On Aug 16, 2006, at 11:13 PM, Michael Pugliese wrote:
> Wednesday, August 09, 2006
> On Islamic radicalism and the left
> Don Hamerquist sends the following comments on "Defending my enemy's
> enemy": (Lyons on Hezbollah and the Western Left,
> http://threewayfight.blogspot.com/2006/08/defending-my-enemys-
> enemy.html )
Where we read:
> So let's be clear: We have a pressing responsibility to defend the
> Lebanese people, demand an immediate end to Israeli attacks, and
> expose the deadly U.S. role in the conflict.
Who's "we"? The blogosphere? Hezbollah's done exactly this, haven't they?
> But let's be clear about something else too: The fact that Israel
> and the United States want to destroy Hezbollah does not make it a
> positive political force. To be sure, Hezbollah has staunchly
> resisted Israeli aggression for years. It runs a sizeable network
> of social services and has a solid base of popular support centered
> in the largely poor Shi'i community but cutting across
> denominational lines. Yet no matter how courageous its fighters may
> be, no matter how many schools and hospitals it runs, Hezbollah is
> essentially a right-wing political movement....
According to my interview with Rasha Salti <http:// www.leftbusinessobserver.com/Radio.html#060810>, that's not quite true. She says they've adapted themselves to Lebanon's complex, cosmopolitan political culture and are not aggressively theocratic. She also says that as a secular democrat, she's not their biggest fan, but even she admires the way they kicked Israel's ass. It's not like they're about to take over the government & impose shariah.
Doug