The solution will certainly not be a simple nuke ‘em and make the Mid-East a glass parking lot approach. It will need to take a multi-pronged approach, just as was done in WW2 (since this analogy has come up) Yes, we bombed the hell out of Berlin, Dresden, Tokyo, etc…, but we also worked with Resistance Movements in all of the Axis-occupied countries, as well as through propaganda broadcasts to soften up the population to NOT support their regimes when our troops did enter their towns/villages. Well, same thing needs to be done here. The US must earnestly work to change it’s image in the Middle East, which can be done if we succeed in setting up thriving economies in Iraq and Afghanistan. These countries need to show the rest of the Arab world, particularly to the “man on the street”, a better alternative than the monarchies/dictatorships in existence in Saudi Arabia andother places, where the people controlling the oil are the only ones getting better off from all that revenue. So, whatever your view on Iraq (everyone knows mine), we now must not only stay there for the long haul, but redouble our efforts there, and make sure the governments succeed. Because, in the long run, if we don’t eliminate the cause for discontent and hatred of our ways, the terrorists killed today will be replaced by more born tomorrow.
Secondly, we will need to work with (i.e. PUSH) governments in the region to work with us to infiltrate and root out extremist cells as was done in England and Pakistan last week. There are those whose minds are just so hate-filled, that finding them and locking them up for good is the only safe way to eliminate the threat.
Thirdly, the US and it’s allies must FORCE, through whatever diplomatic/economic/veiled military threat means necessary, Israel, Palestine, Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon to sit down and work out acceptable borders and eliminate any disputed territories, with the understanding that first and foremost, Israel is there for ever. This includes making Jerusalem a “free city”, meaning, it must be open to all 3 faiths, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, equally and fairly, since this is one of the biggest sticking points in any argument. Maybe even make Jerusalem a City-State, as is the case with the Vatican, independent from Israel, or ANY other country.These negotiations have to appear even handed too, not just the US backing Israel, we have to reel Israel in just as we have to squash unreasonable demands by the other countries. Jordan and Egypt are already somewhat on board with allowing Israel to exist in peace, but the other three still have open issues, and these need to be settled. Without that, there will never be peace in the Mideast, period!
And lastly, and almost as daunting as the whole ”Israel and it’s neighbors problem” is finding a way to get the UN unified on making countries like Iran understand that there are severe consequences for being reckless troublemakers, and the strength to enforce those consequences. If we are going to have a world body for settling disputes, it has to be a world body that can force the resolution of that body on the country in question. And currently, even if all the bureaucratic and corruption issues are worked out, the UN does not possess that resolve or ability. The US cannot and should not be the worlds police force, we can’t afford it and are not prepared for it, nor should the rest of the world be exempt from policing the world.
Of course, sitting down and writing all of this, or any other solution, is easy, getting it to happen is the hard part. And with everybody trying to protect their special interests, us included, I am sadly not very optimistic about this happening.