Letter to MOAA re: "Our Brilliant Bloody Future"

Your article, “Our Brilliant Bloody Future”, (Military Officer, January 2006) is an important contribution to rational political discussion. The author, Col. Ralph Peters, shares the viewpoint presented by Syrian-educated Dr. Wafa Sultan during her February 21, 2006 interview in Arabic on Al Jazeera TV: “The clash we are witnessing around the world is not a clash of religions or a clash of civilizations. It is a clash between to eras. It is a clash between a mentality that belongs to the Middle Ages and a mentality that belongs to the 21st century. It is a clash between the civilized and the primitive, between barbarity and rationality.” (As translated by the Islamic web site www.annaqed.com and as confirmed by a New York Times translation published on March 11, 2006.)

On the other hand, the response by Lt. Col. George C. Reoh (“Your Views”, Military Officer, March 2006) attributing the cause of Islamic hostility toward the United States to the existence of Israel (and to US support of Israel) is highly inaccurate and very misleading to your readers.

I was a participant in the US Military Assistance Program for Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. There, the US helped Saudi Arabia obtain the most modern airborne command and control system as well as extensive air-to-air and air-to-ground capabilities. Jordan was given first class, state-of-the-art armor and anti-armor capabilities. Egypt was given vastly improved anti-air, anti-armor and armor capabilities. These were far in excess of anything Egypt needed for defense purposes. The US subsidy to Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority was far greater than the total amounts for both civilian and military assistance that was given to Israel.

It is well documented that Osama bin Laden’s hatred for the United States and his attack(s) on the World Trade Center was caused by the US presence in Saudi Arabia during the first Gulf War. Bin Laden’s anti-Israel pronouncements are relatively recent. They are viewed by other Islamic extremists as his attempt to preempt their leadership. Currently, bin Laden is in a political struggle with Hamas where bin Laden is trying to establish a foothold in Gaza and the West Bank.

At the time Israel was created, the US State Department and most of the US foreign policy establishment was opposed. The US and England imposed an embargo on all military arms to Israel. In the meantime, the British-officered and British-led Jordanian military was given the arms that Britain had stored in Palestine. The Jordanians then proceeded to occupy the entire West Bank and part of Jerusalem. All of the Jewish residents (many of whose families had lived there for hundreds of years) were murdered, imprisoned or expelled. At that time there was no talk of “brutal occupation” or of the “return of displaced Jews”.

Further, Lt. Col. Reoh’s theory does not explain the murder of hundreds (and in some cases thousands) of Hindus in India, Chinese in Indonesia, Christians in Africa, etc., by Islamic extremists.