20060127
    The radical Islamic terrorist group- cum political party- Hamas has won the legislative elections in Palestine, ousting the Fatah party for the first time in its fifty-plus year rule of the Palestinian Authority. Hamas has won a political victory in Palestine by doing the one thing any clever enemy does: it adapted to the tactics of its enemy by adopting legislative power and political appeal.
    The election of Hamas as the representative government of Palestine sends a clear message: Palestine wants radical Islamic rule and the violent overthrow of Israel. In previous times, Palestine was ruled by Fatah, the political party of Yasser Arafat. While it never explicitly condemned terror, Fatah never gave full weight to its use either, and it dealt with Israel on enough of a conciliatory basis that things could get done. Now, Hamas is in power, with its clearly espoused views of terrorism and genocide against Israel. How does the government of Israel deal with another government whose avowed goal is its elimination?
    The election of Hamas by the Palestinians puts an exclamation point on the fact that now is a dangerous time for the Middle East. Iran is attempting to build nuclear weapons. Syria is continuously intervening in the politics of Iraq and Lebanon. Iran and Syria have established what amounts to a military alliance. Iran and Syria’s political proxy in Palestine, Hamas, now has political power. Further, the Iranian and Syrian backed insurgency in Iraq continues in the face of every effort to stop it.
    In the wider view, there are elements of radical Islamic insurgency in Jordan and Saudi Arabia as well. Terrorists and radicals operate with impunity in Pakistan, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Powerful leaders, like Ariel Sharon and the Emirs of Kuwait and the UAE, are no longer available to instill their will and maintain the fragile peace. Like dry kindling on a forest floor, these facts await the spark that sets them aflame.
    The West can no longer ignore or marginalize the events in the Middle East. The region has become a danger not just to itself, but to the entire world. Whatever notions of propriety that prevent the West from intervening in the events there have now become notions that could be violent and fatal. The US, at least, must respond to these escalating events before they become impossible to control.
    There is no doubt that intervention will be difficult political, diplomatic, and perhaps military process. There is no doubt that the answers to how to intervene and for how long are not readily apparent. There is also no doubt that continuing to allow the escalation of these events in the Middle East and the Islamic world without intervention will lead to a disaster for everyone, not just those directly affected. For better or worse, the time has come to act.
DLH
Is it just me, or has the U.N. been remarkably quiet on these current events in the Middle East? Not that their words mean much, but they have been quick in the past to insert their opinions into situations.
I believe that you are correct about the UN. They have been quiet precisely because they have nothing to say. The problem is that, in spite of all of the rhetoric, they were wrong about Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Syria, and so many other countries and what they were up to. Let’s not forget that it was the UN that demanded that the Palestinian Authority be given the ability to conduct elections, and look where it got us. The UN’s conduct gets even worse when you look at what’s going on right now in places like Rwanda or Sudan. Basically, the UN is failing, its just that no one wants to put it out of its misery just yet. I guess it hasn’t spent enough money or ripped enough starving people off. Now that I think of it, why isn’t Kofi Annan in jail?
DLH
Another outlook on the subject from TCS.