What should the EU and my country The Netherlands do? stop blindly following US foreign "policy" and supporting military action in its slip stream. Reduce NATO to what it was founded for: a regional defense organization. Organize a EU defense system to protect Europe and not to wage (preemptive) war worldwide; create stable relations and constructive economic ties with all the neighbors such as Russia, the Middle .East (Iran), North Africa and the US. on an equal footing. Promote global stability and the values that we consider globally acceptable; recognize lines on the map and spheres of influence; support the international organizations that we have created for global "support, management and supervision" such as the UN and its agencies. Always try to find the balance between the 4-5 major blocks in the world. Try to convince the US that it only represents just over 4% of the global population and it is not even taking good care of the majority of its own citizens.
JC
thank you for the Iranian interview. However, you surprise me with your remark that the US is supporting Islamic awakening e.g. the US supports Egypt (SIsi). If we look at US ME policy over the last 20 years I see very little US support for Islamic and democratic awakening (Irak, Libya, Support for S.Arabia and the other ME monarchies, the Yemen coalition). Looking et the US history vis-a-vis Iran (shah regime) and US support for Irak during the Irak-Iran war it is difficult to conclude that the US was a supporter of Islamic awakening, rather the opposite.
Thank you Juan Cole and John Lubbock for giving us the facts; I fully agree with David Graeber that even "quality" newspapers do not give us the logical analysis of what is happening in and around Turkey. Especially the (mis)use of the word "terrorists" and "terrorisme" by governments is misleading. Our Dutch government is giving military support to Kurdish troops in Irak, has F16 stationed in Irak to fight ISIS and recently it had stationed Patriot missiles to defend its NATO partner Turkey against incoming missiles while Turkey was bombing Kurdish positions in Irak under the pretext of fighting ISIS.
What we all desperately need is clear facts and unbiased political analysis. (such as informed comment!)
I do not argue about the completeness and sophistication of this scenario. But these scenarios are useful instruments to change mind sets. It is important to convince decision makers that the status quo, the western pro-Israel permissiveness, will one day certainly lead to some kind of catastrophe. And in my opinion any "solution" for the Israel-Palestinian situation will be preceded by bloodshed/civil war/1948 revisited. But I also believe that the earlier it happens, the better. The later it happens, the higher the toll. For this reason I advocate in the Netherlands to isolate Israel, to support BDS, to put as much pressure on Israel as possible to force it into a one-nation state with equal rights for all inhabitants. (the so-called two state solution is no longer realistic) It may require some kind of civil war, but again, rather now then later. Let the Israeli government realize that there is no future in this world for a nicely ethnically cleansed Jewish state with a messianic theological mission based on self invented exceptionalism. Let us continually expose what is behind the veil of democracy; a government of a minority that is suppressing a majority of Palestinian inhabitants in the Greater Israel area.
If we care about all these people, lets put as much pressure on that government as possible, to avoid the increasing risk of the kind of scenario you just pictured.
Thank you for keeping us awake!!!
Iric van Doorn
What should the EU and my country The Netherlands do? stop blindly following US foreign "policy" and supporting military action in its slip stream. Reduce NATO to what it was founded for: a regional defense organization. Organize a EU defense system to protect Europe and not to wage (preemptive) war worldwide; create stable relations and constructive economic ties with all the neighbors such as Russia, the Middle .East (Iran), North Africa and the US. on an equal footing. Promote global stability and the values that we consider globally acceptable; recognize lines on the map and spheres of influence; support the international organizations that we have created for global "support, management and supervision" such as the UN and its agencies. Always try to find the balance between the 4-5 major blocks in the world. Try to convince the US that it only represents just over 4% of the global population and it is not even taking good care of the majority of its own citizens.
How about Israel ??? Enough stolen water resources????
check Tocqueville (year 1832) as a source for the idea "exceptionalisme". Although it is remarkable that Stalin was familiar with the phrase
JC
thank you for the Iranian interview. However, you surprise me with your remark that the US is supporting Islamic awakening e.g. the US supports Egypt (SIsi). If we look at US ME policy over the last 20 years I see very little US support for Islamic and democratic awakening (Irak, Libya, Support for S.Arabia and the other ME monarchies, the Yemen coalition). Looking et the US history vis-a-vis Iran (shah regime) and US support for Irak during the Irak-Iran war it is difficult to conclude that the US was a supporter of Islamic awakening, rather the opposite.
Thank you Juan Cole and John Lubbock for giving us the facts; I fully agree with David Graeber that even "quality" newspapers do not give us the logical analysis of what is happening in and around Turkey. Especially the (mis)use of the word "terrorists" and "terrorisme" by governments is misleading. Our Dutch government is giving military support to Kurdish troops in Irak, has F16 stationed in Irak to fight ISIS and recently it had stationed Patriot missiles to defend its NATO partner Turkey against incoming missiles while Turkey was bombing Kurdish positions in Irak under the pretext of fighting ISIS.
What we all desperately need is clear facts and unbiased political analysis. (such as informed comment!)
I just send you my comments without result.
I do not argue about the completeness and sophistication of this scenario. But these scenarios are useful instruments to change mind sets. It is important to convince decision makers that the status quo, the western pro-Israel permissiveness, will one day certainly lead to some kind of catastrophe. And in my opinion any "solution" for the Israel-Palestinian situation will be preceded by bloodshed/civil war/1948 revisited. But I also believe that the earlier it happens, the better. The later it happens, the higher the toll. For this reason I advocate in the Netherlands to isolate Israel, to support BDS, to put as much pressure on Israel as possible to force it into a one-nation state with equal rights for all inhabitants. (the so-called two state solution is no longer realistic) It may require some kind of civil war, but again, rather now then later. Let the Israeli government realize that there is no future in this world for a nicely ethnically cleansed Jewish state with a messianic theological mission based on self invented exceptionalism. Let us continually expose what is behind the veil of democracy; a government of a minority that is suppressing a majority of Palestinian inhabitants in the Greater Israel area.
If we care about all these people, lets put as much pressure on that government as possible, to avoid the increasing risk of the kind of scenario you just pictured.
Thank you for keeping us awake!!!
Iric van Doorn