From: Lee Corbin (lcorbin@tsoft.com)
Date: Mon Jan 27 2003 - 19:54:35 MST
John Clark wrote
> "Mike Lorrey" <mlorrey@yahoo.com> [wrote]
> > Wars are won when one side so thoroughly beats the crap out
> > of the other that a state of cognitive shock occurs in the
> > minds of the populace that allows the dislodging of
> > the unacceptable belief system from their minds.
>
> But it doesn't always happen like that. Israel has fought 4 major wars and
> countless smaller batters with the Arabs in the last 55 years and has won
> every one, usually by a huge margin, but Arabs are still killing Jews.
The Israelis *never* beat the crap out of the Arabs anything
like what happened to Germany or Japan. Never were hundreds
of their cities reduced to rubble, and never were they
totally occupied.
Suppose that Israel had had the resources (and the permission
from the U.S./U.S.S.R.) to conquer every single country
containing significant numbers of Arabs hostile to Israel.
Suppose further that the Israelis had been as able as the
U.S. in Germany in arresting, interrogating, and imprisoning
all Nazis necessary to completely breaking that Party. Then
an occupation of the Arab lands for a whole generation would
have permitted the establishment of western institutions and
would have, in Mike's memorable phrase "dislodged the
unacceptable belief system" from their minds.
The moderate Arabs would soon have been in the overwhelming
majority, and proceed to feel as bad about their former wars
on Israel as today's Germans and Japanese feel about their
World War II aggressions.
Of course, we can be glad that Israel did not have such
capabilities, because a million or two Arabs would have
had to die during the conquest. But if you are a grieving
Israeli who has just lost a family member due to terrorism,
you will not agree with me. You will see what the U.S.
did to Japan, and envy the progress that was made their
despite the cost in lives to everyone.
> I want to know after the war is won will
> Iraq fracture into chaos like Yugoslavia did.
That's a good question. It's been pointed out that about
one-sixth of Iran is not under rule from Baghdad, and is
doing well, all considered. An occupation must last
years or decades to be effective.
Lee
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