"sustained and systematic effort to alter a bellicose mentality"

Submitted by David Bakin (United States), Jun 5, 2007 at 15:05

Mr. Pipes - In your written testimony to the committee (I found it at http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/110/Pip21407.htm ) you say:

This means impressing on the Israeli government the need not just to defend itself but to take steps to demonstrate to Palestinians the hopelessness of their cause. That requires not episodic shows of force (such as the war against Hizbullah last summer) but a sustained and systematic effort to alter a bellicose mentality.

What would be the nature (actions) of the sustained and systematic effort to alter a bellicose mentality? Are you speaking of military actions (e.g., responses to rockets fired on Israel) or economic actions or talk/education or what?

Thanks! -- Dave

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Daniel Pipes replies:

Given that I have yet to convince governments that Israel should make victory its goal, I am reluctant to get into specific tactics. It's more useful to focus on goals. But yes, military actions are certainly a part of this, as our economic and educational steps.