This week on CounterSpin: Some might say the recent attacks claimed by ISIS in Baghdad, in Istanbul and in Medina are proof that the US should invest more in the so-called “War on Terror.” What will it take to turn the conversation away from the idea of bombing our way to peace and safety? We’ll hear from Phyllis Bennis of the Institute for Policy Studies, author of Understanding ISIS and the New Global War on Terror.
Transcript: ‘You Cannot Use Military Force to Wipe Out Terrorism’
Also on the show: You may have heard that Whole Woman’s Health vs. Hellerstedt was the most important Supreme Court ruling on abortion since Roe v. Wade. But what exactly did the Court decide, and what could it mean for women around the country? Jessica Mason Pieklo, vice president for law and the courts at Rewire, will join us to talk about that.
Transcript: ‘Abortion Is a Fundamental Component of a Full Spectrum of Healthcare’
First as usual we’ll take a look back at the week’s press, including police killings, the Chilcot Report and Fareed Zakaria on “free trade.”
SOURCE LINKS:
- “From Paris to Istanbul, More ‘War on Terror’ Means More Terrorist Attacks,” by Phyllis Bennis (Foreign Policy in Focus, 6/29/16)
- “What Monday’s Supreme Court Decision Means in the Fight for Abortion Rights, by Jessica Mason Pieklo (Rewire, 6/27/16)
Phyllis Bennis couldn’t be more wrong. It is typical of people who lack good knowledge of history to come up with their easy solution. “just focus your billions of dollars on the problem and it will be solved.
The main factors for the terrorism that we see today are as follows:
1. Wahabism: a conservative view of Islam that is totally opposite of neo-liberal western movements
2. US strategy, following the Soviet collapse to change regimes in ME by force
3. Socio-economical conditions in ME
These are the forces shaping events in the ME. All the other theories are quick conclusions of some people who read 10 papers and suddenly had the epiphany that they became experts in an area.
So Phyllis suggestion of stop bombing and start spending billions in ME will only address factor #3, if that, since corruption will negate any such benefits. The only way to solve the terrorism issue is
1. Get the Saudis to round up the Wahabi’s and tell them to change the song
2. US to give up on the regime change initiative and world hegemony . (good luck with this one)
3. Create zones in the ME where conservative Suni Islam is practiced and allow folks who want to live under Sharia to move there. In exchange the regimes that control these areas have to commit not to export terrorism. These zones must be free of western interference
4. Encourage and finance democratic secular zones in ME where those who don’t want to live under Sharia can move to
5. (Bonus point) Mediate a fair process to separate the Sunnis from the Shea
Great episode! I will pass this on to 10 other people. Thanks FAIR!