Trying to understand the conflict. Some comparisons running through my

[DireStrike]

mind...

Regarding the conflict itself - Israel attacks a country tangentially related to a threat, creating chaos in the name of future stability. This strikes me as differing only by degrees from America's attack on Iraq, and the fact that an occupation has not occurred (yet...)

Iraq was not a threat, but there were unstable elements about it. Same goes for Lebanon, except that the country seems to be partially hijacked by people who are a threat, and have in fact attacked Israel directly. Big difference in the provocation, but it's essentially using the same means to try to achieve the same end, which seems unlikely to work.


And secondly, on the hijacking of Lebanon, we Americans are learning that it isn't always easy to make changes in your government. Why then are some so quick to blame the Lebanese people and government for not fixing the situation in arguably the most charged political environment in the world?

It seems 9/11 is a decent analogy (assuming for the moment that the official narrative is correct.) The US is run largely by rich and corporate interests that often harm others, and its people have failed to change that. Does that make us, the people, a legitimate target for attack?

I know there are claims that the Israeli strikes are against military targets, but it is extremely hard for someone across an ocean to tell whether this is true. There are conflicting reports, and everyone knows how dumb smart bombs are, and that "Military Intelligence" is an oxymoron. I've heard people saying things dangerously close to "If it was hit, it must have been a target" logic.

What about claims that Hezbollah is largely in southern Lebanon, yet that is not where the heaviest attacks are?


I've gone from the position of siding with the Lebanese to not having any strong opinion. It seems impossible to have enough information to figure out who is doing what, let alone why. There are certainly few or no people I trust to report accurately and fairly, and supporters of each side seem to neglect key details when telling their version of the narrative. I guess I'd first urge people to be more objective, and examine what they REALLY know, and secondly I'd ask those with greater knowledge to fill in as many gaps as possible, calmly.

[Warpy]

1. The two sides can best be understood as misbehaving brats

The little brat ran past the big brat and smacked him upside the head with a coloring book. The big brat took off after the little brat and got a few punches in, blacked his eye. Now they're both hiding behind crowds of other kids and throwing rocks at each other. They have rotten aim (they're KIDS) and are hitting the other kids but they don't care. They just keep throwing those rocks. They've also smashed windshields and toys and windows, but that is just part of the fun.

Obviously, both sides are killing just to be killing.

Somebody needs to separate the brats and force them to go stand in a corner until they're ready to talk like civilized children.

Cutting off their allowance and taking their toys away are also necessary.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

4. Good analogy

because from what I've read elsewhere, there are peace activists on both sides who are tired of the killing, and who don't support the actions of the Israeli government nor the actions of Hamas/Hezbollah.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

2. Closest analogy I can think of is Kosovo.

Where in the Lebanese are the Albanians, Hezbollah is the KLA, Israel is Serbia, the Likud party is Slobodan Milosevic in general, and the kidnapping of the two Israeli soldiers is the KLA attack that Milosevic used as an excuse to massacre the Albanians.

Only this time there's no Clinton.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

3. The thing is

that both sides have tried violence since 1948, and it has never solved anything. The only way this will ever be resolved is for both sides to sit down and decide to somehow peacefully co-exist. This means the airing of things perceived as "wrongs" on both sides, and to somehow try in some way to right them. Both sides have got to understand that the solution will never ever be "perfect" in their eyes, but if a livable, workable solution can be worked out peacefully, this is what should be attempted. I had hopes when Carter, Sadat, and Rabin(was this the name of the Israeli PM who was assassinated by a right wing Israeli?) were in power that sanity and peace could take hold. Sadly, it did not.