Dynamics of the Arab-Israeli Conflict - Essay Example

Dynamics of the Arab- Israeli Conflict Question The article by Waltz starts discussing the roots of war. As d inthe article, some people believe that wars occur naturally while others think that they are created. The article compares wars with disasters such as the earthquake that cannot be controlled. However, a few people think that wars cannot be controlled while others think that wars can be brought to the standstill. The article also reveals that most people, be it Russians or Americans, wish to have peace. The achievement of peace can only be met only by understanding the roots of war according to the article. For example, Waltz (9) explains that human behavior is among the top causes of war. The author noted that wars occur because of human stupidity and selfishness. Elimination of wars is simple only after knowing the causes. For example, the article identifies human behavior as among the primary causes of war. As a result of that, elimination of war can be done by dealing with the behavior of men. This can be done through education or having the right policies. The article presents one narrative of Beverly Nicholas, who pointed out that making Norman Angell as an educational dictator would eliminate all the wars. Based on this narrative, it is clear that wars are closely related to the behavior of a person that is determined by his or her knowledge. It is not easy to explain to some individuals that war is human related because some do not agree. As noted from the article, some individuals think that wars cannot be controlled because they occur naturally. Question 2 Zionist identity emerged as a result of various treatments of Jewish the land in which both Israel and Palestine claims. Zionism is viewed as an ideology that calls all the Jews to gather together in a single homeland. Arab aggression towards the Israelites is the cause of the formation of Zionist identity. According to Rogan and Shlaim (79), the Israelites had to confront the Arabs in 1948. Arabs thought that the Jews should be faced out from the map, and this led to Arab-Israel conflict in 1948. Jews emerged as the winners because of various reasons cited by the authors. The failure of Arabs during the Israel-Arab conflict is attributed to the division that existed between the coalitions of Arabs. Additionally, Arabs engaged the Israelites without considering the main aim of the war. The Authors also pointed out the failure by the Arabs to coordinate the military and diplomatic efforts as among the top contributors of their failure. Studies show that Palestine identity despite formation has achieved nothing. Palestine people are the only group in the Middle East that has no place to call home. Khalidi (8) reveal that Palestine is the only group who have fought and achieved nothing for many years. The groups have no space to show as their own. For example, the Palestine Authority in Gaza Strip and West Bank is not recognized based on the Israel and PLO accord formed between 1993 and 1995. Palestine identity evolved as a result of the formation of Zionism identity. However, not all scholars agree that Palestine identity was formed as a response to Zionism. Some believed that Palestine identity was formed after the creation of Palestine Liberation Organization. Question 3 The Zionist movement viewed the Arab population in Palestine as a threat to their security. The Zionist perspective called for the transfers of the Arab population in Palestine (the land currently occupied by Israelites) as the only remedy to the problem. The conflict between the Arab Palestinians and the Jews can be traced back to late 19th century. Despite the difference of their religions, the Palestinian Arabs, and the Jews conflict resulted from the fight over land but not their religious difference (Khalidi 9). Question 4 History reveals that Arabs failure during the Palestine War is attributed to Arab leadership. Based on the Arab myths, Israelites were not supposed to be in the land of Palestine, they were to be wiped out by the Arab states. However, the Arabs could not succeed in their attempt to wipe out Jews. History reveals several factors that caused the failure of Arabs in their attempt to remove Jews from the Palestine land. The Arabs leaders were less determine leaders. Some leaders could not agree with their ministers in the government. History reveals a case of Egyptian King Faruq, who decided to intervene in the Palestinian war despite the call by the prime minister and the army to forget the war. The King did not heed the army and the prime minister’s advice because of the influence of Arab world politics. It was, however, unfortunate for the Egyptian army to participate in the war that they had no intelligence on or sophisticated weapons. Poor preparation of the Egyptian government to engage in the Palestinian war resulted in major defeat by the Jews. Based on the myths held by the Arabs, it is true that their failure during the Palestinian war resulted from their ignorant leaders. The Egyptian leader King Faruq is among the leaders who decided to send the unprepared army to the battle. Question 5 Rashid Khalidi points out many people in the Middle East including the Jews have their states. However, the Palestinians have failed miserably to get their states despite various trials to get a space in their homeland. It was widely known in 19th century that the Palestinian land existed in the Middle East. However, because of the superiority of the Jews, the Palestinian land was taken away. The article states that “U unlike most of the other peoples of the Middle East,• the Palestinians have never achieved any form of national independence in their homeland” (Khalid 9). Palestinians have gone ahead to create their identity so as to foster their claim of Palestine land from the Jews. The Lebanese state granted Palestinians a chance to form a state within Lebanese State for a short time. However, the short period state did not satisfy the Palestinians because it was for a short period and also it was in a foreign land, not in previous known Palestine land occupied by Jews. The move by the Lebanese government to give Palestinians a state within a state was not comfortable accepted by the Lebanese people. The Lebanese claimed that Palestinians are blamed for conflict that broke out in Lebanon (Khalidi 9). In addition, Rashid claims that the Palestinians could not get a state even after the formation of Palestinian Authority in Gaza Strip and West Bank. Palestinians could not be granted sovereignty based on the accord by the Israel and the PLO. The inexistence of Palestinian state has denied them many social amenities such as education and others (Khalidi 10). Question 6 Mor (368) explains that Nasser had advised the Egyptian troops to stay in defensive position rather than engage in a pre-emptive attack against the Israelites. Based on the article, the join military from the Arab countries; Iraq, Syria, Jordan and Egypt were well prepared to strike the Israel forces. However, Nasser thought that the war between the Arabs and the Israelites could have been avoided. However, other Arabs leaders including Amer and Badran disagreed with Nasser’s decision insisting that the mobilized forces from Arab states should strike the Jews. Nasser claimed that Egyptian troops were not the ones to engage the Israelites troops. He mentioned this after British diplomats questioned him. Question 7 Deterrence fails because of many conditions that have to be met to stop the behavior carried out by another actor seen as unacceptable. For example, and the proscribed behavior still occurs, we can speak of a deterrence failure. For example, Kaufmann, 1954, Kaplan, 1958, Kissinger, 1960, Brodie, 1959 are among the scholars who argue that deterrence failure is possible. The fact is that various steps have to be followed by the body that has to deter the other party from engaging in a proscribed behavior. Sometimes it is possible to achieve all the necessary steps but the problem still occurs (Lebow and Stein 125). Works Cited Gerges, Fawaz A. Egypt and the 1948 War: internal conflict and regional ambition. The war for Palestine : rewriting the history of 1948. p. 150-175. Cambridge, MA. Cambridge Univ. Press. 2007. ISBN: 978052 1 87598 1. Electronic Khalidi, Ahmed S.. The War of Attrition. Journal of Palestine Studies. vol. 3. no. 1. p. 60-87. 1973. Electronic. Lebow, Richard Ned & Stein, Janice Gross. Beyond Deterrence. Coercion, Cooperation, and Ethics in International Relations. Lebow, Richard Ned. p. 121 -1 84. New York. Routledge. 2007. ISBN: 0472097245. Electronic Mor, Ben. Nassers Decision-Making in the 1967 Middle East Crisis: A Rational-Choice Explanation. Journal of Peace Research . vol. 28. no. 4. p. 359-375. 1991. Electronic Rogan Eugene L. and Shlaim Avi. Israel and the Arab coalition in 1948. The War for Palestine : Rewriting the History of 1948. ed. p. 79-103. Cambridge, MA. Cambridge University Press. 2007. ISBN: 9780521875981. Electronic Waltz, Kenneth N.. The Origins of War. American Defense Policy. Reochart, John F. and Sturm, Steven R. editors. p. 8-18. Baltimore. Johns Hopkins University Press. 1982. Call Number: UA23.A626 1982. ISBN: 0801827574. Electronic Read More