Harry Browne: A Solution for the Middle East
Date: Fri, 12 Apr 2002 06:57:51 -0700
From: jack@WebCommanders.com (Jack Dean)
Subject: [libs4peace] Harry Browne: A Solution for the Middle East
To: libs4peace@yahoogroups.com (Libs4Peace List)



L i b e r t y W i r e

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Harry Browne's "Liberty & Peace" commentary
appears Thursdays on www.WorldNetDaily.com . . .


A Solution for the Middle East

    by Harry Browne

George Bush wants Ariel Sharon to stop doing what George Bush has been doing
for the past six months -- using force to crush his enemies. Doesn't Bush
realize that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery?

His petulance at Sharon for not following Bush's orders indicates that Mr.
Bush now believes he's President of the World -- and everyone is expected to
obey his commands.

He does have good reason to be surprised at Sharon's disobedience, however.
After all, your tax money has successfully bribed the leaders of Pakistan,
the Philippines, and other countries into chaning their policies. Why
hasn't it bought Israel's obedience as well?

    What America Should Do

Does America have a duty to help Israel?

Of course not. Our Constitution authorizes our government only to defend
America -- not the rest of the world or any part of it.

But if America is determined to help Israel, the first step should be to
_stop arming Israel's enemies_. Your money has gone to the dictators of
Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Kuwait, Egypt, Jordan, and other
Arab countries. Shouldwe be surprised that some of that money was used to
buy military power to attack Israel? Should we be surprised that some of the
money is funding Yasser Arafat?

After making Israel's enemies so powerful, our leaders have the perfect
excuse to run to Israel's aid.

But this is nothing new. The same routine is used by our government at
home -- causing problems and then running to the rescue in education, health
care, charity, farming, business, and most other areas of society.
Government is good at one thing: it knows how to break your legs, hand you a
crutch, and say, "See, if it weren't for the government, you wouldn't be
able to walk."

    The Great Mediator

Now Colin Powell is supposed to negotiate a Middle-East peace -- in the
great tradition of Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, who brought peace to the
Middle East so many times.

Tell me something: If you and I had a business relationship and disagreed
about the meaning of our contract, would you want Colin Powell, Bill
Clinton, Jimmy Carter, or even George Bush to mediate the dispute?

I doubt it. We'd look for someone who's a professional mediator -- someone
with a record of helping people arrive at lasting settlements. Why would
anyone want George Bush or Colin Powell to mediate?

The answer is simple: Make an agreement dictated by the U.S. government and
you get a big hunk of money from the U.S. taxpayers. You don't have to abide
by the agreement; just pose for a photo-op with Colin Powell or George Bush
and the money is yours.

In most mediations, the parties involved pay the mediator. Only with
American foreign policy does the mediator pay the parties.

    Solution

The Middle Eastern crisis was born in turmoil at the end of World War II, as
the Great Powers imposed by force a "solution" that told people where they
should live. Such a situation is bound to remain a setting for violence and
hatred -- for resentments that will last hundreds of years. How could we
expect it to be otherwise?

And yet, there actually is a solution possible -- one that wouldallow
Israelis and Palestinians access to their holy sites, one that would end
disputes over territory, one that would permit all sides to live in peace
without fear of each other.

The answer is to create a new nation in the area now comprising Israel and
west Jordan. Name it anything you want.

But make sure that its government is Constitutionally limited to little more
than the defense of the nation. Allow people to buy any property that's for
sale. Allow people the freedom to worship in whatever way they want. Make
sure the holy sites are operated by churches, rather than government
agencies, so they're open to everyone.

In other words, make sure that no group can impose its way by force on any
other group. No one living in such a country would be deprived of anything
he's willing to earn, and no one would have anything to fear from others.

Is such a solution too idealistic? Well, it worked for nearly a century in
America. Too bad our ancestors discarded it. If they hadn't, it might be
more obvious to people in the Middle East that this is the solution they
need.

Unfortunately, there's no chance that anyone with any authority -- Israeli,
Palestinian, or American -- would agree to this solution. It takes all the
power away from the leaders.

And since our politicians have no regard for constitutional limits, we can't
expect them to suggest such a solution to others.

So we can expect the following headline on a newspaper in the year 2032:
"Middle East Violence Continues".


The URL on WorldNetDaily for this commentary is
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=27171 .


Harry Browne is Director of Public Policy
for the American Liberty Foundation
(www.AmericanLibertyFoundation.org).
You can read more of his articles at
www.HarryBrowne.org, and his books are
available at www.HBBooks.com .


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