the outcome of the election

[Nystul]

If anybody has constructive ideas (shared by the different ideologicalal groups in the West) I haven't heard them yet.

good karma
[right][snapback]59582[/snapback][/right]

It's not a simple problem, unfortunately. My own thoughts?

1) We need as much support in Iraq as possible to try to create some semblance of security before the scheduled elections in January. In the areas that are somewhat secure, basic reconstruction has to get better.

2) Afghanistan has had the first step in elections, but they obviously need more help with security and reconstruction.

3) The nuclear threat in Iran needs to be assessed. If it is significant, the diplomatic response needs to be immediate, aggressive, and broadbased. Ideally, the United States would not have a leading role in this.

4) Resume negotiations between the U.S. (well, if someone else actually thinks they can do it, that would be great...), Israel, and Palestine. Palestinian leadership is currently in flux, so who knows when this can happen. It needs to happen and continue until Palestine is a recognized nation with mutually accepted boundaries.

5) When future terrorist acts do occur in western nations, we need to be able to cooperate with each other, share intelligence, try to trace back the equipment/money/etc., and find out exactly who is responsible. What happens once you get to that point is a tricky matter. I think it is basically up to the country that gets attacked to make that decision.

I understand why Europeans feel fear and anger towards the approaches Bush has taken in the Middle East. However, this is not a spectator sport. The role that Europe plays in this will determine whether anything is a success or whether the whole thing becomes a bigger mess. Probably if Europe had taken a more active role prior to the Iraq war, they could have prevented it from ever occurring, but it is too late for that now. At this point, it is critical to do everything possible to make Iraq and Afghanistan liveable. If we can make it through that, perhaps someone other than the U.S. can take leadership in determining what else needs to be done. Although personally, I'm not sure the E.U. is ready for that kind of leadership, and the U.N. is only good for preserving the status quo (and not very effective even for that).