Jihad and Gaza

Among the more discouraging news from the Middle East is the fact that Hamas is now a force for moderation in Gaza:

"There is a central problem and that is Al Qaeda, and they are spreading," Mr. Taha said, after an emergency meeting of religious and political leaders in the camp last week to calm tensions. "The Islamic awakening has been going on for 25 years now. But this, now, is going to become a huge problem for us."

The distinction between what one might call old-style terrorism – linked to a political cause, against a state actor, for specific territorial or political objectives – is slowly ceding to a far more global, religious, and amorphous form of violence. Yes, the Iraq war has helped catalyze this:

Security officials and analysts say groups inspired by Al Qaeda have had a presence in the Palestinian camps in Lebanon for a decade, where they have thrived, taking advantage of the lawlessness and poor living conditions. In Lebanon, Palestinians are not allowed to own property and are limited in the kind of work they can do. They generally enjoy few rights.

Ain al Hilwe, too, became a jihadi hotbed about five years ago. More than 25 men from there alone have gone to Iraq to fight, Hamas and Fatah officials say, never to be seen again. And jihadis there say more are ready to go.

Iraq, however, is not the sole cause of this phenomenon. Where states are weak in the Arab Muslim world, where order is remote, Jihad will thrive. And its targets are far more likely to extend more globally to the West and Westerners and Western-oriented Muslims than the Palestinian terrorism of the past. This is the next wave. I see no way to stop it.

Another Vote

California’s legislature is set to vote again in favor of marriage equality. I thought Republicans favored legislative acts rather than judicial ones. I thought they were federalists. And yet the governator will veto again. If you think this system is rigged – the courts can’t do it, the legislature can’t do it – you have a point.

A Soldier on Cheney

A reader writes:

I will admit that at the time I joined the military, the Bush administration’s secrecy and apparent ruthlessness was quite intriguing and appealing. I thought they were bold upstarts, beholden to no one, and I admired that. America was going to kick ass from now on! I now have since revised my views on this, but the fact remains that our president sanctions and some forms of media glamorize these types of covert operations. It is likely that many cadets agree with the Vice President’s views on Geneva and the Constitution. There are a few reasons that I haven’t lost all hope yet, though it’s been close many a time, and I am treading water just like another one of your readers.

Sandra Day O’Connor and Gen. David Petraeus also came to speak to the Corps of Cadets during my second year at the military academy, and their messages were unmistakably in contrast with the administration’s current policies. Justice O’Connor spoke about the importance of the rule of law and adhering to the Geneva Conventions during combat; Gen. Petraeus spoke eloquently about the difficulty of this war and what would help win it (ethical conduct and persistence) and what wouldn’t (the opposite behavior). There are forces moving in the right direction, Andrew, and it is up to people like you and your readers to continue to support what is right and to question egregious behavior by those at the very top of this administration, and all the way down the chain of command.

The Army asks its members to internalize the maxim "choose the harder right over the easier wrong" and this is a case of exactly that, because it is far simpler to pretend we are above the law and to hedge around the Constitution than it is to patiently protect and defend that document, even when our leadership proclaims itself above it.

Know hope.