Saturday, August 26, 2006

An Arab Prospective: Ending the Cycle of Violence

Excerpts courtesy of Arab News:

Ending the Cycle of Violence in Middle East
Dr. Khaled Batarfi, kbatarfi@al-madina.com

Tragedies in history are repeated, because we don’t learn from our mistakes. The world has witnessed so many holocausts since the dawn of time. Empires grow, weaken and die for the same reasons. They decline when they reach a certain level of arrogance and ignorance. That is when they look down on smaller and weaker nations, and stop listening to their opinions, complaints and criticism. This has been the case from the ancient civilizations of China, Iraq and Egypt, to colonial era of European powers, to the new age of Soviet Union and USA.

[....]

Israel has a natural right to live in peace. Arabs must show their unsure neighbor that there is light at the end of the tunnel. No nation in a strong position will ever part with war-gained spoils unless they get something solid in return. For even the most pacifist Israelis, it is not reasonable to give concessions without rewards. We must guarantee them peaceful and friendlier neighborhood.

For the complete article by Dr. Batarfi, please go to Arab News: Ending the Cycle of Violence