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thedrifter
12-26-06, 01:49 PM
Letter from the Editor
Claude Salhani
Middle East Times
December 26, 2006

WASHINGTON -- This is traditionally the time of year when people are supposed to wish peace upon their neighbors, what with it being Christmas and the new year just around the corner. Peace on Earth and goodwill to man? Hardly the case when you look around the so-called Greater Middle East.

The Christians in the Middle East are not alone to celebrate at this time of the year as Christmas coincides with Hanukkah and the Muslim eid, give or take a few days, but the holydays have not lessened the tension.

Given the important role religion plays in all three monolithic faiths - Christianity, Islam and Judaism - one would hope that, indeed one would expect, that the holydays would impact the region in a positive manner, instilling in its people a feeling of, I dare not go as far and say love, but let's say a little bit more understanding. This year, however, it seems that everyone got an extra dose of religious fervor rather than the desire to be simply, well, religious.

At this festive season the Greater Middle East remains particularly explosive, starting with the Holy Land where the Arab-Israeli dispute continues to destabilize the region. Additionally, now the Palestinians are on the verge of a civil war with the schism between Fatah and Hamas growing wider.

In Iraq the maddening violence continues to claim innocent lives in large numbers on a daily basis and with no light at the end of the tunnel. In fact if US President George W. Bush follows through on suggestions that he might "surge" the number of American forces in Iraq, the fighting may well escalate. Bush said he wanted to increase the numbers of soldiers and marines.

In Afghanistan the Taliban - still in business almost four years after the US military ousted them from power - appear to be getting stronger by the day, while their attacks against coalition forces are getting more brazen with each passing day. The Taliban have begun adopting tactics similar to those applied by the insurgency in Iraq. IEDs, or improvised explosive devices, have become more current.

Iran, led by President Mahmud Ahmadinejad, continues to pursue its nuclear program which the West fears is intended to give Iran nuclear weapons. As a result the United Nations Security Council has unanimously passed Resolution 1737 calling for sanctions against the Islamic Republic. As with the sanctions imposed on Saddam's Iraq, these ones too will end up hurting the people while sparing the ruling class. The result will lead to more anger against America.

In Lebanon the demons of the 1975 civil war are once again trying to poke their ugly heads and divide an already fractured society. For the moment Lebanon and the government of Prime Minister Fuad Siniora, continue to enjoy the backing of the United States. The danger for Lebanon is that Washington could sell it short in a deal with Syria over Iraq.

Meanwhile on the other side of the Arab/Islamic world a new flashpoint has developed in the Horn of Africa where tension between Somali Islamist warlords and the Ethiopian military has reached the point of open conflict. The Ethiopians have sent in their warplanes into action against the Somali Islamists on Christmas Eve, prompting a call to jihad from the Somalis.

And in the Sudan's Darfur region a crime against humanity is underway with the international community still incapable of preventing the killing and raping of thousands of people.

Indeed, a rather bleak picture for what is meant to be a festive time of the year. Anyway, here is wishing for a more peaceful New Year in 2007.

Claude Salhani is Editor of the Middle East Times. Comments may be sent to Claude@metimes

Ellie