One of the things I have wanted to avoid is the relativists trap. It is very much in vogue amongst intellectuals and pseudo-intellectuals to argue in favour of relativism when dealing with moral issues - and war is an moral issue as much as it is economic and political - which is frustrating when you realise that as a position, relativism is really a way of absolving oneself of any responsibility.
You may remember a while back someone tried to challenge me to be willing to give up some of my values as a form of counter argument to my spiel over people hiding behind culture. This is a common realitivist stance - that we cannot judge other cultures using our own cultural values.
Which, to a degree, is reasonable. However, the flaw lies in that we are all human - and despite cultural differences, we all actually want the same things. We just communicate it in different ways. That's the illusion of culture - it makes everything look different. But it really isn't that different.
But I'm getting sidetracked from what I really wanted to say today. Suffice to say, Collectivist and Individualist cultures have more in common than they would like to admit. Do some research, and you may be in for a surprise. I will discuss the topic more at a later date.
The Problem with Violence
The Dominion Post has been particularly lucid and interesting to read this week. A couple of days ago the Editorial made an excellent argument about how the only way that the war in Lebanon can have a satisfactory conclusion is if the International community literally steps in and calls an immediate ceasefire. This was lost in the morass of bitching about a rather biting cartoon which made a harsh jab at Israel via the Torah - not a smart move.
This was followed up by an opinion/political column on the front of the World section yesterday where a commentator pointed out that violence has rarely led to long-term improvement, and that particularly in this circumstance it will end up further dividing the Middle East rather than helping it.
A further opinion column pointed out, wisely, how Israel was forced into a situation where they had to act - that Hizbollah laid a careful trap that they walked right into.
Now hundreds of innocent Lebanese are dead because of people who think that violence leads to getting what they want.
Yet, as the column yesterday pointed out, Israel could have gone directly to the International community and received aid in striking Hizbollah in a far more efficient and likely less bloody conflict which would have not seen them being condemned by the world.
Because it is true - Israel has committed a truly immoral and heinous act. Prettying it up with "self-defence" is hard to swallow when you're dealing with the fact that most of the "enemy" killed are innocents caught in the cross-fire.
Hizbollah are equally bad for setting off these events in the first place - trying to take advantage of Israel's situation with Gaza and the Palestinians (remember that poor soldier who was captured initially and was the centre of so much diplomatic attention to save?) knowing precisely what Israel would do in response, they are just as bad for baiting a war.
This is what violence gets you.
Condolezza Rice is living in a dream world if she genuinely thinks that this conflict can end in a happy disney-like democratic Middle East. It has undone years of diplomatic effort. The irony is that America's support of Israel in this event is handing a major victory over to the terrorists they have declared war on. As was pointed out by some, handing blankets and food to the Lebanese while you are also providing the missiles to Israel so that they can continue bombing those very same people is not just clumsy, but the height of poor politics. The Bush Administration continues to clomp around in the international scene without seeming to have a clue what they are doing.
Sadly I can see why the US is unable to condemn Israel - to do so would make them seem hypocrites. After all, Israel needs only point to Afghanistan and Iraq - showing that the US set the precedent for pre-emptive defence. Of course the US invasion of Iraq was not the same as carpet bombing a country into the stone-age, but unfortunately that kind of detail will be lost.
While it is easy to stand and point fingers at various nations for their implication in recent events - I think that the best course of action lies in stopping and taking a breather.
Violent action is spurred by the moment. It is a rash action that leads to further violence. Until there is a ceasefire, there is no hope of resolution. This is a conflict that will go on for a long time - Hizbollah are clearly well ensconced from Israeli bombing, they have Iran's support - so they could keep this up for years. Israel has America behind them and will fight until either Hizbollah stops or is completely wiped out. Worst of all, Lebanon is likely to be taken out in the process before this will happen.
On the bright side, I doubt the International community would stand by and do nothing forever - something will have to give. Unfortunately it is likely to further destabilise things further, and we could soon be seeing an even greater increase in terrorist activity across the globe.
So what is needed is as the Dominion Post pointed out - immediate intervention of International forces to help ensure a ceasefire. That will require Israel to agree to back off and allow a coalition force to step in and try to prevent Hizbollah from continuing their attacks. Unfortunately this is likely to lead to further violence.
The way I see it, America and Iran need to sort their crap out - that way with Iran stepping back, Hizbollah will have to also take a step back.
Easier said than done. Remember how I pointed out at the beginning of this post that there is a lot going on. Iran and the US have a less than happy history. Both countries currently have belligerent governments. What we need is a way to give the common people the strength to reign in their governments. But that requires them to be willing to stop thinking the way they have been trained to and start thinking for themselves - and then that is with the hope that they would empathise with the people who suffer.
A lot of hope with little fact.
It is moments like these that I despair for humanity. But I also have hope. People inherently want to be happy. They have just convinced themselves that in order to do this, someone else has to suffer.
But it isn't so black and white. This is something that New Zealand's society has shown me. Sure, we aren't perfect - we have race relation issues, problems with religious factions and so on - but as a nation we still manage to work together. As a majority we care about each other and mostly accept those who are different. Sure, we hear radicals bitching about this, that and the next thing - but the everyday NZer... they don't care about that. Even in Auckland, people are still able to mostly work around their differences.
NZ has often been seen as a microcosm for the world. It is regularly used as a testing ground because for some reason we often pre-empt world trends. Not that many NZers actually realise or hear of this often.
So I am convinced that there is hope for the world. If NZers can work through it, the world should be able to.
And fuck Bob Geldof with his bullshit wanking. He is clearly in the charity business, if he really gave a crap about Africa's woes he'd go off and get a decent education about the political situation and put his money into something more useful to African nations - like aiding the UN into becoming the ruling body it was intended to be rather than the ham-strung mess it currently is.
I am proud of New Zealand as a nation. I still believe that we are a nation of good people who are able to accept people for who they are. We are not a western nation, nor an eastern one. Our "culture" is something that, when it is at its best, combines the best of the world.
As I once said in a writing competition - New Zealand, The World in One Place.
So I'm going to leave out on a positive note. There is hope for Lebanon - if the world community can stop. Take a breather and just look at the problems of the Middle East with fresh eyes and a fresh mindset.
Love and Huggles
Conan
Currently Reading: World of Darkness: Mysterious Places
Currently Playing: The Grand Experiment; World of Darkness: The University Club
Mood: Let's get things moving!
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