| | My own Mid-East Security* Plan*to call it a peace plan would be a lie. let's be honest, there will never be true peace anywhere. someone will always be upset with what they get. A year ago, NY Post op-ed columnist Ralph Peters proposed redrawing the borders of Middle Eastern countries along ethnic and religious lines as a solution to decades-long border disputes and as a way of ending the Iraq War. here's his map:
 Peters explained his map in the June 2006 edition of the Armed Forces Journal. Personally, I view his map as being vindictive against America's allies, including Pakistan, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia. Not only does he take away areas from them that are separatist, but he also awards the separatist peoples additional lands. - Peters gives the Kurds access to the Black Sea coat, where few Kurds live or have historical claims.
- Peters forces the Syrians, Iranians, and Saudis to give up their coastlines, forcing them into isolation.
- Peters also forces Israel to return the Golan Heights to Syria, and abandon the West Bank, which would be suicidal for Israel's security.
- He then further humiliates the Saudis by having Jordan and Yemen bite off some border areas from them.
- He even gives them a stinky acronyms: Saudi Homelands Independent Territories, and an Arab Shia State. What was he thinking!?
Such a proposal would make the losers vengeful and provoke a future war. This is what happened to Germany after the First World War. In contrast, here's my proposal, which hopefully is more realistic!
 - The Turks, Iranians, Syrians, and Saudis can keep their vital coastlines, provided that they become more democratic.
- Israel will keep its occupied territories, and get a piece of the sparsely-populated Sinai (which was part of ancient Israel, and forcefully evacuated in 1982) The Palestinians will either accept this or be absorbed as citizens of neighboring lands.
- Peters talks about giving justice to groups that have been demanding independence for decades, which is why my map also includes a free Tibet, and Abkhazia (which successfully won independence in 1994, but is not recognized by any country)
- Mount Ararat, a historic symbol for Armenia and Turkey will be split up, both countries will share the peak. the mountain itself should be demilitarized, and reserved as a peace symbol and nature preserve.
- The Afghan border with Pakistan also looks problematic, and may need a heavily-patrolled demilitarized zone to keep the peace. The Israeli-Syrian, Turkish-Kurdish, and Sunni-Shia Iraqi borders will also be heavily monitored.
In the end, however, a Balkan-type solution of having a state for every ethnic group is not perfect. There will always be a few Serbs living in Croatia, and a few Croats living in Serbia. There will be some people who have a mixed Turkish-Kurdish background. Tolerance for minorities and democracy must always be the solid foundation for any state.
Now where's my Nobel Prize?
|
| | Posted 10/18/2007 10:41 AM - 41 Views - 0 eProps - 0 comments
- recommend
  - recs0
- share
- email
 - sent0
|
