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Tuesday, April 15, 2003
Maybe this war is (was) right for the wrong reasons. Take a moment to consider why the Judaeo-Christian world is way ahead of the civilization game. And not just ahead of Jihadi Muslims, but also of Hindutva Hungry Hindus and Buddhists drowsy with Nirvana. For a full analysis you may refer to The Clash of Civilizations by Samuel Huntington, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbons and The Lexus and the Olive Tree by Thomas Friedman. A key role is played by democracy and separation of the church and state in most wordly matters. Contrast that to mullah driven politics that consign 50% of the population (women, for the geniuses who have not figured this out) to slavery and rath yatras (google Advani and yatra for details) blaming the ills of civilization on another religious community rather than focussing on problems that can and should be fixed. At the very least this war will prove a catalyst for some introspection on the part of these civilizations to detrmine the cause of their unequivocal and utter defeat. Yes, Thomas Jefferson would not have waged this war and Ben Franklin's diplomacy would have been far successful than that of Colin Powell. Yes, the only WMD found in Iraq will be gasoline that through the engines of gas-guzzling SUVs poisons American cities. Yes, as in any war may innocents have died. Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori. Yet, at the end of the day it will make the Mubarak's, Advani's, Saudi princes, Musharraf's, and even the Sharon's pause for a moment and reexamine what it is that they are doing.
And if at the end of this summer gas is 75 cents a gallon, that will be a most welcome bonus.
Arif 7:02 PM
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