The reason America does so badly in the Middle East is that Americans tend to forgive and forget. And in the Middle East the reason a group of people may want to kill another is hundreds of years old. They may not remember the exact reason… or hell they may remember the exact person who killed the exact person. But by the time they go out to slaughter all the family members of their hated rivals, hundreds if not thousands had died and though the idea seems silly to Americans, the actual feelings in the Middle East is that its just as valid today. Yes there is some thought to a fractured social system that is barely coming together now also being part of it. But the root of the problem is the centuries old hatred. Why do Arabs dislike the Jew? Because centuries ago they took over Palestine, and then hundreds of years later Europeans and Americans gave it back to them. A lot of the anger can be found from hundreds of years ago.
Gary Trudeau has been a favorite cartoonist of mine for decades (I have some of his books from the 70′s) and he has always abeen able to hit the hot button topics of the day. And quite often has been able to still feel fresh in doing it. At the same time when he feels the need too, he can point out the similarities of a situation in such a way that a Waffling President just stands out. A Roman Legionaires helmet means much more in a Doonesbury strip then if mentioned in relation to George W. in a OpEd piece. This strip above is an example piece. In a short comic he’s explained in great detail why America being in Iraq is a lost cause. Its not the troops. And though its hard to believe its not really Bush. Its the area and its hates that run back hundreds of years.
Tags: Comic, Interesting, OpEd, Politics
