Elections for Arabs
The Christian Science Monitor has a good article that discusses the impact, scope, and context of upcoming elections in Iraq, the "Palestinian" territories, and Saudi Arabia.
The elections in these nations are important. Well, let me rephrase that. Elections in the "Palestinian" territories and Iraq are important. It looks like the Saudi elections are mostly nonsense, but even a small election there is a step in the right direction.
In the "Palestinian" territories, a solid electoral win for Mahmoud Abbas could mean a big change in "Palestinian" policy, among both officials and terrorist groups. It could mean a real chance for peace, particularly when you take into account Abbas' peace overtures, his apology to Kuwait, et cetera.
The article whines about Iraq's split population. I'll remind everyone out there that Afghanistan is about the most diverse country you can find, with several different languages and many different ethnic groups. Their elections were very successful. Iraq can do this.
The elections in these nations are important. Well, let me rephrase that. Elections in the "Palestinian" territories and Iraq are important. It looks like the Saudi elections are mostly nonsense, but even a small election there is a step in the right direction.
In the "Palestinian" territories, a solid electoral win for Mahmoud Abbas could mean a big change in "Palestinian" policy, among both officials and terrorist groups. It could mean a real chance for peace, particularly when you take into account Abbas' peace overtures, his apology to Kuwait, et cetera.
The article whines about Iraq's split population. I'll remind everyone out there that Afghanistan is about the most diverse country you can find, with several different languages and many different ethnic groups. Their elections were very successful. Iraq can do this.
1 Comments:
I saw this article today as well. You are, of course, correct; you can't start engineering peace until the "Palestinian" Arabs stop teaching their children that Jews are descended from pigs and dogs, et cetera. I'm encouraged by these recent articles (the one I posted above, and the one from this post.
I think that if Mahmoud Abbas is elected by a clear and solid majority, and if he shows some real leadership like he seems to be, there's some genuine hope. If he can secure and consolidate the kind of power and fanatical devotion that Arafat abused, and do so responsibly, truly caring for his people and recognizing what they need (as opposed to what they may want), you could see a change in the "Palestinian" mindset over the course of a decade or so.
You're very right, there's a lot of work to be done, but I think the fact that Arafat's finally dead opens up some real possibilities for the "Palestinian" people.
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