Soccer Moms in Baghdad

 "It is regrettable that U.S. policies in the Middle East have fueled extremism, terrorism and anti-U.S. sentiment," the Syrian Embassy in Washington said in a statement after foiling an attack on the U.S. embassy on Tuesday. "The U.S. should … start looking at the root causes of terrorism and broker a comprehensive peace in the Middle East."

 This poses an interesting question. How do we create a sustainable peace?

 1) The immediate crisis is in Sudan. The U.S. must lean on the U.N. and Sudan to allow the 30,000 member peacekeeping force to secure the area. That we have allowed this genocide to occur at the same time we have fought our war in Iraq is a disgrace. 

2) We must open dialogue with the educated Islamic community. At large, the Islamic community is comprised of moderates that do not support militant actions. If given the chance to voice their beliefs, we will find that we have more in common than we tend to believe. For instance, I think it reasonable that most Islamic Mother's love their children. That is a great place to start. 

3) We must step back and focus on where the modern conflict begins. That would be the Colonial movement of the renaissance era. The drastic turning point is the period of  decolonialism, following World War II and the formation of the U.N. Taking this a step further, the progression of Cold War politics leads directly into the current crisis of the Middle East. 

4) We must address the needs of the people. When you have some of the wealthiest people in the world living side by side with some of the most impoverished people in the world, there is a tendency towards violence. When a child has been displaced, and is living in a refuge camp, they want a way out. If that way is to join militant group, that is the decision that many will take.

 5) Efforts must be taken to provide fresh water resources, proper sanitation, medicine made available, the conservation of the soil maintained, or in many cases healed, and the people fed. Power must be provided, security maintained, the rights of woman and children secured, employment made readily available, at reasonable wages, and education provided.  

These are the steps that will lead to World Peace.

I would like to give thanks to the inspiration behind the proposed plan.

While incomplete, it is based on the principles taught to me by my Scoutmaster, a man who has devoted his life to Healing. To see how he has spent the years following retirement, please visit http://www.jesseb.com/hfpf/index.htm