8 killed in protest at UN office in Northern Afghanistan

theplaydrive said:

I'm troubled by your inability to recognize that the U.S. shares some responsibility not only in the harm it has caused in Afghanistan, but also in 9/11. The United States is not, as you frame it, an innocent power who is simply the victim of evil power. We have certainly had a role in creating our current circumstances.

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apdst said:

I'm even more troubled that you actually think that The United States is somehow responsible for 9/11.

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According to Friedman, the big challenge we face in the Arab and Islamic world is "the Narrative" -- his patronizing term for Muslim views about America's supposedly negative role in the region...

Our real problem isn't a fictitious Muslim "narrative" about America's role in the region; it is mostly the actual things we have been doing in recent years.To say that in no way justifies anti-American terrorism or absolves other societies of responsibility for their own mistakes or misdeeds.

But the self-righteousness on display in Friedman's op-ed isn't just simplistic; it is actively harmful. Why? Because whitewashing our own misconduct makes it harder for Americans to figure out why their country is so unpopular and makes us less likely to consider different (and more effective) approaches.

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theplaydrive said:

Not provoking a murderer - walking around and then murderer attacks you.
Provoking a murderer - doing something he tells you not to do and then he attacks you.

If you do the latter, good luck.

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grig said:

What if he will tell you not to defend your wife or not to be in the way while he is robbing your neighbor? Murderers often give a warning so that you have enough time to run away.

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theplaydrive said:

oh my god - you know what i mean relative to the topic of this thread - provoking murderers unnecessarily is stupid.

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grig said:

life is provocation.

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theplaydrive said:

Why they hate us (II): How many Muslims has the U.S. killed in the past 30 years? | Stephen M. Walt

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apdst said:

And, why did we kill them? Because they forced us to. That's why?

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theplaydrive said:

Right over your head.

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apdst said:

Argument of last resort?

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