Glenn Greenwald: Tom Friedman offers a perfect definition of "terrorism"

[laststeamtrain]

Glenn Greenwald
Wednesday Jan. 14, 2009 05:26 EST
Tom Friedman offers a perfect definition of "terrorism"

Tom Friedman, one of the nation's leading propagandists for the Iraq War and a vigorous supporter of all of Israel's wars, has a column today in The New York Times explaining and praising the Israeli attack on Gaza. For the sake of robust and diverse debate (for which our Liberal Media is so well known), Friedman's column today appears alongside an Op-Ed from The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg, one of the nation's leading (and most deceitful) propagandists for the Iraq War and a vigorous supporter of all of Israel's wars, who explains that Hamas is incorrigibly hateful and radical and cannot be negotiated with. One can hardly imagine a more compelling exhibit demonstrating the complete lack of accountability in the "journalism" profession -- at least for those who are loyal establishment spokespeople who reflexively cheer on wars -- than a leading Op-Ed page presenting these two war advocates, of all people, as experts, of all things, on the joys and glories of the latest Middle East war.

In any event, Friedman's column today is uncharacteristically and refreshingly honest. He explains that the 2006 Israeli invasion and bombing of Lebanon was, contrary to conventional wisdom, a great success. To make this case, Friedman acknowledges that the deaths of innocent Lebanese civilians was not an unfortunate and undesirable by-product of that war, but rather, was a vital aspect of the Israeli strategy -- the centerpiece, actually, of teaching Lebanese civilians a lesson they would not soon forget:

"Israel’s counterstrategy was to use its Air Force to pummel Hezbollah and, while not directly targeting the Lebanese civilians with whom Hezbollah was intertwined, to inflict substantial property damage and collateral casualties on Lebanon at large. It was not pretty, but it was logical. Israel basically said that when dealing with a nonstate actor, Hezbollah, nested among civilians, the only long-term source of deterrence was to exact enough pain on the civilians — the families and employers of the militants — to restrain Hezbollah in the future.

"Israel’s military was not focused on the morning after the war in Lebanon — when Hezbollah declared victory and the Israeli press declared defeat. It was focused on the morning after the morning after, when all the real business happens in the Middle East. That’s when Lebanese civilians, in anguish, said to Hezbollah: “What were you thinking? Look what destruction you have visited on your own community! For what? For whom?”?

Friedman says that he is "unsure" whether the current Israeli attack on Gaza is similiarly designed to teach Palestinians the same lesson by inflicting "heavy pain" on civilians, but he hopes it is:

"In Gaza, I still can’t tell if Israel is trying to eradicate Hamas or trying to “educate” Hamas, by inflicting a heavy death toll on Hamas militants and heavy pain on the Gaza population. If it is out to destroy Hamas, casualties will be horrific and the aftermath could be Somalia-like chaos. If it is out to educate Hamas, Israel may have achieved its aims." ... http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/01/14/friedman/index.html

[Elidor]

1. Friedman still wants brown people to "suck on this"

Shameful that he's given a platform to say these things.

[tom_paine]

7. Bushies and Bush-like "NeoLiberals" are about the only ones given a platform in the American Empire.

Actual liberals and actual conservatives simply need not apply.

I think I understand now.

[Zodiak]

2. What a revolting human being

Killing civilians is not a strategy; it is a war crime.

[sinkingfeeling]

3. Well, at least Friedman has confirmed what I've believed for a long time. Israel and the USA are the

most powerful group of terrorists on the planet.

I only hope that someday Mr. Friedman and all of the hawks in the world will have the same inflicted on them.

[burythehatchet]

5. heh. I had not read your post and had the identical thought.

[sinkingfeeling]

6. Sane people with good minds, think alike!

[burythehatchet]

4. EXACTLY. Kill innocent people in order to advance a political position. This is terrorism.

The US and Israel are the world's most advanced terror organizations.

[endarkenment]

8. it is also a war crime under international law

other than that it is a fine idea as long as the civilians are brown enough

[KG]

9. friedman is scum.