The U.S. Should Apologize to the Muslim World?

Every once in awhile someone writes a piece so clear and so persuasive, it is spontaneously shared far and wide and changes peoples' minds. Or at least loosens their self-righteous certainty, opening the way for new knowledge to leak in. Charles Krauthammer's article, Outreach, Yes. Apology, No. is just such a piece.

The article is about two comments Obama made, and how those comments reflect Obama's and many others' lack of knowledge about recent history. Obama's comments implied that the United States should apologize to the Muslim world for our disrespect of them. Here are a few excerpts from Krauthammer's piece:

In these most recent 20 years — the alleged winter of our disrespect of the Islamic world — America did not just respect Muslims, it bled for them. It engaged in five military campaigns, every one of which involved — and resulted in — the liberation of a Muslim people: Bosnia, Kosovo, Kuwait, Afghanistan and Iraq.

The two Balkan interventions — as well as the failed 1992-93 Somalia intervention to feed starving African Muslims (43 Americans were killed) — were humanitarian exercises of the highest order, there being no significant U.S. strategic interest at stake. In these 20 years, this nation has done more for suffering and oppressed Muslims than any nation, Muslim or non-Muslim, anywhere on Earth. Why are we apologizing?

Read the whole article (and please share it): Outreach, Yes. Apology, No.

Politicians Are The Weak Point

The following is from the Sultan Knish:

Let's get one thing straight, terrorism is not a successful military tactic, it's a successful political tactic.

Viewed from a purely military perspective, terrorist tactics may be devastating to a civilian population, but achieve next to nothing strategically. A suicide bomber detonating himself in a crowd accomplishes nothing except to spread terror.

Terrorism exploits not a military weakness, but a political one...so when terrorists are winning, don't blame the soldiers — blame the politicians.

...

At home and abroad, politicians when confronted with Islamic terror, choose halfhearted measures and appeasement, rather than confronting and dealing with the threat. The weak link in the chain remains the political link...

Read the whole article.