Who is to blame for the current conflict.

[Clarkie1]

I know, yet another Middle East conflict post....uggg.

Given that so much has been discussed on other threads about who is to blame, appropriate or inappropriate response, the history of the conflict, ect., it would be o.k. simply to keep your response a simple answer to the poll...in fact in might be better that way, with an occasional "kick."

I don't want this one to turn into a shouting match. Like I said, I'm just curious.

[IChing]

1. Not voting....put amerika on the list for lack of leadership

in international conflicts for the last 6 years.

[Clarkie1]

5. I understand your point of view.

Just wanted to keep things simple and force a response to one of the 3 choices....but certainly I hope others who are uncomfortable voting for any of the 3 choices will post their reasons as well.

[AlamoDemoc]

9. I don't know about you, but I voted in this poll because

I feel our government is conspiring with Israel to kill and occupy land in the Middle East.

[everythingsxen]

2. Kick

:kick:

Seriously though, it is all Hezbollah's fault.

[louis c]

3. George W. Bush is to blame for lack of leadership

[Clarkie1]

6. I agree he shares in the responisbility.

However to add a third party to the poll would have complicated things more than I wanted. Perhaps another poll later.

[eallen]

4. I am no fan of Israel, but there is a simple question that answers yours.

What more could Israel have done in the year prior to this to avoid the continuing Hezbollah attacks on Israel? The obvious answer is: nothing. What more could Hezbollah have done in the year prior to avoid Israel attacks on Lebanon? The obvious answer is: stop attacking Israel.

There is a basic asymmetry here, that no sane observer can ignore.

[reichstag911]

12. A couple interesting articles:

http://www.counterpunch.org/blum07262006.html

and

http://www.counterpunch.org/glass07282006.html

and there are many others at Counterpunch, you'll see.

[IChing]

16. Read them and also the Noam Chomsky's interview

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/07/14/146258

I place the blame on Amerika's neo-con, chaos therory, realpolitics, 6 years, festers wounds on both sides and nothing was done..

Condi? you listening or are you playing the piano still...just wondering.

Oh yeah, that little old Iraqi thing, that really helped the region didn't it.

[TheFarseer]

22. thank you

that's exactly how I feel.

[B Calm]

7. I blame Bush too

[Clarkie1]

10. O.K....now I'm thinking maybe I should have listed Bush as a choice.

Which would be 7 possible permutations on the poll.

:banghead:

[Redstone]

8. It's OUR government's fault. They promised the Lebanese government

that we'd help them back when they kicked the Syrians out.

We did not keep our promise. (Anyone surprised?)

So they never were aboe to take control of southern Lebanon.

So now this.

Another failure by bushyboy & them.

Redstone

[Clarkie1]

11. I agree. nt

[QuestionAll...]

13. more like what is to blame.

white european males carving up the world into borders without a thought about the consequences.

[Clarkie1]

14. kickadoodlroo. nt

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

15. Who's responsible for the dramatic escalation of violence?

And is that a valid question?

[Clarkie1]

17. That's what I was thinking when I posted this.

Responsibility for the current flare-up.

[Goon]

18. Both sides

I voted for both. Hezzbollah for instigating and Israel for the overkill response. I think Israel's tactic was to make the Lebanese government more afraid of Israel than Hezbollah. Of course it is only making them more hated but the Israeli government probably doesn't want to be loved they just want to be feared as a means of gaining respect. Its a horrible and desperate tactic but this is coming from a country who has been in a desperate situation since its conception.
Hezbollah was formed during the '82 Israeli invasion to kick out Israel. Israeli troops have been out of Lebanon for six years. Hezbollah has many reasons to be mad at the Israeli government but they should of weighed their options better. They could have helped with the rebuilding of Lebanon but instead they decided to fire rockets into Northern Israel and bait the country into another war. One would think that after an 18 year Civil everybody would have had their fill of fighting.

[newyawker99]

20. Hi Goon!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[TMA1]

19. Both parties are to blame.

This conflict is a reflection of the greater tensions between all parties in the middle east. The underlying religious and cultural hatreds between sunni's and shi'i, between hardline muslim and hasidic jew, between many people of the many groups involved in the region. I believe that the West has a really hard time comprehending the troubles that face the middle east, and not much is done that is constructive. Many Europeans look away, though their original colonialization and nation building are key points of blame. America's current administration puts it's approval on Israel for dubious purposes at best. Many Muslim nations in the region have their own motives, mainly religious and economic in origin. Israel itself has many voices within itself that speak in either direction.

As can be seen by my post, I really do not know much about what really is happening in the middle east (and my prose is something to be desired lol). One thing I can say for sure though, is that no one side holds all of the blame for what is happening. It would be completely irrational to say one side holds all of the blame in this matter.

[newyawker99]

21. Hi TMA1!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[burythehatchet]

23. The United States is to blame.

By arming all countries in the middle east, either directly or indirectly. By inflaming the middle east with the invasion and occupation of Iraq. By allowing 9/11 to be pulled off spectacularly. Many more can be added to this list.