Hearts and Minds
It occurred to me last night as I was watching the highlights of the Israeli bombardment of the Beirut International Airport and the endless cries of injustice and justification pouring forth from commentators on both sides of the conflict, that the battle for the “hearts and minds” by the American forces in Iraq is not wasted, but backwards. The forces at work in the Middle East do not need to be convinced that the US attitudes and positions are righteous and moral; in fact it is the hearts and minds of the American people that need to be convinced that the peoples of the Middle East, no matter which ones, stand for a cause that is righteous and moral.
It’s two weeks since Hamas attacked and kidnapped an Israeli soldier in the Gaza Strip and one week since Hezbollah kidnapped two soldiers along the southern Lebanese border. Israel’s response has been clear and compelling. They have put the country on a war footing and are conducting operations in both the Gaza strip and southern Lebanon. The confrontation between the two sides has escalated from stone throwing street riots into real military operations with the Israelis bombing the residences of Hezbollah leaders regardless of whether there are family members there at the time of the bombing or not and Hezbollah launching rockets landing as far south as Haifa. The news outlets all say that there is the escalation to full scale war but a small possibility that it will expand into a wider regional conflict. I agree that it appears that the artillery and rocket duels that are occurring on the northern border can qualify as a war and I feel that it is a matter of time before the Israelis reach out and touch someone in the wider area. Syria. There is also much talk about the real player in this macabre ballet, Iran. They have the moral righteousness along with the money, the weapons and training to back it up. Am I a fan or supporter of this claim of Iran to hold a superior position in the struggle to establish utopian existence here on earth? Of course not, but I do reserve the right to have respect for their point of view, if for no other reason than the chaos that they have the ability to create. We are not dealing with stupid people.
Tolerance, respect, and justice. Three words that seem to seem to absent from the conversation. Well, perhaps not. In the present dialog, the G8 (a good approximation of the interested industrial powers throughout the world) needs to convince Islam (a very bad approximation of the non-industrialized powers throughout the world) that capitalism, free enterprise and democracy are admirable goals. If the non-industrialized block can structure their societies along these guidelines, it makes it far easier for the G8 to extract the raw materials needed to sustain the industrialized powers’ position and supremacy in the current world order. In return for the ability to retrieve these natural resources, the host country receives large sums of money which is immediately repatriated to the G8 donor country in the form of arms sales. Evolution of a petty despot is next, followed by the obligatory genocide of some poor bastards that took the money and tried to do something more constructive then recruit, arm and train a personal militia. There is always the ringing of hands and the gnashing of teeth by the G8 in the face of this orgy of death, but little is done to stop the next episode somewhere else in the world.
Enter the age of world wide, religious fundamentalist terror. The goal is the establishment of a world more just, less tolerant and with clear lines of respect. Their means are fundamental religious values, strict interpretation and enforcement of the laws, and of course the obligatory use of intimidation and violence. Then there are the Islamists on the other side of the equation.
Let’s be a little realistic about what’s going on here. It is true that the horror of the genocides and the terror attacks on the G8 and throughout the Middle East can not be ignored, dismissed or minimized, but I do keep in mind that 30 or 40 thousand soldiers died on the first day of the battle of the Somme during WWI. Then, it was the newspapers that carried the details of the carnage. There was some film coverage but this, I assume, could be and was strictly controlled. Today, it’s a free-for-all. I don’t need to inventory the cornucopia of credible outlets available to access coverage of the current hostilities in the Middle East. I think the “gee whiz” reaction has faded from the revolution in communication technology and has moved onto the innovation in the use of these tools. So is it really a free-for-all? There is an extremely large and very polished stream of information emanating from sources not controlled or influenced by the G8 franchise. This I think has changed the dynamic of the conflicts. In any armed conflict, one inalienable principle is to maintain the support of the people, the mob. To win their hearts and minds. But which mob? It is an assumption on the part of the G8 that it is important to convince those on the other side, in the present case Islam and the greater non-industrialized world, that our system of civil government is better than their system of civil government and they need to convert. The message that I am getting back from them is that they like the capitalistic economic system but they’re going to reject our societal system. Or so many of their leaders say. As do many of ours. In the meantime, the carnage continues, but in a means that seeks to minimize the actual loss of life and exaggerate the chaos created. The present hostilities in Iraq, Lebanon, and the Gaza strip are only proxies for a larger struggle for sovereignty of the natural resources in all the non-industrialized places on the earth. I witnessed the Israeli ambassador giving an interview followed by an interview with the Syrian ambassador. This occurred two nights in a row on the same program. On the second evening the two were interviewed at the same time. I don’t believe it was a debate but the American interviewer pointed out repeatedly that the two men refused to sit in the same room together. And she confronted the two men exactly on this topic. Both gave these polished answers crouched in diplomatic posturing referring, I believe, to Israel’s right to exist. Both presented their view of the war.
The Israelis and the Syrians were presenting their side… on American television for American consumption. Both sides pleading their case, their rational, and their innocence in the provocation of the warfare now occurring… on American television for American consumption. And here’s my point. The G8 spends all this blood and treasure in an effort to get these uncooperative forces in the world to enjoy the benefits of structuring their societies on G8 standards when there is a real need for the uncooperative forces to convince the G8 that their societal structures are worth preserving. Now that we’ve crossed the threshold of armed conflict and the rules of engagement are that there are no rules of engagement, the terms of integration must be determined. I think the mob on both sides of the fence have come to that conclusion already. Societal isolation from the rest of the world is not a realistic expectation. There are certain inalienable rights granted to all human beings and cultural eccentricities provide no exemption from these. This is a strong statement and can easily be refuted by any number of arguments but all these lead away from my utopian vision of a world society. If only the mob could integrate through the global media, if only the mob could earn respect for each other. Tolerance could follow and maybe we could start on the question of justice. Futon Boy was correct in one observation; everyone knows how everyone else lives. The information stream is thick with distortions, manipulation, fabrication and flat out fantasy but at least a billion people have some kind of access to this information. My dream is for the mob to get sick of the violence and just not tolerate it any longer. I’m not naïve to think that there won’t always be those that need to justify their ideas with violence, but there’s a need to train equip and then supervise those that which to do so. Terrorism is so personal. Both sides in this current conflict have engaged in it. I don’t feel the need to justify that conclusion. I do think though that there is an escalation in the war of ideology. Why we fight has become confused with the mechanics of winning the fight. Our industrial, economic and military might goes unquestioned. The application of this power does. It is the court of US public opinion that determines where and when this power is applied. I refer here to the economic and diplomatic capital the US government has at its disposal. Ideologies perish or flourish upon the tide of US public opinion (it is my delusion that democracy still functions in this country, barely). Hearts and minds. It’s important for the US to recognize that ours is a melting pot, not assimilation. That with each cultural variant introduced in the latest immigration wave, our society changes and evolves and there are many examples of the extremes this integration has manifested itself into. I find it ludicrous to ignore the violence in our own heritage when judging the ideologies driving the wingnuts blowing themselves up all over the place. Torture is not okay. Period. So where is the answer? Expand the court of public opinion to include the entire world. There has to be some integration of the tribalism of culture at some level and our leaders seem to have disappointed us. Again. Something needs to be done, but there are so many conflicting arguments in so many places that maybe it is easier to let them fight it out. And when called upon sacrifice our own blood and treasure in an effort to see our interests triumph, do so without regret. Although, it really does seem ridiculous to run around killing people and blowing shit up when the vast majority of the earth’s population is wise enough to understand that it doesn’t work. It resolves nothing and usually only makes things worse. Utopian fantasies. One can hope.
It’s two weeks since Hamas attacked and kidnapped an Israeli soldier in the Gaza Strip and one week since Hezbollah kidnapped two soldiers along the southern Lebanese border. Israel’s response has been clear and compelling. They have put the country on a war footing and are conducting operations in both the Gaza strip and southern Lebanon. The confrontation between the two sides has escalated from stone throwing street riots into real military operations with the Israelis bombing the residences of Hezbollah leaders regardless of whether there are family members there at the time of the bombing or not and Hezbollah launching rockets landing as far south as Haifa. The news outlets all say that there is the escalation to full scale war but a small possibility that it will expand into a wider regional conflict. I agree that it appears that the artillery and rocket duels that are occurring on the northern border can qualify as a war and I feel that it is a matter of time before the Israelis reach out and touch someone in the wider area. Syria. There is also much talk about the real player in this macabre ballet, Iran. They have the moral righteousness along with the money, the weapons and training to back it up. Am I a fan or supporter of this claim of Iran to hold a superior position in the struggle to establish utopian existence here on earth? Of course not, but I do reserve the right to have respect for their point of view, if for no other reason than the chaos that they have the ability to create. We are not dealing with stupid people.
Tolerance, respect, and justice. Three words that seem to seem to absent from the conversation. Well, perhaps not. In the present dialog, the G8 (a good approximation of the interested industrial powers throughout the world) needs to convince Islam (a very bad approximation of the non-industrialized powers throughout the world) that capitalism, free enterprise and democracy are admirable goals. If the non-industrialized block can structure their societies along these guidelines, it makes it far easier for the G8 to extract the raw materials needed to sustain the industrialized powers’ position and supremacy in the current world order. In return for the ability to retrieve these natural resources, the host country receives large sums of money which is immediately repatriated to the G8 donor country in the form of arms sales. Evolution of a petty despot is next, followed by the obligatory genocide of some poor bastards that took the money and tried to do something more constructive then recruit, arm and train a personal militia. There is always the ringing of hands and the gnashing of teeth by the G8 in the face of this orgy of death, but little is done to stop the next episode somewhere else in the world.
Enter the age of world wide, religious fundamentalist terror. The goal is the establishment of a world more just, less tolerant and with clear lines of respect. Their means are fundamental religious values, strict interpretation and enforcement of the laws, and of course the obligatory use of intimidation and violence. Then there are the Islamists on the other side of the equation.
Let’s be a little realistic about what’s going on here. It is true that the horror of the genocides and the terror attacks on the G8 and throughout the Middle East can not be ignored, dismissed or minimized, but I do keep in mind that 30 or 40 thousand soldiers died on the first day of the battle of the Somme during WWI. Then, it was the newspapers that carried the details of the carnage. There was some film coverage but this, I assume, could be and was strictly controlled. Today, it’s a free-for-all. I don’t need to inventory the cornucopia of credible outlets available to access coverage of the current hostilities in the Middle East. I think the “gee whiz” reaction has faded from the revolution in communication technology and has moved onto the innovation in the use of these tools. So is it really a free-for-all? There is an extremely large and very polished stream of information emanating from sources not controlled or influenced by the G8 franchise. This I think has changed the dynamic of the conflicts. In any armed conflict, one inalienable principle is to maintain the support of the people, the mob. To win their hearts and minds. But which mob? It is an assumption on the part of the G8 that it is important to convince those on the other side, in the present case Islam and the greater non-industrialized world, that our system of civil government is better than their system of civil government and they need to convert. The message that I am getting back from them is that they like the capitalistic economic system but they’re going to reject our societal system. Or so many of their leaders say. As do many of ours. In the meantime, the carnage continues, but in a means that seeks to minimize the actual loss of life and exaggerate the chaos created. The present hostilities in Iraq, Lebanon, and the Gaza strip are only proxies for a larger struggle for sovereignty of the natural resources in all the non-industrialized places on the earth. I witnessed the Israeli ambassador giving an interview followed by an interview with the Syrian ambassador. This occurred two nights in a row on the same program. On the second evening the two were interviewed at the same time. I don’t believe it was a debate but the American interviewer pointed out repeatedly that the two men refused to sit in the same room together. And she confronted the two men exactly on this topic. Both gave these polished answers crouched in diplomatic posturing referring, I believe, to Israel’s right to exist. Both presented their view of the war.
The Israelis and the Syrians were presenting their side… on American television for American consumption. Both sides pleading their case, their rational, and their innocence in the provocation of the warfare now occurring… on American television for American consumption. And here’s my point. The G8 spends all this blood and treasure in an effort to get these uncooperative forces in the world to enjoy the benefits of structuring their societies on G8 standards when there is a real need for the uncooperative forces to convince the G8 that their societal structures are worth preserving. Now that we’ve crossed the threshold of armed conflict and the rules of engagement are that there are no rules of engagement, the terms of integration must be determined. I think the mob on both sides of the fence have come to that conclusion already. Societal isolation from the rest of the world is not a realistic expectation. There are certain inalienable rights granted to all human beings and cultural eccentricities provide no exemption from these. This is a strong statement and can easily be refuted by any number of arguments but all these lead away from my utopian vision of a world society. If only the mob could integrate through the global media, if only the mob could earn respect for each other. Tolerance could follow and maybe we could start on the question of justice. Futon Boy was correct in one observation; everyone knows how everyone else lives. The information stream is thick with distortions, manipulation, fabrication and flat out fantasy but at least a billion people have some kind of access to this information. My dream is for the mob to get sick of the violence and just not tolerate it any longer. I’m not naïve to think that there won’t always be those that need to justify their ideas with violence, but there’s a need to train equip and then supervise those that which to do so. Terrorism is so personal. Both sides in this current conflict have engaged in it. I don’t feel the need to justify that conclusion. I do think though that there is an escalation in the war of ideology. Why we fight has become confused with the mechanics of winning the fight. Our industrial, economic and military might goes unquestioned. The application of this power does. It is the court of US public opinion that determines where and when this power is applied. I refer here to the economic and diplomatic capital the US government has at its disposal. Ideologies perish or flourish upon the tide of US public opinion (it is my delusion that democracy still functions in this country, barely). Hearts and minds. It’s important for the US to recognize that ours is a melting pot, not assimilation. That with each cultural variant introduced in the latest immigration wave, our society changes and evolves and there are many examples of the extremes this integration has manifested itself into. I find it ludicrous to ignore the violence in our own heritage when judging the ideologies driving the wingnuts blowing themselves up all over the place. Torture is not okay. Period. So where is the answer? Expand the court of public opinion to include the entire world. There has to be some integration of the tribalism of culture at some level and our leaders seem to have disappointed us. Again. Something needs to be done, but there are so many conflicting arguments in so many places that maybe it is easier to let them fight it out. And when called upon sacrifice our own blood and treasure in an effort to see our interests triumph, do so without regret. Although, it really does seem ridiculous to run around killing people and blowing shit up when the vast majority of the earth’s population is wise enough to understand that it doesn’t work. It resolves nothing and usually only makes things worse. Utopian fantasies. One can hope.