War In The Middle East

The situation in the Middle East scares me. It scares me because the ongoing war there isn't about about Israel vs. Hezbollah and Hamas, and it's not about three kidnapped Israeli soldiers. It's about radical Islam creeping across the globe. It's about the world being on the brink of catastrophic war. Yes, the stakes are high.

Hamas and Hezbollah are controlled by Syria, which is controlled, ultimately, by Iran. Iran gives, by some estimates, more than a $100 million dollars a year to Hezbollah, and Hezbollah is at the beck and call of the Iranian radicals. The recent incursions and hostage-taking by Hezbollah is the design of the Iranians (notice that the recent escalations started on the same day that Iran was supposed to respond to the UNSC). The Iranians want to take the heat off of themselves, and, at the same time, show the West that they do have muscles to flex. So, why not push Hezbollah and Hamas to start a Middle East war, and give themselves more time to develop nuclear weapons, while putting pressure on the U.S. at the same time? Aha!

Enter the Russians and the Chinese. They aren't saying or doing much publicly, and why should they? Anything bad for the U.S. and our allies is good for them. But our futures depend upon these two countries. We are at a point in world affairs where the Russians and Chinese MUST decide on which side they really belong. They want to be world players, and they know that ultimately, working with the U.S. and her allies can bring them into that realm. And there appears to be some indication, behind the scenes, they are responding to talks with the U.S.

Israel is an ally. We have publicly vowed to protect her, and President Bush today rejected demands for a cease fire. But if Israel needs us militarily, should we go to her aid? She is the military power in the region, and certainly capable of taking care of herself, but I think she is on her own here, at least publicly. With recent progress with China and Russia (regarding both the Iran and North Korea issues), I don't believe that we will leave a fingerprint in a Mid East war. Doing so would certainly jeopardize relations with China and Russia and, sadly, we need them now. But both China and Russia must do more to further the cause of democracy, and they must do it now. The entire world is watching and waiting.

More on the Mid East:

• Why Should You Care About Violence in Israel and Lebanon? - Bill O’Reilly
• Flopping Aces- The Latest On The Israeli Front
• Katey's Kafe hits the high points
• Security Watchtower on the Axis of Evil
• The Captain’s Journal on The Iran War Plans
• Woman Honor Thyself on The United er..Nations…Rright

And, as an item of interst, what about the French? Where are they on all of this? In typical French fashion, they are backing the bad guys. French president Jacques Chirac today called Israel's offensive into Lebanon "totally disproportionate". Chirac openly agrees that Syria and Iran are behind the attacks: "I have the feeling, if not the conviction, that Hamas and Hezbollah wouldn't have taken the initiatives alone," he said. But he's still against Israel. What does that say about our pals, the French? In a word, enemy!

The Spanish, who folded like a deck of cards when they were attacked by terrorists in 2004, joined the French in condemning the Israeli's. Spanish PM Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero told Punto Radio "One thing is defense, which is legitimate, and another is a counteroffensive of widespread attack. It won't bring anything other than an escalation of violence." He must have been reading over Chirac's shoulder. It's clear that we cannot count on them, anymore, either.

The United Nations Security Council discussed the issue but took no action on Lebanon's call for a cease-fire. Comments there included, via Yahoo! News:

US Ambassador John Bolton: "Syria and Iran must be held to account for supporting regional terrorism and their role in the current crisis. All militias in Lebanon, including Hezbollah, must disarm and disband immediately."

"We are meeting in the shadow of a widespread barbaric aggression waged by Israel against my nation," Lebanese representative Nouhad Mahmoud said, adding that the Israeli action was aimed at "bringing Lebanon to its knees and subverting it by any means."

Israel's UN ambassador, Dan Gillerman, responded by calling Lebanon a breeding ground for terror and said Israel had "no choice' but to react to the "unprovoked" attack on its soldiers and rocket attacks on its territory. "Israel's reactions were a direct response to an act of war from Lebanon. I believe that most members around this table, as well as many in this chamber, including our neighbours, realise this reality."

Let's see what tomorrow brings.