Reed:
>This is the core of the disagreement most progressives
>have with Hitchens on this issue. He thinks Al-Qaida
>is a threat on the level of Nazi Germany.
>I might agree -- if Osama bin Laden were chancellor of
>an industrialized country with one of the world's most
>powerful economies and a huge army that had invaded
>several countries. Then I'd be more than willing to
>pick George Bush's side. Until then, I'm going to
>stick here with most of the world's population, who
>find both Bush and bin Laden pretty terrifying.
Maybe after they set off a nuke you'll change your tune? Or will you just blame it on the West's failure to deal with "Arab/Muslim grievances"?
>By the way, the equivalent claim is made in Israel --
>Arafat/Hamas are Hitler, and Israelis must all sign up
>with Sharon's program because of the massive threat
>posed by Islamic fundamentalism. The people making
>this claim also affect the same world-weariness about
>how obvious this is and how they can't be bothered to
>argue about it. And to be honest, given how much
>larger and more powerful the US is than Israel, I find
>the argument more valid there.
Except the US didn't invade Lebanon or the occupied territories.
>>The Likudniks and Al-Qaeda want to link the
>>Palestinian resistance and Al-Qaeda which is
>>what you seem to want to do also.
>
>You're engaging in some rhetorical slight of hand
>here. I don't think Al-Qaida and the Palestinian
>resistance AS A WHOLE are the same kind of phenomenon.
>However, I'm perfectly happy to say that Al-Qaida and
>the grislier parts of Hamas and Hezbollah are similar
>phenomena. Al-Qaida may be more dangerous because it
>has more money and freedom of action. But I'm sure
>some members of Hamas would be happy to fly planes
>into buildings in Tel Aviv if they could.
>
>The Palestinians have legitimate grievances against
>Israel. Terrorism will continue against Israel until
>the Palestinians' grievances are dealt with. At that
>point there will still be crazy Palestinian killers
>around, but they won't have support from the general
>Palestinian population.
>
>Likewise, the Arab/Muslim world in general has
>legitimate grievances against the US. Al-Qaida's
>terrorism will continue until the Arab/Muslim world's
>grievances are dealt with -- no matter how many angry
>articles Hitchens writes about Ramsey Clark and Noam
>Chomsky.
It seems to me Al-Qaida wants to resurrect the Caliphate which is pretty unreasonable, while the UN has voted a number of times in support of the Palestinians.
What are these Arab/Muslim grievances exactly? Infidel American bases in the holy land? Weak tea. Dead Iraqi children? Hussein and bin Laden aren't simpatico, even if they have a non-aggression pact.
Al-Qaida wants a return to a society like the Taliban were running. I don't consider their desire a "grievance." And those that were/are financing Al-Qaida included the Saudi elite and the Pakistani security elite. They don't excactly represent the Arab/Muslim world.
Peter