Pre 9-11 mentality

 I was one who thought Islam would become a problem before 9-11. I got into a very heated debate with a member on Ornery over the source of problems which we should be able to change but were not. I sighted things like the corruption in the Saudi Royal family, and its almost negligent administration of Saudi wealth that was creating a class of male citizens without any real place to advance themselves other than through Wahabbi religion or terror pilgrimages to places like Afghanistan and Sudan.

I think I pointed out that the Arab vs. Israeli problem would disintegrate into a real shooting war if the Palestinian Authority wasn't held to task economically and politically. I think I pointed out that Syria's support of Hezbollah would eventually develop into a proxy war with Israel. I think I also pointed out that Iran would be hell bent on developing both its nuclear program and their naval power.

Gee I guess I was pretty spot on.

Of course I blew the whole WMD issue in Iraq, and have found it very hard to take in the fact that Syria and Iran are doing their damnedest to keep very porous borders. 

Point is, few people wanted to even recognize either the trends or the scope of the Islamic world's problems. One member was adamant that if we just stayed completely out of their affairs they would develop along a peaceful and prosperous path. Most people supported her argument. 

Bush hasn't done some things right. But at least some small fraction of the American public now recognizes that there are enduring penalties based on how we choose to deal with the Middle East, and Islamic powers in general. It has taken, in some cases 50 years for the chickens to come home to roost. But we should dismiss from our perception that the world has not changed fundamentally. For it has. Islamic aggression is becoming focused outward against the rest of the world.

9-11 just made that fact obvious to the most willfully ignorant, but most people are content to hit the snooze button again. 
 

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