HoosierDaddy wrote:You are not seeing nearly far enough ahead here. This would be a possible scenario.
Both Israel and Palestine vote on US statehood, and it passes by some miracle. Palestine agrees to it because it would promote economic growth, infrastructure, security, and a heck of a lot more than being at the butt end of Israel's occupation. The US promises religious freedom for all, under the constitution, and the US focuses on improving their standard of living.
Israel votes for it because they are getting close to being Hisballah's bitch. Their last "encounter" proved that conventional warfare tactics and weaponry has caught up with them. Would the US abandon Israel to their own devices if they vote against statehood? Is Israel prepared for dropping a nuke as a last resort? Being a US state is little different than it is now. since Israel has to get Washington's approval for any military action. Being a 51st state would totally guarantee Israel's security.
Now for the politics. Iran/Syria would be caught between a rock and a hard place. Would they attack this 51st state, knowing that they go against the US directly, and against the popular vote of Palestine? The US would hold out a hand for world peace, and assure that the region would be free, and religiously neutral. Bush has already stated that the Islamic God and the Christian God are the same. What would happen if the US and Iran eventually agree to formulate world peace?
Now for the economics. How much does the US (and the entire world) spend on the middle east crisis, the "war on terror", the "threat" of Iran, and foreign aid to Israel? This number can surely be calculated, and I would guess we are looking at tens to hundreds of billions from the US alone. What price tag do you put on world peace in the next 50 years?
The huge question here is could Israel and Palestine agree to a central government; i.e. statehood, or something similar. Statehood isn't the only answer. What other conditions could throw Israel and Palestine together, for once, to assure their mutual benefit and prosperity?
:smoke:
I dont quite know how they are managing to cram so much sunshine and and fairy powder into the weed in the midwest, but you really need to put the bong down. Nothing is worth the headache this would cause. Now, I thought you were saying that we should make Israel a state. Now I see that you are proposing that Israel and the Palestinian territories both should be made one? Really. OK. Lets admit into our stable union two factions that have been on the brink of war since 1947. Aside from guaranteeing Constitutional rights and protections to a nation that only the day before was run by terrorists, do you honestly think that once they join the union the Jews and the Palestinians are going to stop killing one another? That no Intifada would ever happen again? Seriously dude. Think it out before you open you mouth. This is even stupider than what I thought you were proposing. We really have some serious hurdles to get past before we can even think of normalizing relations with the Palestinians. Plus, not even Jordan would want a permenant American presence in the Middle East of the scope you have suggested.
Really, Im sorry for the personal attacks here. I tend to run off at the mouth pretty easily. Ask anyone here. I do it all the time. So please dont think that I am calling you stupid, because I dont know you well enough to say at all yet. But this really is the dumbest thing I have heard in a looooooong time. There are so many problem that I see with this that I just cant believe that you have thought about this at all in any way other than "gee, wouldnt it be peachy if......" Things like this:
Are laughably naive. Serioiusly, there are a number of really good foreign policy publications out there (Im talking periodicals here) that cover the viewpoint on both sides of the aisle. Why dont you go to a good bookstore in your area and read up a bit on this? I'd love to discuss this with someone, but...God's honest truth here, this is so silly that its not worth the time to consider.Being a 51st state would totally guarantee Israel's security.
Here is something to start with. Lets look at what you said here:
Here is why this is naive. Nobody gives a shit about Palestine, and, get this, they never really have. Palestine is used to whip up religious fervor and incite people to violence. [snicker]Once Palestine votes to become a state[/snicker], then the focus is taken off of them and put on the risk that having a US political entity in the region poses. Guess what happens then?Now for the politics. Iran/Syria would be caught between a rock and a hard place. Would they attack this 51st state, knowing that they go against the US directly, and against the popular vote of Palestine? The US would hold out a hand for world peace, and assure that the region would be free, and religiously neutral.
Do you think that Iran, with its huge army and a hair's bredth distance before they get nuclear bombs is going to back down? Hell no. All they need to do is finish building one bomb and the rest of the world will back them in the push for conventional warfare only. IOW, they build a bomb, and Russia, and possibly our European allies send messages that say, "consider using nukes here, and we go to war with you." Iran gets one bomb and puts Israel, India, Turkey, Afghanistan and a number of other strategic allies at risk for nuclear attack. We would never in our right minds engage in nuclear brinksmanship with them then. So they invade a US state with conventional weapons and maybe even take it from us? How on Earth do the risks of this situation justify a move like this? Literally, there would be no end to the threats. I could go on all day with scenarios like this.