Let's Solve the Middle East problem Here
 

There's no shortage of brain power, so how do we fix this? Nuking them out of existence won't sell, gang, so let's see some real solutions.

With or without the west's involvement, these people have been killing each other for millenia. Left to their own devices they would continue. But starting with the Crusades, the west has been a thorn in the side of Islam. It's about the only thing that unites them in this unholy jihad.

Just our little 'experiment' with creating a Jewish state in Israel. That country, with no real natural resources, has the highest per capita GDP in the middle east, easily ahead of the oil rich countries.
Per Cap GDP 2004 $$

20,800 Israel
4,500 Lebanon
7,700 Iran
2,100 Iraq
4,200 Egypt

US and Northern Europe about $40k for comparison. And we do this as 'infidels' who drink and and look at nude women. Surely this can't be. I think that's what really pisses them off.

How about this? Israel's GDP is about $129B. If it were a business it would be worth about 3 times that, so let's say $500B. Let's just buy it, build a wall around it, and give it back to the... oh schit, who really owned it first?

I think the worst thing we could do is to pull out of Iraq. We're still in Germany, and nobody's complaining. Let's build some bases in Iraq and stay for the long haul. It would help to secure our troops, and provide a presence that would serve to reinforce our commitment to helping them grow democracy. Continue to push towards Iraqi control of their own security and see where the region goes. This process isn't going to happen on a timeline. It's a generational thing. The supporters of democracy in Iraq realize that they are risking their lives today so that their grandchildren will have a better chance to be free from the life they've known under Saddam.

It is a real opportunity to change the direction of the Middle East, and one that may never happen again. With Hamas now facing the responsibility of accountability for their actions, we could see some very real progress.

But that's just my opinion, and I'm an optimist.

Whatever we decide to do- we must do it fast.

Half of our country seems to think that if it can't be done in a week, it's a failure.

Jeff's idea does promise immediacy.

You guys might want to look here. If something is going to be done, fast is a good way to put it. This is mushrooming and very fast.

Look here at the bottom: http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=264336&perpage=20&pagen umber=4

The present mid-east situation is what you get when you take a stone-age culture and throw trillions of $ their way for oil that they happen to be sitting on. I don't think there is an easy solution when you are dealing with nutcases with the wealth necessary to eventually acquire WMD and the desire to destrroy western civilization.

Apparently 11:30 on a saturday is too early for me to comprehend a question. Answer withdrawn.

aren't there US soldiers still in Vietnam?

How many jews live in Israel 3 or 4 million? Hire Disney to make an exact scale replica of Jerusalem in... Long Island. We invite everyone to move to new York! It's nice in Long Island. No suicide bombers. Nice beaches. US taxpayers would save about $8 billion a year. Shalom, baby!

Good sol'n, Moses. The only problem is the people we have to displace from Long Island to put them there. We'll get a bunch of New York refugees living in The City in refugee camps, fenced and guarded. New York won't take them in "because they're not city folk," and the Jews won't take them back "because they left of their own accord." 50 years from now, we'll be looking back and saying, "You know, before 2006, there wasn't a New Jerusalem at all, before the US created it out of nothing, so it's no wonder that the New Yorkers hire suicide bombers and want to push them into the sea."

;)

New York! Way too expensive...

There is plenty of land in Nevada and Arizona and it's the desert so they would hardly notice the change in climate.

There are US soldiers in almost every area where they have fought, from WW1 forward. There are always missing in action and there is a unit in Hawaii dedicated to doing nothing but identifing remains found around the world, and returning them to either Arlington or their families.

Joe A

Ahmmm.... some of us in Arizona and Nevada might not agree with this view. We have a small shortage of water out West and do not need any more people, not to mention millions.

Joe A

How about just convincing the head honcho of islam to rewrite a chunk of the koran that makes them want to kill? Find all of the lines like this one "Allah is an enemy to unbelievers. - Sura 2:98" and replace "enemy" with "friend".

Okay fine... one word...

MEXICO!

That's right rebuild Israel in Mexico... they have plenty of manpower and it would be a big boost to their economy...

Of course then the guy mowing your lawn might speak Hebrew...

All I can say is that I am doing my part of the job to solve the middle-east problem: developing low cost solar cell technology to become more energy independant and stop throwing money at the middle east for their oil. Of course, it would help if I could hire a large team and have all the ressources needed for that project, but Hey, I am in academia...spend half of my time looking for the money, half of the other time reporting on how I spend the money...that does not leave much time to actually do the research.

Aurel

I saw on U of M cable TV something called the Barefoot Architects ( east Indian guy) using solar and other technology. Looked real interesting.

http://www.barefootcollege.org/

Have you heard of them?

The only reason the Jews were 'given' Palestine/Israel is because no one else wanted to take them in. The US and UK both denied their entry in the days leading up to WWII. Even with the crap going on in Germany, ships of refugees were not permitted to land, dooming many to death in the camps.

They fulfilled a prophecy of making the desert bloom and prosper. Good for them. Had they gone to AZ and NV, you wouldn't have a water shortage now. And is if they had gone to Mexico, American migrant workers might be headed there for the plentiful jobs.

There are about 5 mil Jews and 800,000 Christians in Israel now. We could buy them out and they could resettle. Then Bulldoze the place and 'give' it to the Muslims. It would be cheaper than what we're trying to do now.

The comment to come out of Vietnam:

Forgetting the suffering and loss of life, the US $$ cost of that war would have bought every family in North Vietnam a 3 bedroom house and a car. Good cure for Communism.