A cartoon in the local Kuwaiti THE DAILY STAR newspaper this past week showed a man with his son. The son was waiving flags of Lebanon , Hezbollah, and a photo of a famous leader. The young man looked like he was ready to march in the streets. The boy says to his dad, "Long live Hezbollah! Down with the US !"
The father asks with some frustration, "Are you serious?"
The boy continues to spout short trite phrases, like: " Iran is the boss!"
The father is angry and horrified at his son's politics and shouts, "I'm going to beat you!"
"Long live the Persian Gulf !," the boy shouts back.
The father collars the boy and demands, "Tell me! Who taught you all this?"
The fearful and sweating boy wines, "OK, don't hit me. I'll tell you. WE LEARNED THIS IN SCHOOL."
Dropping the boy to the ground, the father says thoughtfully to the reader, "Well, I guess that's good war preparation. God help us."
Whereas, this political satire indicates how deep-rooted certain political, religious, and nationalist elements are in the biases of youth in certain Arab states, the real question I have for my fellow Americans back in the USA is: What kind of analysis have we been doing about our education systems?
The boy continues to spout short trite phrases, like: " Iran is the boss!"
The father is angry and horrified at his son's politics and shouts, "I'm going to beat you!"
The father collars the boy and demands, "Tell me! Who taught you all this?"
The fearful and sweating boy wines, "OK, don't hit me. I'll tell you. WE LEARNED THIS IN SCHOOL."
Dropping the boy to the ground, the father says thoughtfully to the reader, "Well, I guess that's good war preparation. God help us."
Whereas, this political satire indicates how deep-rooted certain political, religious, and nationalist elements are in the biases of youth in certain Arab states, the real question I have for my fellow Americans back in the USA is: What kind of analysis have we been doing about our education systems?
Are parents -- let alone their offspring -- able to see how a government or some political cabal (like the one that currently runs the White House) can control their thoughts and march them off to another war?
I wrote recently of how media in the Middle East are slowly making audiences used to the idea that a confrontation will loom between the USA and Iran . Is the same thing happening in the USA ? Is complacency settling in?
I also wrote of the increasing arms race in the Gulf state region and the fact that the American weapons corporations and power companies -- plus other nuclear power economies on the planet -- would love to make some money selling nuclear technology to the Gulf states in the coming years.
Now, in May 2007 Dick Cheney comes and stops in several Arab countries on his journey. Is he just trying to escape impeachment in the USA ?
I wrote recently of how media in the Middle East are slowly making audiences used to the idea that a confrontation will loom between the USA and Iran . Is the same thing happening in the USA ? Is complacency settling in?
I also wrote of the increasing arms race in the Gulf state region and the fact that the American weapons corporations and power companies -- plus other nuclear power economies on the planet -- would love to make some money selling nuclear technology to the Gulf states in the coming years.
Now, in May 2007 Dick Cheney comes and stops in several Arab countries on his journey. Is he just trying to escape impeachment in the USA ?
Sadly, I think not. What does such a trip mean for the future of the region and the world?
One Kuwaiti writer, Ayed Al-Mana, spells out our dread. "Cheney's recent visit to the region, which included Jordan , Egypt , Saudi Arabia and Iraq, reminds us of his shuttle visits as Secretary of Defense in the '90s just prior to the launching of rockets and cannons against Iraq , which put an end to Iraqi dreams of occupying Kuwait .... This current visit is more than just discussing the Iraqi affairs. In my opinion, it could be a cover to discuss a more serious issue, which is the Iranian nuclear program. Since Cheney is a hawk in the US administration with so much influence on American policies, then his recent maneuvers must have been aimed at containing the Iranian role in the regions."
As summer 2007 comes upon us, there will likely be no military confrontation between the USA and Iran . It is just too hot here temperature-wise!
One Kuwaiti writer, Ayed Al-Mana, spells out our dread. "Cheney's recent visit to the region, which included Jordan , Egypt , Saudi Arabia and Iraq, reminds us of his shuttle visits as Secretary of Defense in the '90s just prior to the launching of rockets and cannons against Iraq , which put an end to Iraqi dreams of occupying Kuwait .... This current visit is more than just discussing the Iraqi affairs. In my opinion, it could be a cover to discuss a more serious issue, which is the Iranian nuclear program. Since Cheney is a hawk in the US administration with so much influence on American policies, then his recent maneuvers must have been aimed at containing the Iranian role in the regions."
As summer 2007 comes upon us, there will likely be no military confrontation between the USA and Iran . It is just too hot here temperature-wise!
In order to take advantage of the summer heat, I encourage the Peace Movement in the USA to begin a push to demand a cool-down on this nuclear issue in Washington in the weeks leading up to earlier autumn 2007 and in winter 2007-2008.
Otherwise a pull-out in Iraq might lead to a heat-up in tension between the U.S. and Iran .
Kevin Stoda is a writer from Kansas who has traveled in or worked in nearly 100 countries on five continents over the past two and a half decades. Visit Stoda's home page at http://www.geocities.com/eslkevin/
Otherwise a pull-out in Iraq might lead to a heat-up in tension between the U.S. and Iran .
Kevin Stoda is a writer from Kansas who has traveled in or worked in nearly 100 countries on five continents over the past two and a half decades. Visit Stoda's home page at http://www.geocities.com/eslkevin/
