resolving the conflicts...
Ok, this is serious, dudes and dudettes, so pay attention...
In the interests of diffusing the "terrorist" threats posed by Al Qaeda and other Islamist extremist groups, here's my plan. In the best military tradition, we'll give this plan a name. Let's call it Operations Plan (Oplan) Gandhi.
The principles of conflict resolution demand that in any conflict, valid grievances be identified, acknowledged and resolved.
Oplan Gandhi recognizes that there are major grievances in the Arab/Islamist world which "The West" needs to address.
I think it's fair to say that the most strident complaints by the Arab/Islamist world are about the Israeli occupation of Palestine, the illegal Israeli settlements, Israeli military heavy-handedness in dealing with the Palestinian intifadas as well as the refusal of the US to withdraw its military bases from Saudi Arabia.
Oplan Gandhi calls for:
1. The immediate withdrawal of all Israeli military personnel from the occupied territories. The term "occupied territories" as used here means any area occupied by Israeli forces outside the "Green Line".
2. The immediate dismantlement of all Jewish "settlements" in the occupied territories and the relocation of all persons from those settlements to Israel.
3. The immediate recognition of the sovereign state of Israel defined as that area of land bounded by the "Green Line" and the proper compensation and reparations for the Palestinian people by Israel.
4. The immediate recognition of the sovereign state of Palestine defined as being made up of the West Bank and Gaza.
5. The immediate withdrawal of all US military units from Saudi Arabia.
6. The withdrawal of US military units from Iraq and Afghanistan at the earliest possible time unless they are clearly welcome by a majority of the population.
Oplan Gandhi recognizes that until these six points are implemented, Arab/Islamist "terrorist" groups have as much legitimacy in attacking Israeli and US (and allied) targets as these interests have in their attacks on such groups.
The word "terrorist" is a highly charged political term. The word as it is used here defines "terrorist" as person who uses any means to kill or maim _anyone_ to further their political, strategic, economic, or religious aims. It follows that all acts of war are acts of terrorism. Therefore to single out any one group or side in a given war as being "terrorist" is merely partisan propaganda and should be dismissed as such.
I believe that any conflict can only be justly and humanely resolved through the proper application of the well-established principles of conflict resolution and these principles call for the immediate cessation of hostilities and the commencement of negotiations between the conflicting parties.
In the interests of diffusing the "terrorist" threats posed by Al Qaeda and other Islamist extremist groups, here's my plan. In the best military tradition, we'll give this plan a name. Let's call it Operations Plan (Oplan) Gandhi.
The principles of conflict resolution demand that in any conflict, valid grievances be identified, acknowledged and resolved.
Oplan Gandhi recognizes that there are major grievances in the Arab/Islamist world which "The West" needs to address.
I think it's fair to say that the most strident complaints by the Arab/Islamist world are about the Israeli occupation of Palestine, the illegal Israeli settlements, Israeli military heavy-handedness in dealing with the Palestinian intifadas as well as the refusal of the US to withdraw its military bases from Saudi Arabia.
Oplan Gandhi calls for:
1. The immediate withdrawal of all Israeli military personnel from the occupied territories. The term "occupied territories" as used here means any area occupied by Israeli forces outside the "Green Line".
2. The immediate dismantlement of all Jewish "settlements" in the occupied territories and the relocation of all persons from those settlements to Israel.
3. The immediate recognition of the sovereign state of Israel defined as that area of land bounded by the "Green Line" and the proper compensation and reparations for the Palestinian people by Israel.
4. The immediate recognition of the sovereign state of Palestine defined as being made up of the West Bank and Gaza.
5. The immediate withdrawal of all US military units from Saudi Arabia.
6. The withdrawal of US military units from Iraq and Afghanistan at the earliest possible time unless they are clearly welcome by a majority of the population.
Oplan Gandhi recognizes that until these six points are implemented, Arab/Islamist "terrorist" groups have as much legitimacy in attacking Israeli and US (and allied) targets as these interests have in their attacks on such groups.
The word "terrorist" is a highly charged political term. The word as it is used here defines "terrorist" as person who uses any means to kill or maim _anyone_ to further their political, strategic, economic, or religious aims. It follows that all acts of war are acts of terrorism. Therefore to single out any one group or side in a given war as being "terrorist" is merely partisan propaganda and should be dismissed as such.
I believe that any conflict can only be justly and humanely resolved through the proper application of the well-established principles of conflict resolution and these principles call for the immediate cessation of hostilities and the commencement of negotiations between the conflicting parties.
posted by The Editor at
11:09 PM
==========
<<<<< Home
==========