The Fate Of A Liberal?

Last night I mentioned to a friend that I questioned whether or not Israel would yet exist in two years and he wouldn't discuss it. Zip. That was the conversation. He did say: "They always fight over there," and his assumption seemed to be that things would continue in the same way forever and ever.

Now, it is possible that my pessimism about Israel is wrong, but not to even entertain the challenge of that pessimism I find extraordinary.

We both know, whatever might be the difference in analysis and observation, that Israel did not do as well against Hizbollah as we'd expected; we both know that Iran is becoming a new threat, and that the big threat new is the threat of the big bomb and that that threat is not insignificant; we both know that Iraq could fall apart, probably more because America might pull out than because of sectarian violence or because of failure of the Iraqis to continue to struggle to develop an effective government; we know that this land then would belong to Iran; we both know that the excitation towards jihad is increasing, that it's becoming particularly intense in what the Israelis call "the territories" but that it's also increasing world wide and is showing itself as particularly virulent in England but is developing as well throughout Europe. This causes complications. We both know these things, and to repeat, we both know that in this last struggle Israel dithered and fussed and was humiliated and lost, so how can my friend say: "They always fight" and expect things will continue just in the same way?

The reason is that he's a liberal, and he simply won't entertain the idea that life might become difficult. This I do think --and this is by observation, not analysis-- I do think that this is what defines liberals, an absolute lack of moral guts. And I wonder if Israel hasn't become liberal?

Note:

Just heard Yoni say that today in Israel there has been mutiny, a statement by a reserve outfit of refusal to serve. Hotdog! That's still not Olmert hanging from a post but it's better. "The post is close!" Perhaps I could make that a chant. Will have to check it out. Here's hoping!

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So far I've found this only on Yoni's blog, his Aug 22, 1:45 PM Post:

Reserve Soldiers Verse IDF

A petition written by soldiers of the 300th brigade of the Galilee division of reserve soldiers was submitted Monday to the brigade commander, Colonel Chen Livni. In the petition it was written: "At the completion of the fighting, a difficult sense of deprivation and lack of consideration on the part of our senior officers have accumulated among us. The source of these feelings is the disregard of our company commander who has yet to see it fit to talk with the soldier or to interview some of them in order to draw conclusions on the management of the fighting, equipping of the soldier, and their manner of release. Therefore, we are announcing that we don't intend to continue serving as reserve soldiers in the IDF and are requesting that we not be called up for active reserve duty."

The important thing here is not the particular gripe but the mutiny, the refusal to serve. It indicates social breakdown, which is exactly what happened in the prosecution of the war. Something like insanity was in control of the war effort. It's in response to this that these soldiers have taken this extraordinary step, even though they might not yet have the words to discribe their feelings. That will come. The idea that this was merely one action similar to so many that a government might take and that since the result was not good there must be an investigation along normal lines is to me the insanity. To putter along like normal is nuts. This was an extraordinary failure to govern in the way that would naturally be expected and so it should not be expected that the response to the government should be normal. I suppose it's hard to throw off the habits of orderly citizenship but this is a small country, it doesn't seem it should be impossible to have a little direct democracy.
(10:02 PM)