Why Israel Must Shift Focus
These comments from Marshall Manson indicate, in my opinion, why Israel should stop attacking Syria (and Iran's) proxies and start attacking the folks who are pulling the strings.
The recent attacks on Israel may be coming, ostensibly, from Hezbollah and other anti-Israel factions, but let's not kid ourselves. These attacks are being sponsored by governments of Syria and Iran (the fact that they're using cruise missiles is evidence in support of this), and the threat from these attackers will never be neutralized until Syria, at least, is dealt with.
Engaging in war with anti-Israel groups in Lebanon is a good first step, but it isn't going to solve any problems in the long run. When you're weeding your garden you must always be sure to get all of a weed, even its roots, lest it grow back and become a nuisance again in a few days. In Israel's situation, the roots of their current problems lay in Syria and Iran, not Lebanon.
Israel should declare war on Syria, and America should provide whatever operational and tactical support we can without necessarily comitting troops to the ground. The Bush administration has made a stable and democratic middle east a goal of our foreign policy. Our victories in Afghanistan and Iraq have moved things a long way toward that goal, but as long as Syria and Iran are sponsoring terrorism we will never reach that goal.
The time has come for Syria to take a fall.
The recent attacks on Israel may be coming, ostensibly, from Hezbollah and other anti-Israel factions, but let's not kid ourselves. These attacks are being sponsored by governments of Syria and Iran (the fact that they're using cruise missiles is evidence in support of this), and the threat from these attackers will never be neutralized until Syria, at least, is dealt with.
Engaging in war with anti-Israel groups in Lebanon is a good first step, but it isn't going to solve any problems in the long run. When you're weeding your garden you must always be sure to get all of a weed, even its roots, lest it grow back and become a nuisance again in a few days. In Israel's situation, the roots of their current problems lay in Syria and Iran, not Lebanon.
Israel should declare war on Syria, and America should provide whatever operational and tactical support we can without necessarily comitting troops to the ground. The Bush administration has made a stable and democratic middle east a goal of our foreign policy. Our victories in Afghanistan and Iraq have moved things a long way toward that goal, but as long as Syria and Iran are sponsoring terrorism we will never reach that goal.
The time has come for Syria to take a fall.
