U.S. in the Middle East

Ross Douthat (NYT March 29)  gives a good analysis of what the U.S. is doing in the Middle East. What we do not debate or even discuss is the basic assumption that the U.S. must be the dominant power in this area. But why should we dominate an area so far from our borders? It is well known that the reason is the oil companies’ desire to make big profits there. How would we feel if Syrian or Iranian companies got big profits from the wheat and corn farms in the Midwest?

Headscarves

            There is controversy about Moslem women and girls wearing  headscarves, Although they live in western countries where it is an unusual custom.  They believe they do it to show that they are devout Moslems.

            Unfortunately, the headscarves  have a deeper meaning.  A tradition in the Mid East that is much older than Islam, but which was taken over by Islam and made a key element of its structure was that women are a lower grade of human being than men and that every woman must  be owned by a man.  The owner of course wants to keep his property for his own enjoyment and does not want anybody else to see her.  Hence in Moslem countries women are totally covered up from head to toe.

            It is absurd for an American woman or teen aged girl to be dressed just like the others but with a headscarf.  I don’t see why any woman or girl would want to proclaim to the world:  “I am an inferior being and am owned by a man.”

           

Arab anger

Secy.of State John Foster Dulles

Pakistan

A large area of Pakistan is suffering from a severe drought, an insufficient source of water. Meanwhile, the U.S. continues to give weapons worth millions of dollars to the Pakistan military. I wish the U.S. would reduce the amount of military gifts, and help them develop a sustainable system. Our policy for each "allied country" is to give them more military aid than what the people really needed. --

Friendly Nations

Syria, Iran and Saudi Arabia are neighboring countries with totalitarian governments, two of them dictatorships and the third an absolute monarchy. Syria and Iran are considered enemies of the U.S., with strong sanctions on one and near warfare with the other. But Saudi Arabia is a "friendly nation" and a close partner of the U.S. Its total lack of what we consider basic "freedom" is ignored. Why the difference? What is different is that Saudi Arabia is a close ally of the U.S., and its policies permit U.S. businesses, especially the oil companies, to make big profits there. So its absence of "freedom" is ignored, while in the other two the lack of freedom is claimed to be the reason for our opposition.

Military Aid for Peace

It is said that the U.S. should give military aid to the rebels in Syria, because this will help bring about peace. But military aid never brings peace -- it always leads to more destruction and bloodshed.