re: #666 Obdicut

Cordell isn’t a troll, just a rather bullheaded dude who wants to have the same argument repeatedly.

To pre-empt the argument:

Cordell, you need to ask yourself why you don’t think the Arab states are capable of meaningful political change, and why you think any sort of peace is achievable while the Arab states still intentionally inflame the situation between Palestine and Israel.

Because to me, assuming that the Arabs are simply a hopeless cause smacks of culturalism or racism.

I never said that the Arab states aren’t capable of meaningful political change. I said that I don’t expect them to change, because they have no motivation to. I am not denigrating Arab states by considering them rational actors who make decisions based on their perceived self-interest.

If you are an Arab state, what possible reason do you have to deal with Israel? Democracy is limited, if non-existent, in nearly every state surrounding Israel. Thus, the only threat to many of the leaders in power is angering their citizens so much the government is overthrown. To the average man on the street, Israel is a perfect scapegoat to keep your citizens angry at anything but their own government. Why on earth would they willingly resolve the Palestinian crisis? It’s a perfect political football for them to play with over and over and over again.

I have every reason to believe that the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is in the best interest of Jews and Arabs alike. But that does not mean it is in the political interests of the handful of Arab leaders who are the ones making calculated political decisions. Does that make sense?