The Informationist

As if on Cue. . .

Edward Luttwak’s suggestion in this morning’s WSJ that we turn Lebanon back over to Syria’s Bashar Assad represents “realist” cynicism at its very worst. Realists view every crisis as a fire to be extinguished, a threat to a manageable if uncomfortable status quo. While this characterization is undoubtedly correct at times, most crises erupt for a reason. Restoration of the status quo leaves the underlying reasons unresolved—and invariably sets the stage for greater crises down the road.

Realism has long dominated American Middle East policy, to the detriment of everyone involved. It reached its peak in 1990/91, when we acceded to Syria’s occupation of Lebanon, restored an absolute monarchy whose first order of business was to create 300,000 Palestinian refugees from Kuwait, and let the Butcher of Baghdad continue butchering Iraqis as long as he refrained from using air power. We aided the brutalization of all of these people in the name of a simple goal—our successful restoration of the status quo ante. Then we wonder why we don’t have more Arab friends.

The status quo in the Middle East is not worth restoring. Since the Ottoman Empire fell almost ninety years ago, the Middle East has been a hellhole in slow, steady decline. Throughout that period, the American and Western response to virtually every crisis has been to hire an authoritarian to crush the radicals; Luttwak would have us repeat this same failed strategy one more time.

No one ever feels that they are being liberated while the bombs are falling. But today’s falling bombs, particularly if followed by concerted international action, will give the Lebanese a chance to choose. With Syria out and Hizbollah destroyed, the Lebanese will finally have the opportunity to reinvent their country as a peaceful, prosperous, multi-ethnic Mediterranean country. Of course, they may also choose to continue as an anarchic collection of squabbling tribes, cheap pawns for inter-Arab politics. In the final analysis, that choice must be theirs. What we owe them is support and guidance to help them make the right choice.

Luttwak’s proposal is immoral, obscene, and a proven failure. We have tried it time and again—and never been satisfied with the outcome. President Bush and Secretary Rice, to their great credit, understand that some crises present transformative opportunities. The current Middle East crisis appears to be one of them. It would be a crime of historic proportions were we to let the realists squelch yet another hope for the future of this troubled region.

Posted by Bruce Abramson from on 07/25 at 08:18 PM in American Government, Politics, and Domestic Policies, Foreign Affairs and the World beyond Our Borders