JoeM
Imperator
Source
Excerpts:
On changing strategy
On Reactionary Islam
On the creation of conflict with the West
On bleeding-heart liberals
On the aims of Reactionary Islam
On the current situation, and pointing the finger at Syria and Iran:
I found the speech to be quite good myself, a little to much with slogans, but that's politics for you. Some criticism was that it was too wordy, but I prefer that to the 'Folksy' approach used by some that cannot address the complexity of these issues.
Excerpts:
On changing strategy
we must commit ourselves to a complete renaissance of our strategy to defeat those that threaten us. There is an arc of extremism now stretching across the Middle East and touching, with increasing definition, countries far outside that region. To defeat it will need an alliance of moderation, that paints a different future in which Muslim, Jew and Christian; Arab and Western; wealthy and developing nations can make progress in peace and harmony with each other.
On Reactionary Islam
In Chechnya, in India and Pakistan, in Algeria, in many other Muslim countries, atrocities were occurring...these acts of terrorism were not isolated incidents. They were part of a growing movement. A movement that believed Muslims had departed from their proper faith, were being taken over by Western culture, were being governed treacherously by Muslims complicit in this take-over, whereas the true way to recover not just the true faith, but Muslim confidence and self esteem, was to take on the West and all its works.
On the creation of conflict with the West
Its strategy in the late 1990s became clear. If they were merely fighting with Islam, they ran the risk that fellow Muslims - being as decent and fair-minded as anyone else - would choose to reject their fanaticism. A battle about Islam was just Muslim versus Muslim. They realised they had to create a completely different battle in Muslim minds: Muslim versus Western.
On bleeding-heart liberals
...it is almost incredible to me that so much of Western opinion appears to buy the idea that the emergence of this global terrorism is somehow our fault.
...It is also rubbish to suggest that it is the product of poverty. It is true it will use the cause of poverty. But its fanatics are hardly the champions of economic development.
On the aims of Reactionary Islam
Its purpose is explicitly to prevent those countries becoming democracies and not "Western style" democracies, any sort of democracy. It is to prevent Palestine living side by side with Israel
On the current situation, and pointing the finger at Syria and Iran:
Hizbollah gets their weapons from Iran. Iran are now also financing militant elements in Hamas. Iran's President has called for Israel to be "wiped off the map". And he's trying to acquire a nuclear weapon. Just to complete the picture, Israel's main neighbour along its eastern flank is Syria who support Hizbollah and house the hardline leaders of Hamas.
It's not exactly a situation conducive to a feeling of security is it?
I found the speech to be quite good myself, a little to much with slogans, but that's politics for you. Some criticism was that it was too wordy, but I prefer that to the 'Folksy' approach used by some that cannot address the complexity of these issues.