tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19217611.post115934155461252794..comments2024-03-28T09:13:04.373-04:00Comments on KIKO'S HOUSE: Iraq II: Eek! There's a Second Intel Report on IraqShaun Mullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14964214385216513188noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19217611.post-1159370494841957562006-09-27T11:21:00.000-04:002006-09-27T11:21:00.000-04:00I believe that your most astute comments could be ...I believe that your most astute comments could be headlined AMERICANS DON'T GET IT & PROBABLY NEVER WILL.<BR/><BR/>Behind the violence and warfare is the "prevailing sentiment" to which you refer. And although the Democratic Party has tended to be a little more empathetic in fashioning foreign policy, I don't anticipate a sea change if it captures congressional majorities and/or the White House. Nor do I see pressure being brought to bear on Israel and the other major Middle East players to get Palestinian statehood back on track.<BR/><BR/>More radical Palestinian elements such as Hezbollah must share the blame, but in the end it all comes back to the U.S. having the will and only then finding a way.Shaun Mullenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14964214385216513188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19217611.post-1159368975117965212006-09-27T10:56:00.000-04:002006-09-27T10:56:00.000-04:00I contend that the Iraqi conflict, as well as the ...I contend that the Iraqi conflict, as well as the prevailing Middle East tensions, will be lessened in equal proportion to the success we achieve in providing for a Palestinian state. Given that the NIE assessment posits that, "If democratic reform efforts in Muslim majority nations progress over the next five years, political participation probably would drive a wedge between intransigent extremists and groups willing to use the political process to achieve their local objectives", then it would be reasonable to conclude that any progress with the Palestinian issue will greatly enhance the speculative potentiality of the NIE report. Absent the Palestinian effort, I'm of the opinion that the NIE timeframe is overly optimistic and dependent upon a relatively static progression without the prevalence of unforeseen events and escalations...which seems unlikely at best.<BR/><BR/>Frankly, I doubt that the existing Republican approach or the alternative of withdrawal supported by a number Democrats will serve to alleviate the existing conditions and bring relative stability to the troubled region. Neither approach has the wherewithal to alter the prevailing sentiment. Conversely, a voluntary effort that would demonstrate our ability to discern the profound importance of a successful Palestinian state would, in my opinion, yield exponential goodwill. Given the current conditions, such an effort has little risk.<BR/><BR/>Read more here:<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://www.thoughttheater.com/2006/09/portions_of_nie_report_declass.php" REL="nofollow">www.thoughttheater.com</A>Daniel DiRitohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17271821167506097429noreply@blogger.com