Lebanon

[kmusser]

Ok, I wasn't planning on writing anything about what's going on over in Lebanon, but then I read this thanks to pope_guilty:

[Israeli justice minister] Ramon said Israel has given civilians in southern Lebanon sufficient warning to leave the area, and that those left behind should be considered Hezbollah sympathizers. "All those now in south Lebanon are terrorists who are related in some way to Hezbollah." - original source.

We're talking about an area with a population of over 1 million - I'm sure that 2 weeks was plenty of time for all of them to evacuate - especially after you've destroyed all their roads. Assuming that the entire population is Hezbollah is a great way to make it come true.

Can someone explain why destroying Lebanon is a good idea? Sending the country back 20 years? Did the Israelis all forget what Lebanon was like 20 years ago? Do they really think that creating a lawless state with no functioning economy filled with people that hate them on their northern border is somehow going to improve their security?

dikaiosunh had a nice post from last week about why what Israel is doing is stupid from a tactical point of view.

Comments

[thatliardiego.livejournal.com]

Why not? According to our government, anybody we don't like in Iraq is automatically a terrorist.

[/sarcasm]

[struct.livejournal.com]

Well, sure. Just like everyone we've hauled off to Guantanamo Bay is an illegal combatant, everyone whose phone and library records we've inspected without warrant is guilty, everyone on the "do not fly" list is dangerous, everyone the RIAA goes after has violated copyright law, and everyone who's concerned about privacy or civil rights has something to hide.

WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH

[animadversio.livejournal.com]

A-fuckin-men, brother!

[dr-zrfq.livejournal.com]

osewalrus has an analysis of what's going on (thanks to nancylebov for pointing it out): http://osewalrus.livejournal.com/56464.html

[chuck-lw.livejournal.com]

>"All those now in south Lebanon are terrorists who are related in some way to Hezbollah."

Hmmmm. Does that include anybody who doesn't have a car, or other means to get the Hell out of there?

Or maybe people who have a handicapped/injured family member or friends they can't immediately transport. Yeah, they're terrorists.

[voltbang.livejournal.com]

One strategy for an outgunned outmanned geurilla force is to provoke their opponent into atrocities that will set the uncomitted people in the middle against their enemy. This looks like a 100% hezbollah win from that perspective. I would bet that hezbollah shipped some percentage of their leadership out of the country for this mess, and that there is no way that they can long term lose. Ok, they lose a substantial amount of grunts, and material resources. They are using all their missles, which is better from their perspective than losing them a bit at a time, or just having them go bad with age. Five years from now, they have a huge new army of people who suffered in this event, and they find some new source of AK-47s. They win. This is what you get when you give the guy who wanted to be minister of finance responsibilty for the military as a consolation prize. Bad military decisions.

[struct.livejournal.com]

What a horrible, arrogant, Orwellian rationalization. "We're going to invade your land and bomb your home in a week, so get out or you're a terrorist and it's OK to kill you."

The thing that makes me miserable is that this stupid and immoral war is going to provoke another round of anti-Semitism worldwide, just like our stupid and immoral war provoked anti-Americanism worldwide. It's a bad time to be an American Jew... sigh...

[eiredrake.livejournal.com]

They're our allies of course. Why shouldn't they use the same tactics as we? We gave them all their weaponry after all.

What's going on in Lebanon is a travesty of justice on the behalf of Israel. Because of two damned soldiers they're going to kill how many innocent Lebanese and Hezbollah obviously doesn't care how many die either. If someone invaded Israel over two soldiers there would be international outcry. There would be an American invasion (because we can't allow our chance for a ringside seat at Armageddon to be put at risk) and coalitions and whatever. But let Israel invade another country, giving notice or not and it's all well and good.

It's bullshit. Complete and total bullshit.

[weasel2000.livejournal.com]

This has gone beyond tactical...Israel wants to show Hezbollah that it is still willing to fight and to defend itself. That withdrawing from Southern Lebanon does not mean that Hezbollah can come back in and stockpile arms and kidnap soldiers. From Israel's perspective, it did the things that others said was necessary for peace...the number one thing now is to let the arab people (and Persian I might add) know that Israel intends to survive, that an israeli life is worth more than a lebanese life, that Hezbollah will not be allowed to have a victory. Have you heard Hezbollah say they want peace? Have you heard them acknowledge the existance of Isarael? Thats the first step in all this...because the core problem in the middle east, or at least what everyone says is the core problem is the existance of Israel and its survival. I have said it before and I will say it again, a good bloodletting is what the Middle East needs now and again...