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Hard to disagree with what Khalidi said in the interview.

Reader comment on item: Rashid Khalidi's Appointment at Columbia University

Submitted by pmv (United States), Oct 30, 2008 at 17:55

Its clear he has his own bias, so does everyone. But he is right when he says legitimate intelligence operations in the united states have been gutted (and I'm paraphrasing) by unqualified idealogues. He's also right when he says american 'media' under-reports and distorts mideast political events and news. Its really hard to argue otherwise, unless your talking with a typical 'these-days' american whose been trained to believe a sound-bite is no different than a documentary.

American and isreali nationalists themselves should be frightened by the prospect that functional intelligence (and their defense) has been replaced by amateur political circus. In my opinion, this is the most dangerous threat (and recent legacy) either country faces and will face for some time. Bigger than any virtual external enemy. America isn't going to give up its 'world's cop' title easily, but imagine the police showing up at a standoff with water pistols and big red targets painted on their backs and heads- akin to what the state department and national security umbrella is now.

As for folks who say palestinians don't recognize or want the isreal's existence? They have short memories. Before the first antifida most palestinians (more than 80%) supported and understood the economic and cultural necessity of the state of isreal in poll after poll. After isreal fired 280 million bullets at rock throwers and terrorized the territories that situation reversed itself, and gave fringe movements the 'ammunition' of despair they needed to get people to strap on bomb vests and commit vicious crimes against women and children and anything else moving.

Bad policy feeds idealogues better than any fundementalist movement can do organically. Start using 'good policy' and in a few decades the situation will right itself again, lose patience and you'll end up empowering the very people on both sides of the conflict that neither overall population benefits from. Testosterone talk by a jihadist overjoys a militant zionist the same way rambo-ist occupation by a zionist settler overjoys a wahabiist jihadist. None of it benefits the sane.

Submitting....

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Reader comments (36) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
Rashid Khalidi's Appointment at Columbia University [152 words]DebbieDec 13, 2008 10:32145035
Lies from the Middle Eastern killers, the Arabs and persians. [133 words]Graham DaniellNov 1, 2008 15:08141742
Shows you [105 words]SydOct 31, 2008 10:47141629
Thank you Mr. Pipes [115 words]Joan NeelOct 31, 2008 09:46141623
Hard to disagree with what Khalidi said in the interview. [339 words]pmvOct 30, 2008 17:55141547
This is just another example... [40 words]BrandanOct 30, 2008 13:20141451
Rashid Khalidi on C-Span's Book TV [218 words]Luke LeaNov 29, 2006 23:4967819
The reality of Israeli-Palestinian political relations [274 words]G. E. WoodDec 10, 2003 11:4812601
re rashid khalidi [197 words]pinchas (phil) baramSep 9, 2003 01:0811092
The Sword of Islam in the West [149 words]Gilbert HammersSep 4, 2003 09:0511027
how blinded we Americans have become! [243 words]matthiasOct 28, 2008 10:4711027
Thanks for sending that. [82 words]Len RossenSep 4, 2003 00:4811018
1"The likes of Mr.Pipes?" [105 words]Ruth LowrySep 3, 2003 21:2011017
which he is ... not! [5 words]Eric D.Apr 14, 2008 18:2911017
Thank you Mr. Pipes for speaking the truth. [7 words]Gil KSep 3, 2003 19:1511013
Rename it [31 words]Joshua ScholarSep 3, 2003 14:4811008
Lies and Defenders of the Lies [82 words]Michael "thebassguy"Sep 3, 2003 11:2210996
Why do we tolerate this? [66 words]Tom PensylSep 3, 2003 10:5610992
Response to "Why do we tolerate this?" [130 words]Linda MooreOct 31, 2008 12:3110992
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About the Rashid interview [82 words]AL GREENFIELDSep 2, 2003 19:4610967
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