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From: mc68020@gilbbs.UUCP (Thomas J Keller)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.misc
Subject: Re: Frenchmen getting bombed, why them?
Message-ID: <1034@gilbbs.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 25-Sep-86 20:49:04 EDT
Article-I.D.: gilbbs.1034
Posted: Thu Sep 25 20:49:04 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 29-Sep-86 01:36:34 EDT
References: <7206@sri-spam.ARPA> <1063@ucbcad.BERKELEY.EDU> <15804@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU>
Organization: Gil's Place, Santa Rosa CA
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In article <15804@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU>, tedrick@ernie.Berkeley.EDU (Tom Tedrick) writes:
> >Those following events in the Middle East will recognize
> >that France's troubles stem from its perceived policies and role in
> >Lebanon, and are intimately connected to its colonial legacy (Many
> >in Lebanon blame France for its nurturing and institutionalizing the
> >sectarian political system which is the source of Lebanon's civil
> >strife.) If you want to look for an explanation of the targets,
> >frequency and intensity of terrorist acts, it helps to study the
> >local conditions under which terrorism sprouts.
> 
> Hence, it is France's own fault that it is being bombed, and the
> solution is for France to be nicer to the Muslims. Right?

    All sarcasm aside, in essence, yes, Mr. Tedrick.  Your points in the
    following paragraph are well taken, but the fact is that historically,
    France *HAS* been deeply involved in colonial activities in the Mid-East.
    This history pre-disposes people from the affected areas toward negative
    views of the French.

    Whether or not the French are legitimately holding any given terrorist
    prisoner, it remains true that they are holding such prisoners, and it
    would appear that the recent attacks in France are directly related to
    this.  I do not justify nor condone the attacks, I merely observe that
    one *POSSIBLE* way for France to insure the cessation of this particular
    string of attacks is to release the prisoner in question (I sincerely
    hope they do *NOT* do so!).

    Mr. Hijab's comments have been taken somewhat out of context by you.
    I believe that in a paragraph preceding the one you have included in
    your posting, he pointed out that the current wave of terrorist attacks
    was not related to the French refusal of airspace prvileges during the
    Reagan attack on Libya.  This was in response to a posting by someone
    else suggesting this was the case.  Mr. Hijab's posting was calm, 
    reasonable and to the point.  Whether you agree with the further analysis
    of Mid-East politics he made or not doesn't invalidate his right to
    make them or disseminate them.

    I might also point out that reading antiquated textbooks is not really
    a very reasonable approach to dealing with current political problems.

> 
> I seriously advise you to read Clausewitz, Lidell-Hart, or
> J.F.C. Fuller if you believe that. War is war whatever excuses
> you make for one side and whatever bad things you accuse the
> other side of. If the Muslims aren't smart enough to stop waging
> war against Europe and the United States they will provoke more
> and more violent reaction until one side or the other gives in.
> I guarantee you it won't be the west, although the fight may
> be extremely destructive. Study some history and theory for a
> change instead of all the propaganda BS that is floating around.

    Try studying some for yourself.  The peoples of the Mid-East, many of them,
    were tortured and degraded for decades (even centuries) by white European
    peoples.  To disregard this fact as a factor in the current political
    situation there is foolish and irresponsible.

-- 

Disclaimer:  Disclaimer?  DISCLAIMER!? I don't need no stinking DISCLAIMER!!!

tom keller					"She's alive, ALIVE!"
{ihnp4, dual}!ptsfa!gilbbs!mc68020

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