The uninhibiteds' road map toU.S. success in the Middle East

We've learned that giving advices to the Americans is no good idea. However, under the influence of sufficient amounts of spirits, the tongues may loosen and the thoughts may lift from the maze of what's believed to be possible. Going through bundles of old papers, I found this note that was produced during a vodka drinking session with a dear friend of mine, celebrating her new, though temporary, job as an op/ed-editor at a provincial (conservative) news paper. We knew, and know, only too well that anything like this road map has no chances of approval at this juncture of history, and that it thus is futile and maybe even contraproductive to say these things loud.

How to pacify the Arabs and other Muslim threats
PM to the United States' National Security Advisor

1. Prioritize a solution that is obviously and visibly favorable for the Palestinians. And do this speedily! No single issue has been more damageing to the United States' security and standing.
   
   Take command over the Israelis for their own best. Convince their government that defusing the Arab threat is crucial not only for other countries, but also for Israel's prosperity. Launch a propaganda offensive targetting the Israeli electorate.


2. Give up the idea of a united Iraq. Accept that the U.S. invasion is resulting in Iraq's split. Strive for a solution that may be considered as as fair as possible by the populations of the three states that are the most likely outcome. Broke deals with Turkey, Iran and Syria to get them involved and as happy as possible with the result of this process, aiming at making them all give up the ambition to increase their influence in ex-Iraq (more than their neighbors).


3. Buy the Iranians, and at the same time future diplomatic leverage, by cooperating and supporting their energy program on for them favorable, or very favorable, terms. Forget about the nuclear threat. If it's not too late already, that might be fixed later, and in any case there are more pressing problems right now.
   
   France might belong to the countries that can contribute on this. Get the French on the train! Ask what they would need to participate with enthusiasm. Realize that the U.S. needs help and can't continue to humilate friendly democracies.


4. Reconstruction in Iraq is a moral imperative as well as important for America's standing in the world, and crucial to create stability in Iraq — but try to avoid the corruption. Offer gods that's not available in Iraq, not money. Such gods could be exemplified by telephone exchanges and broadcasting transmittors, water pipes, busses, etc, etc, and preferably such goods that is intended for comunal use rather than for individual homes or housholds.


5. Don't let anti-Western mullahs get monopoly on explaining The West for the Iraqis that so far have got a rather ugly impression of us! Fine-comb America and allied countries for Arabic-speakers and offer to send them to towns in Iraq to work as civilian supporters paid by the U.S. government on three-to-five years contracts supporting whatever they are educated to do. Offer grants for education in the United States. Set the goal of making Iraq a strongly pro-American bastion in less than two generations.


6. Offer assistance by military advisors. Do not discriminate against any of the groupings in Iraq, but view the assistance as a step on the road towards modern Liberty, not as a means to suppress opposition. Follow the example of de-Nazifying West-Germany. Concentrate on the spread of American values, though labled differently, of course!


7. Make the military personell as invisible as possible and re-base to Kuwait and Kurdistan; and send home those not needed to keep the bases. Make it obvious that forces can be quickly mobilized and sent in, if deemed necessary.


8. Find a way to become friends with the Syrians. Goal: Rule of Law, Human Rights, Education, Liberty of Speech. That might be harder and might require involvment of other countries. The neocons were right: A democratic development would be a good thing, only their militarism is an option that is passé.

If I today should make an addition, be it then that involving other countries seems even more imperative than last spring when the list above was scribbled down. What could be better for Iraq's peaceful integration into the modern world, than clearly time-limited schoolarships for thousands of 18-years old Iraqis of both sexes. It oughtn't be impossible to enthuse Israel and European democracies for such an investment — after all, who has the most to gain?

Of course, what is needed depends totally on what is strived for as goal for the process. And maybe this is were the real problem of understanding lies. I, and virtually all people I know, think that nations feeling oppressed and exploited is the root to the threat against us in the West. If one instead sees U.S. lack of control over territory with oil resources as the actual threat, then of course the analyze looks a lot different.