TERRORISTS ARE CRIMINALS

The recent gruesome murders by Al Qaeda terrorists proves Al Qaeda is a criminal organization.

The United States should treat these terrorists as criminals, not "non-combatants," and make every effort to capture and bring them to trial. This would serve many purposes, including convincing Arabians that supporting Al Qaeda is not in their best interests.

This is not the policy of the Bush Administration or Senator Kerry or the Democrats.

From the beginning, I opposed the Conquest of Iraq. One of my prospective reasons was exactly the situation in which we now find ourselves: fighting an insurgency (guerrilla war) by Islamic jihadists. While our presence in Iraq only makes things worse, this is not a reason to cave in to terrorism. Terrorists do need to be fought.

Starting with Mohammed, who was a businessman and a warrior, Islam has been a bloody-minded, tribal religion which encourages provincial attitudes. Al Qaeda and the Saudi Arabian Wahhabbis are only the latest adherents to that 1300 year tradition. As long as they are free and alive, members of those sects will persecute and kill infidels.

All that said, it is probably time for me to announce my Middle East policy, rather than be just another critic of the government's policy:

Walter's Middle East Policy: Avoid, Irritate and Mediate

My first goal is Avoid. That means we shouldn't be putting people and businesses in there. The best thing that could happen to Arabia, from the First World point of view, is that it fades into obscurity.

To help that obscurity along, I advocate a crash program to replace oil with other fuels. Our advantage is that the Middle East derives almost all its income from oil. There is very little else the Middle East does for the outside world except provide oil. The long and short of it is this: the Middle East would descend into severe and permanent depression, thus powerlessness, without oil sales.

Secondly, by all means Irritate, but not stupidly and obviously. Jihadists are riled up people who want to fight someone. Our goal should be to get them to fight each other, as in Caesar's old saying, 'divide and conquer.' This won't be hard to do, once Westerners and other infidels are removed from their territory. Consider the fate of Sicilian warriors:

I believe the Mafia originated in Siciliy under similar circumstances to those now prevailing in Arabia. Four or five hundred years ago, the southern Italian petit aristocracy fought the incursions of the Spanish who dispossessed them. In the beginning, this was a popular insurgency because Sicilians resented Spanish rule. But, revolt failed; the insurgents became guerrillas inhabiting the hills and mountains. At first, like the Viet Cong, the guerillas were able to live among the people who supported them. The years went by, but the Spanish were not driven out. Little by little, the people became unwilling to support the rebels, as they were already poor enough and taxed heavily by the Spanish lords. Thus, the rebels were driven into robbery and other crimes to stay alive.

 

But, another way of looking at it is this: the rebels got used to living off the land, and eventually lost their revolutionary ideals. They had become thugs, used to murder, rape and robbery. They had become Mafiosi, the brotherhood.

The Spanish were eventually driven out of Italy, and Sicilians were rejoined with their native land. The Mafia lost all power, and moved to the United States. Finally, a century after the re-unification of Italy, the Mafia has been recognized for what it is: a criminal organization. It is being wiped out by co-operating, international police forces.

By irritating the Arabs sufficiently, the same thing will happen. Eventually - and hopefully much faster - even the majority of Muslims will recognize Al Qaeda and its symbionts for what they are: criminals. The Jihadists won't stop their brutal murders and other criminal activities just because the Americans are gone. Like the Mafia, they're criminals, and they'll keep on being criminals.

Then, there is my third goal: Mediate. The United States should endeavor to be the neutral arbiter of disputes, the Great Uncle, the Court of Last Resort. This requires Americans have no vested interest in those lands. It requires the patience to wait until the combatants beg for mercy. This will happen soon enough, if we wisely disengage from the region, stop buying their oil, and stop selling them arms.

Even more, I dare to say the forbidden words: we must be Even Handed in our relations with Israel and Palestine. Being an Israeli partisan is self-defeating for the United States, and, worse, for Israel.

That is how I would handle the situation.

There has been a lot of consternation about the "non-combatant" status

of Taliban prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay. Somehow, it cannot be decided whether these prisoners are Prisoners of War (POWs) or something else, and whether they are entitled to a hearing or trial in U.S. Courts.

I say treat them as criminals. Charge them and try them. The same for any other Taliban and Al Qaeda we can grab.

The United States should join the International Criminal Court (ICC) The U.S. should turn over anyone (including US soldiers and Saddam Hussein) accused of crimes against humanity or other international crimes to the ICC. Those not eligible for international trial should be tried in the appropriate national or regional criminal Court.

June 22, 2004

Last update: 11/02/2007

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