.

Well it's nice to see our policy clearly spelled out for us.

Let's keep those billions of dollars a year of aid pouring in for this.

Thank you George Bush and John Kerry. Nice to know where you stand.

[Muddleoftheroad]

26. Yes, the right of return is impossible

It would destroy Israel. That is obvious and there is no way in hell Israel would ever agree to that. Nor would any other state.

[Chicago Democrat]

24. Bush abandons talks... Let the killing begin!

Gaza is now a big concentration camp, and the West Bank is Sharon's cookie that he will eat away and fence in. So much for being against the wall, so much for Clintons even handedness, so much for any hope of peace..

Hello Osama in every Arab city from Indonesia to Morrocco! What a hellish end to the American Republic to take up the crusader gauntlet. God save us from this Satanic unholy murderous Bush.


Kerry said the withdrawal from Gaza was ok ( and implies that the West Bank deal and the total abandonment of talks is ok too!)

Kerry can't offend the Israel lobby and one can only hope he will do a better job than Bush, but I'm not optimistic.