[iwar] [fc:It's.Freedom,.Stupid]

From: Fred Cohen (fc@all.net)
Date: 2001-10-09 06:39:18
Next message: Fred Cohen: "[iwar] [fc:Electronic.Warfare.Needs.More.Funding,.Forum.Speakers.Say]"
Previous message: Fred Cohen: "[iwar] [fc:Bush.Wants.Classified.Info.Protected]"
Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ] [ subject ] [ author ] [ attachment ]
Message-Id: <200110091339.GAA22364@big.all.net>
To: iwar@onelist.com (Information Warfare Mailing List)
Organization: I'm not allowed to say
From: Fred Cohen <fc@all.net>
Mailing-List: list iwar@yahoogroups.com; contact iwar-owner@yahoogroups.com
Precedence: bulk
Date: Tue, 9 Oct 2001 06:39:18 -0700 (PDT)
Reply-To: iwar@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [iwar] [fc:It's.Freedom,.Stupid]
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

New York Times
October 9, 2001 
It's Freedom, Stupid
By Thomas L. Friedman

I happened to be reading Richard Reeves's compelling new biography of
Richard Nixon last week, when a paragraph about Israel caught my eye. It was
a memo that Nixon wrote to Henry Kissinger in 1969, describing his, and
America's, feelings about Israel: "[The Israelis] must recognize that our
interests are basically pro-freedom and not just pro- Israel because of the
Jewish vote. . . . [Golda] Meir . . . must trust [Nixon] completely. He will
see to it that Israel always has `an edge.' This is going to be the policy
of this country. Unless [Israelis] understand it, and act as if they
understood it right now, they are down the tubes."

I find this quote so revealing because Nixon didn't like Jews, but he
understood Americans - you don't get elected president without that. And
what he understood was that the animating vision of America in the world is
the promotion and protection of freedom - freedom of speech, freedom of
religion, freedom of markets and freedom of politics. And that while America
might align itself with all sorts of countries for economic or strategic
reasons, in the end it was those who were "basically pro-freedom" whom
America would never abandon and with whom America would always share a
special bond.

I am not sure all our coalition partners in the war against Osama bin Laden
understand that. The truth is, our real coalition partners can be counted on
a few fingers: the British, France, Canada, Germany, Australia, Japan. The
Saudis, Egyptians and Syrians are not, and will not be, members of this
coalition in any equal sense - not because they don't have military power to
contribute, but because deep down these Arab regimes do not share the values
that we're trying to defend.

These Arab regimes are whispering members of the coalition - they whisper
their support in our ear - but they cannot be full-throated members, they
cannot openly tell their people they are on our side. Because our side is
out for the defense of freedom, and their goal is not the preservation of
freedom - for their own societies or for others. Their goal is
self-preservation.

"Regimes such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia or the Palestinian Authority have a
legitimate fear of democracy - they fear that free elections would be
exploited by Islamist extremists who are basically undemocratic," said the
Mideast specialist Stephen P. Cohen. "But these Arab leaders have to
understand that if we root out these extremists - who've been produced by
their own bad governance - we are not doing it so these regimes can keep
their countries free of democracy for everyone else. We want to make the
world safe for democracy, and they want to make the Arab world safe from
democracy."

The other guy who doesn't get it is Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel.
His suggestion that America was in danger of acting like those who appeased
Hitler on the eve of World War II - because Mr. Bush reiterated U.S. support
for a Palestinian state - was stupid and offensive.

Yes, Mr. Bush should have elaborated, by saying that "We favor a Palestinian
state, but after the last year we don't know whether we have a serious
Palestinian leader ready to live in peace with Israel in such a state."
Still, it's outrageous to suggest that after all the military, diplomatic
and economic support America has given Israel over decades that America is
now going to sell Israel out.

Attention, Mr. Sharon: America is now fighting for its freedom - the same
battle we have aided Israel in all these years - and when we are fighting
for our freedom there is only one thing for Israel to say: How can we help?
Period.

There's one more thing Mr. Sharon needs to understand: Americans want to
destroy this terrorist menace so that we and all other free nations,
including Israel, can really enjoy our freedom. That's what it's all about.
But we are not out to destroy this extremist menace so that Israel will be
free to build more settlements or to eat up more Palestinian land. Today the
Palestinians are literally at war with each other over whether to make peace
with Israel. But if and when the Palestinians ever get their peace act
together, Mr. Sharon needs to realize that we are out to make the world safe
for Israel to be free, not safe for Israel to occupy the West Bank according
to his biblical map - and saying that is not appeasement, it's American. 

------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Pinpoint the right security solution for your company- Learn how to add 128- bit encryption and to authenticate your web site with VeriSign's FREE guide!
http://us.click.yahoo.com/yQix2C/33_CAA/yigFAA/kgFolB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->

------------------
http://all.net/ 

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
Next message: Fred Cohen: "[iwar] [fc:Electronic.Warfare.Needs.More.Funding,.Forum.Speakers.Say]"
Previous message: Fred Cohen: "[iwar] [fc:Bush.Wants.Classified.Info.Protected]"
Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ] [ subject ] [ author ] [ attachment ]
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.2 : 2001-12-31 20:59:54 PST