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Missile Defense

Technology has always found its greatest consumer in a nation's war and defense efforts. Since the last attempts at a "Star Wars" defense system, has technology changed considerably enough to make the latest Missile Defense initiatives more successful? Can such an application of science be successful? Is a militarized space inevitable, necessary or impossible?

Read Debates, a new Web-only feature culled from Readers' Opinions, published every Thursday.

almarst2020 - 10:06am May 1, 2002 EST (#1918 of 1923)

Jenin 'massacre' reduced to death toll of 56 - http://www.washtimes.com/world/20020501-5587072.htm

"JENIN, West Bank — Palestinian officials yesterday put the death toll at 56 in the two-week Israeli assault on Jenin, dropping claims of a massacre of 500 that had sparked demands for a U.N. investigation.

The official Palestinian body count, which is not disproportionate to the 33 Israeli soldiers killed in the incursion, was disclosed by Kadoura Mousa Kadoura, the director of Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement for the northern West Bank, after a team of four Palestinian-appointed investigators reported to him in his Jenin office."

Thank's God Israel will not be bombed. "Humanitarely".

rshow55 - 10:51am May 1, 2002 EST (#1919 of 1923)

manjumicha2001 4/30/02 5:35pm , lchic 4/30/02 9:58pm , I deeply appreciate your comments, and will be responding carefully. Sometimes, though I can't prove it, things suggested on this thread (and perhaps worked out independently elsewhere) happen.

New Strategy Set by U.S. and Saudis for Mideast Crisis By PATRICK E. TYLER http://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/01/international/middleeast/01DIPL.html

"In a new "division of labor" aimed at ending the cycle of violence, Americans will focus on the Israeli prime minister while Arabs will press the Palestinian leader.

MD1838 rshow55 4/28/02 5:46pm included this:

"I hope Friedman's right that the Israelis and Palestinians are ready to look hard for peace. Perhaps he is. Even at the very best, a lot of the details will have to be worked out together.

"In complex dealmaking, when you're trying to get a deal together, it often happens that, even in a "friendly" negotiation (and this isn't) each side needs its own representative. The US is not an impartial arbiter -- but it does have some detachment. It is allied with Israel, and everybody knows it.

"If the Palestinians had another advocate (People from Russia and EU who are sympathetic) that might be very constructive. There would be detachment, but sympathy too. And lines of communication between representatives.

"Often, in these things, representative have to "sell" their principles -- and be guided by them -- and eventually, complex deals get closed.

"Or at least, in business and movie making, these kinds of things often work, and for deals as complicated as movies - closure is hardly thinkable without multiple, interlocked negotiatins between different representatives and principles.

"Is this any simpler? If not, then this level of complexity may be necessary.

Perhaps this is coincidence. But I hope that this thread and I actually made a contribution.

If I've made this contribution, it may be as useful as the sum output of many career government employees.

I need to get out of a very awkward mess, so that I can live and function. For that, I need some help -- help that I've been asking for for a long time, in every way I've know how to do. In this situation, I feel that I deserve some assistance, though some have disagreed. Some things have to happen face to face. I'll be commenting more on :manjumicha2001 4/30/02 5:35pm and lchic 4/30/02 9:58pm , and appreciate them.

manjumicha2001 - 11:06am May 1, 2002 EST (#1920 of 1923)

almarst

I don't think the issue is Jennin (or how many were killed there, for that matter) at this point. The real problem right now is the open defiance of UN by Israel. To be fair, there is certainly an unholy anti-jewish alliance being formed on the world stage and Israeli government is right being nervous about UN intrusions into its affairs.

However, Israeli behavior under Sharon and his hardliner friends have been on the collision course for some time against the collective strategic will of the major powers, including US. So the moment of truth is approaching fast and the answer to the "big question" will be demanded of sharon and his friends soon....the big question, of course, is 'are you gonna give up settlements and provide limited form of Pal. rights of return (mostly in the form of financial compensation) in exchange for the comprehensive peace with Arabs?'

It might surprise some but I personally think that the land of Judea and Samaria belongs to the jews, period. I would be happy if Israeli government annexes those territories but before that, it would need to find at least one cooperative arab government who will be willing to take in those 3 million or so palestian arabs who need to be asked to choose either between a new homeland in that arab state or an Israeli citizenship, albeit with baggages of being a minority in a jewish state. Of course, it ain't exactly a fair solution but who said the world is fair, anyway. It has never been and never will be until......

Unfortunately, though, I do not believe Sharon and his friends are the right people to pull this off because their hands are too stained with arrogance and hate of their own. Again even in this dramatic solution, the Arab cooperation is essential and Sharon is not a man of cooperation for anything unlike Rabin whom Sharon's friends has conveniently killed off.

manjumicha2001 - 11:12am May 1, 2002 EST (#1921 of 1923)

rshow

What is the awkward mess and what help have you been asking?

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