[(Continued from p.4)]
reason the Arab "street" passionately identified with him despite his brutality toward fellow Arabs. And precisely because Saddam's symbolic power came from throwing down the gauntlet to the West, that same Arab street quickly lost interest when his regime collapsed. Removing Saddam was a necessary but not sufficient step in changing the psychology of the Arab-Muslim world.Changing the regime in Iran would be another powerful and salutary shock to the region, dramatically undermining the view that Islamic fundamentalism is the wave of the political future. Iranians have had more than twenty years of rule by the ayatollahs and most are eager for an end of it. That Iran is clearly on the verge of becoming a nuclear power lends urgency to the need to give massive support to the popular forces opposed to the regime, not pursue meaningless negotiations that can only strengthen the status quo.
But none of this will avail if the Arab world scents success in its jihad against Israel. There is no possibility it will retire into passivity if the hugely energizing hope of driving Israel into the sea can be kept alive with Western connivance. And that is why U.S. policy of seeking to satisfy the Arabs through ever more radical Israeli concessions undercuts U.S. strategic interests, stoking the fires of 'asabiya, when it must be our purpose to smother them. Yes, Israel offers a tempting target for pressure, since the worldwide causeless hatred it increasingly experiences (exacerbated by its own display of weakness) has had the effect of curving, not stiffening, its spine.
If the U.S. is serious about curbing Islamic militance, it should be seeking to shore up, not break, the crumbling government of Israel. Oslo (like the war against the Soviets in Afghanistan) was a turning point in inspiring Arab-Muslim militance. It will surely go down as one of the most stupid actions ever committed by a democratic government. Its premises were false and it has failed. The U.S. should be encouraging Israel to evict not only Arafat but the entire Palestinian Authority as well as the alphabet soup of terror groups. This too would send a message of "shock and awe" through the Arab world -- the Palestinian Arabs will not achieve their state, but at most will have to find some measure of autonomy under Israeli control.
The administration is unlikely to accept such a politically incorrect view of the Arab-Muslim world. It is far more tempting to listen to utopian siren songs. And so Helprin is probably right in his forecast for the future: "The sorrows that will come will be greater than the sorrows that have been."
Rael Jean Isaac is editor of Outpost.
In Memoriam
David Bar-IllanAFSI mourns the death of David Bar-Illan, brilliant concert pianist, writer, editor and media critic, and staunch Zionist. An early supporter of AFSI, David remained an active member of our executive committee until he returned to Israel, his birthplace. Others have noted David's associations with the Jerusalem Post and the office of Prime Minister Netanyahu. We remember how in 1974, during a visit to Israel, accompanied by his wife Beverly, he insisted on giving a concert in Samaria -- an endeavor which included moving a giant grand piano from Jerusalem. Jewish residents of Samarian towns, usually ignored or shunned by celebrities, came by the hundreds, and David played dozens of encores. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his beautiful wife, who cared for him steadfastly in sickness and in health.
Emil FackenheimAFSI mourns philosopher and theologian Emil Fackenheim, who spoke at the Zionist Congress convened by AFSI on April 1, 1996. A man who saw the birth of Israel as a sign of historical revelation, an "incursion" of God into the present, Professor Fackenheim moved to Israel permanently in 1984.
Edward TellerAFSI mourns Edward Teller, father of both the H-bomb and missile defense, who also spoke at AFSI's national conference. Teller believed in AFSI's goals, saying "Israel today constitutes an important element in ensuring the security of the free world. Israel must retain possession of Judea and Samaria and the Gaza Strip. These territories are extremely vital for its security."
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December 2003 - 5 - Outpost