War drums continue to beat here in the States as the media, mostly on the right side of the aisle, continues to put hints into their audience’s heads that war with Iran is coming and an all out culture war against the Middle East is in the cards. Yesterday was an extremely bad day when it comes to U.S. foreign policy. We saw our embassies stormed, burned, and State officials killed. We saw reports that Egyptian and Iranian intelligence officials were meeting. We also saw a continuation of what appears to be an open feud between President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. All of these things are culminating into what I believe will become a massive culture war between the Middle East and the West.
To understand the culture war I am speaking about, you have to look no further than what is being blamed for the embassies being attacked in Egypt and Libya. A film, produced in the United States and backed by famed pastor Terry Jones, which depicts what most in the Middle East consider as blasphemous. Most people here in the West hear that their embassies were attacked because of this film and point out that this event shows that what is going on over there is starting to get out of hand and we need to step in to stop it. Westerners don’t understand how something they view as a freedom of speech issue could be construed in such a way that leads to violence.
The problem is people in the Middle East don’t understand why Westerners think it is ok to commit blasphemy against their religion. For them, freedom of speech takes a back burner when it comes to religion. That is a very distinct and important difference among our cultures that we have to acknowledge and accept. Unfortunately, there are too many that believe the”it’s my way or the highway” approach applies to foreign policy as well as domestic policy. To them it doesn’t matter if the majority of people in the Middle East want freedom of speech to come second after their religion. They would rather attempt to force their beliefs on those that disagree with them. Thus the impending culture war.
War drums have been beating on this subject for a while. They were mostly geared towards Iran, but with the Arab Spring changing the leadership among several countries, I am now under the belief that Iran will just be one piece of the puzzle when the culture war does begin. Even though I am calling it a culture war, don’t think that means it will be something else. This will lead to all out war in the Middle East with Israel caught in the middle. It will not be pretty. Many people will lose their lives and the final outcome as very uncertain. I wish there was a way to avoid it, but I can no longer see a way out. It is coming within this decade. Be prepared.
