We've all seen how divisive the situation in Lebanon and northern Israel has been to the dKos community. Emotions are running high on both sides; our fellow people are dying. Division on this issue threatens to weaken us and to hurt our attempts at bringing down the Republican-controlled Congress in November.
We must prioritize our efforts so that they most effectively and efficiently achieve our shared goals. Our first priority must be to take back Congress in November. If we can win in November, pro-diplomacy Democrats will be much less likely to further broaden the regional conflict, leading to many more deaths.
Yet the Israel/Lebanon issue is critical and pressing. How do we as a community deal with this crisis that clearly divides us, and thus weakens us? In this diary I attempt to identify elements of a position on this issue that I hope most Kossacks can agree with. I then humbly request your assistance with refining this list in the comments.
The goal of this diary, and I envision of the comments as well, is for us as a community to brainstorm ideas that we believe most of us can agree on. This is an attempt to unify the community before the November election, and to identify specific principles we all can push for without seeding further discord or divisiveness.
Elements of a dKos position on Israel/Lebanon
I can think of several principles that I hope most Kossacks can agree upon:
- We as a community understand that both sides are to blame, and that the specific proportioning of blame among the various parties is less important than both sides stepping back and admitting that they are significantly in the wrong.
- We as a community seek an immediate ceasefire. We understand that there are people on both sides who prefer violence to peace. However, as we accept that both parties are significantly in the wrong, we do not expect them to be able to independently reach a solution, either through diplomatic or military means. Instead, we recognize that the problem has become so severe, and the parties so compromised, as to require the international community to step in and resolve the issue.
- We as a community support active diplomacy. We understand that discussion and negotiation are most often more efficient and more cost-effective than military action. We also understand they have significantly fewer adverse effects on civilian populations. We understand that all parties have legitimate interests, and expect that our representatives will actively engage these parties, together with other third parties, to balance all interests within the framework of international law.
- We as a community support the equal standing of both parties. We understand that the principle of `equal justice under law', the foundation of our legal system, and that the principle of reciprocal ethics (the golden rule) of which it is an instance, is an essential requirement for the legality and morality of any solution.
- We as a community support the rights of both parties. We respect the sovereignty of the state of Israel, as well as the sovereignty of the state of Lebanon. We understand and respect that both states have rights and responsibilities as codified in international law, including the right to legitimate self-defense and to select their own governments, the right to be free from aerial bombardment, attack, blockade, or invasion.
- We as a community support the rule of law. We support the United Nations, the universal applicability of the Geneva conventions, and international law, as interpreted by the International Criminal Court. We understand that to the extent that the legal rights and responsibilities of the involved parties are disregarded, the victimized parties must respond within the framework of reciprocal ethics, and within the framework of international law.
I humbly request your assistance with adding to, or refining this list. However, I would prefer that you restrict your comments to the situation in Northern Israel/Lebanon, and specifically to two things only, in addition to discussion of the diary concept itself:
- Items you think most Kossacks can agree upon.
- Items other Kossacks (including myself) have suggested that you think many Kossacks would disagree with, and the specific reason why.
In other words, please do not say what
you think, or what
you disagree with. Try to take the perspective of the broader community within each of your comments.
That being said, however, this is a brainstorming session, so feel free to propose any idea that you think most of us can agree on, no matter how crazy it might be.
