Subject: The problem, and how to solve
it.To: Middle East discussion group & news releases from Zionist groups <eretz-yisrael@shamash.org>
Excerpts from introduction to "A CENTURY OF TERROR"
By Mona Garberg Sandringham
I believe that few Political Scientists will disagree when I say that no other trial has had greater impact on European history during the last 100 years than the case against Captain Alfred Dreyfus in Paris in 1894. The modern Zionism and the establishment of Israel as a Sovereign State was but one of several results of this remarkable case. In France the State was completely separated from the Church. The case was exploited for whatever it was worth to advocate practically every conceivable political ideology, from the re-establishment of the "Enlightened Despotism" to the struggle for Marxist-Leninism, from the abolishment of national states in favor of Anarchism to dictatorial syndicalism in Spain, or to the principle of "il Duce" under Mussolino in Italy.
But is not modern terrorism just as inextricably linked to the Dreyfus case by the theories that were voiced by Georges Sorel in 1906-08 ("Réflexions sur la violence"), in which he claimed that society can only change (and consequently be maintained) by violent means, and where the actions of the terrorist are glorified, and made good, even legalized by their "historical mission"?
Terror has been applied systematically against governments, the public, ethnic groups or single individuals since times immemorial, and is definitely not a modern invention. Even in those days the Greek historian Xenophon described the rewards of psychological warfare. Terrorism has been applied by political organizations aimed at targets left and right alike, nationalistic, ethnic and religious factions as well as by revolutionaries, military, secret police, and in full public view by several governments, regardless of their political motivations. Just look at Caucasus, Balkan, Afghanistan, Indonesia, and the rest of the political madhouse. So far in the sad history of mankind terror has again and again proved an efficient tactical means to consolidate strategic positions.
Democratic institutions are only in exceptional cases able to resist sustained terrorism. The reason for this could be that democracies are not able to fight the apparent irrationality with adequate and therefore drastic actions, but stumble in their own splendid requirements to "Follow the Rules of Democracy", even to the point of supplying the terrorist with the necessary weapons to carry out his (her) mission. Weapons are not only hardware, but also how rhetorics are utilized. Democracies are their own enemy!
Today the Left Movement is supplying all the verbal ammunition needed. It is nothing but good, old Psycho-warfare, but it works, thanks to those "Splendid Requirements of Democracy".
No one understands this better than "Yassir Arafat", Hanan Ashrawi, and so on. PLO has succeeded in achieving complete International acceptance. There is a "War of Words" going on. History is repeating herself. If Israel wants to win this "War of Words", better stop the futile efforts of intelectualizing an imminent threat to the very existence of Israel. It is pure rubbish to put the blame on those among us, who are more or less religious observant, and still have faith in G_d. If Israel is going to win, better start brushing up on Machiavelli, because his are the principles of war that apply to the Left. Generals make lousy politicians, because they may very well know their Clausewitz, but forget that Machiavelli has set some other rules, of which they don'tunderstand one iota.
Mona
http://members.theglobe.com/mona74