Friedman up the escalation ladder

Now he is so clueless about how to end the suicide bombing of civilians (so am I) that he openly advocates esclation of the war:

If the Arab world, its media and its spiritual leaders, came out and forcefully and repeatedly condemned those who mount these suicide attacks, and if credible Sunnis were given their fair share in the Iraqi government, I am certain a lot of this suicide bombing would stop.... That is the only way it stops, because we don't know who is who. It takes the village - and right now the Sunni Arab village needs to be pressured and induced to restrain those among them who are engaging in these suicidal murders of innocents.

The logic is escalation: He can't handle Iraq, so he wants to handle the entire Sunni Arab world. Brilliant.

Now let's talk about history.  Years ago, it was thought to be a great idea to house villagers in a special, strategic hamlet, separated from the terrorist guerillas and the jungle by barbed wire. (It's pressure.)  Those willing to cooperate were given economic incentives: feed grains, jobs, etc. (Inducement)  Of course, withdrawal was out of the question, and military operations were relentlessly prosecuted.  (Another pressure.)  The dateline is 1965-66.  

Friedman reached those esclation years at last.  A long way to go still.

•  Send him to Iraq

  If he wants to do it, then he should do it. Somebody give him a gun and a one way ticket to baghdad.

  --------

  Yo Friedman, how 'bout it eh?

  by fugue on Tue May 17, 2005 at 10:04:48 PM PDT

•  He didn't name his book

  "The World is Flat" for nothing

  he truly grows more clueless as the days tick by ... i am sure that his next tome will surely be "The Garden of Eden, a Personal account"

  by josephk on Tue May 17, 2005 at 10:04:58 PM PDT

•  village = Lidice?

  I am afraid that it would take more than one village.  Didn't we demolished two cities so far?

  By the way, does it dawn on Friedman that while the problem with Sunnis is relatively small in Iraq, Sunnis are 90% of the Arabs?

  For example, suppose for the sake of argument that a neo-con dream comes true and Syrian government is overthrown.  We will get a majority government of Sunnis who are very much incenced by the fate of their kin across the border.  Insurgency will gain a reliable foreign support and the specter of Vietnam will become stronger.

  Another neo-con dream, bombing Iran, could recoil even worse.

  by Piotr on Tue May 17, 2005 at 10:07:25 PM PDT

•  Friedman is an idiot

  Why does anyone take him seriously any more?

  He also comes across as being an anti-Arab racist.

  by enthusiast on Tue May 17, 2005 at 10:20:53 PM PDT

•  What is Terrorism:

  Terrorism: The unlawful use or threatened use  of force by a person or organized group against people or property w/ the intention of intimidating or corecing societies or governments.

  Resistence: An underground organization engaged in a struggle for national liberation in a country under military or toltalitarian occupation.

  Friedman has never been a favorite of mine.  He has been hitting them out of the park the past couple months, that's for sure.  Suicide bombing has always surfaced in retaliation to extreme oppression/ occupation.  It serves two purposes upfront, and several behind the scenes:
  

  1. Calls attention to the plight of the oppressed people
     
  2. Is relatively simple to carry out logistically

  The other issues served are usually those of class and economic issues:  The families of bombers on these missions are usually poverty stricken and have experienced a loss of status in their community directly or indirectly influenced by the oppressor.  Bombers families most often recieve monthly stipend benefits as a result of their relative's self sacrifice, which allows the family to, well, eat.  Survive.
  The nobility of the actions as defined by the resistence that the bomber is serving then will promote the status of  the family within the community.  As such there is great incentive for new "recruits."
   So neither you nor Friedman have the answer to stopping suicide bombers...Well, I do.
  

  1. End colonialist nation building practices as sponsored by the US.
     
  2. Change our forgien (and domestic, but thats another story) policy.
     
  3. Change all World Bank and IMF policies so they no longer usurp economic systems and personal and national liberties of 3rd world nations.
     

   and it wouldn't hurt to
  

  4. Get the f out of Iraq and Afghanistan
     
  5. Dump all the GOPpers up for midterms and not elect anymore
     
  6. Dump Bush in 08

  I am not condoning or condemming the actions of those who suicide bomb.  I am in no place to judge a person who has to make that decision.
  I do know that unless we as a country stop with the domination of certain peoples at the benefit of others, there will be no end to these desparate measures.

  by JessicaDrewSW on Tue May 17, 2005 at 10:21:52 PM PDT

  •  Well said, Jessica!

    I can't put it better, except to add an unnecessary addendum:

    Friedman is a fucktard. Always has been. Always will be.

    by MarkInSanFran on Tue May 17, 2005 at 10:40:03 PM PDT

•  doesn't read his own newspaper

  there's an op-ed piece on the same freaking page today dealing with the roots of suicide bombing written by someone who decided to look somewhere other than his navel for answers

  Friedman is in lala land

  by bleargh on Tue May 17, 2005 at 10:46:24 PM PDT

•  Friedman needs to go and

  read the story of Samson...

  The original suicide bomber.

  by RedDan on Tue May 17, 2005 at 10:48:58 PM PDT