Sent to me by my friend, Jeanne Goodin, Director of So. California Eagle Forum, below is a link to an excellent 90-second review of the last 5000 years of war and conquest in the Middle East.
It is amazing to watch as conquering forces overtake and dominate huge regions. It's a fascinating and quick summation of this history, offering a 'visual verbal' of why peace in the Middle East is next to impossible to achieve in the current climate, much like it has been impossible for thousands of years.
As Jeanne wrote, "Not to say that it will never happen, or that Democracy will never flourish there, but this does give you a different perspective."
See Maps of War in the Middle East here: http://www.mapsofwar.com/ind/imperial-history.html
As the website has posted: "Who has controlled the Middle East over the course of history? Pretty much everyone. Egyptians, Turks, Jews, Romans, Arabs, Persians, Europeans...the list goes on. Who will control the Middle East today? That is a much bigger question."
Cornell University covers the modern day history of the Middle East here.
Many leftists describe America as imperialistic. But as USA Today points out, the greatest danger we face in trying to rebuild Iraq is not..."Shiite fundamentalism? Kurdish separatism? Sunni intransigence? Turkish, Syrian, Iranian or Saudi Arabian meddling. All of those are real problems, but none is so severe that it can't readily be handled. More than 125,000 American troops occupy Mesopotamia. They are backed up by the resources of the world's richest economy. In a contest for control of Iraq, America can outspend and outmuscle any competing faction. The greatest danger is that we won't use all of our power for fear of the "I" word — imperialism."
More than ever we need to understand imperialism; and recognize it for what it is...conquest.
It's not America that is trying to take over the world, no matter what others may say.
Sharon Hughes
is Founder and President of The Center for Changing Worldviews
and a radio talk show host on KDIA AM1640 in San
Francisco, RIGHTALK.com, and
online at Oneplace.com. Her column appears in many
recognized news sites and publications, most recently FRONTPAGEMAG.
She also writes for
NewsBusters.org.,
a division of The Media Research Center. For
further information visit her Websites www.changingworldviews.com,
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and Blog http://changingworldviews.blogspot.com.
Or Contact:
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