Listen

There is a growing propensity for those on the Left to demonize Israel or the suggest in subtle ways that if Israel would just submit to Arab and Islamic demands (for its eventual extinction) all of the problems we currently encounter in the ME would magically disappear.

In many of my posts, I’ve discussed the Left’s penchant for reaction formation—a psychological “defense mechanism in which anxiety-producing or unacceptable emotions are replaced by their direct opposites.” (Wikipedia) In this case, Islamist ideology is “anxiety-producing” and those on the Left (possibly at an unconscious level) recognize that the hatred and irrationality espoused by Islamofascist leaders cannot be dealt with through calm negotiation – Islam’s position is non-negotiable. So, rather than dealing with that reality or (heaven forbid, criticizing Islam for allowing itself to be hijacked by a death cult), it's much easier to blame parties that will listen to reason and that can be influenced by rational argument. We need only suggest (indirectly and with nuance) that if we appease the Islamists, maybe their hatred will dissipate. A major step toward appeasement is to feed them Israel. Luckily, Israel has a say in all this and will not go quietly.

Hence, the left-leaning media’s on-going attempts to demonize everything Israeli, to soften the image of the terrorist thugs (Hamas and Hezbollah) and even characterize them as “oppressed.” This institutional reaction formation will make it easier to sell Israel down the river a bit later.

In case any reader here subscribes to the “Israel is at the crux of ME problems” argument, it might be worth pondering the words on one of the Islamists’ world leaders—Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of Iran, as reported by Matthias Küntzel:

In his first speech on the guiding principles of his politics, Ahmadinejad made this clear: "We are in the process of an historical war, . . . and this war has been going on for hundreds of years," he declared in October 2005. This is a war, then, that is not fundamentally about the Middle East conflict and will not end with the elimination of Israel. He continued: "We have to understand the depth of the disgrace of the enemy, until our holy hatred expands continuously and strikes like a wave." This "holy hatred" is boundless and unconditional. It will not be mitigated by any form of Jewish or non-Jewish conduct--other than subordination to sharia and the Koran.

In his letter to George W. Bush, the Iranian president described his objective: "Those with insight can already hear the sounds of the shattering and fall of the ideology and thoughts of the liberal democratic systems." The letter also tells how the liberal democracies will be shattered. Even here (if slightly diluted), the ideology of martyrdom--You love life, we love death--is propagated: "A bad ending belongs only to those who have chosen the life of this world. . . . A good land and eternal paradise belong to those servants who fear His majesty and do not follow their lascivious selves."

Of course the MSM, in its own institutional reaction formation, has tried to characterize Ahmadinejad as a buffoon, someone not to be taken seriously. After all, we hear about unrest in Iran and the fact that Iran’s religious leaders are distancing themselves from Ahmadinejad. No worries, the MSM implies, the guy is going down.

Really. Well, why not consider the words of someone higher in the Iranian leadership. Again from Küntzel:

Anyone inclined to dismiss the significance of such statements might want to consider the proclamation made by Mohammad Hassan Rahimian, representative of the Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who stands even higher in the Iranian hierarchy than Ahmadinejad. A few months ago, on November 16, 2006, Rahimian explained: "The Jew"—not the Zionist, note, but the Jew--"is the most obstinate enemy of the devout. And the main war will determine the destiny of mankind. . . . The reappearance of the Twelfth Imam will lead to a war between Israel and the Shia."

The, uh, twelveth Iman he’s referring to? According to the Iranian leadership’s brand of Islam, the Iman reappears when there’s a apocalypse (think: Iran’s future nuclear weapons).

Hmmm. An apocalyptic death cult with nukes. Not to worry, those on the Left (and a few on the Right) suggest that all we really need to do is negotiate with them. In the words (paraphrasing here) of John Edwards, Barack Obama, and Hillary – we need to talk with our enemies to see if we can find “mutual interests.”

We really don’t need to talk. All we really have to do is listen.