Is Peace in The Middle East Foreseeable?

This is a topic that I came to care about not until recently - with no specific reason. Maybe the long and complex history of animosity between both nations have galvanized a sense of uneasiness within me - the cost of profound hatred, paid with the lives of millions, to defend and regain back identity as a human and nation, as promised by the Most High. 

Taking the risk of oversimplifying the complexity of this conflict, I highly doubt that both sides will ever coexist peacefully side by side in the disputed territories - Gaza & the West Bank. Although everybody know that a simple withdrawal from Israel back to its 1967 borders will solve the conflict, everybody know that it is unlikely to happen - if not impossible, at least for the last 60 years.

It's impossible because an inviolable divine mandate - traced back to 5,000 years ago - is the basic foundation for Israel to justify their invasion to the territories. Unfortunately, Palestinians will never submit to that condition as well. Hamas, whose goal is Islam sovereignty, will never stop using virulent attacks to force its agenda. Fatah, whose goal is a Palestinian state, will also never forget the pain and humiliation of Palestinians, banished from their own house. Fifteen years of peace initiatives also failed to neutralize - if not aggravated -  the conflict.

I'm neither proposing a second holocaust as a solution nor condemning diplomatic engagement as an approach, what I'm saying is the search for a two-state solution may not reach an end. It is an either-or problem, either Israelis or Palestinians settlement, and unless the diplomatic engagement stretch to that extent, hope is still our best virtue. A hope that, someday, no more rockets sounds are to be heard, no more terror on children, and no more blood need to be shed. A hope that, someday, peace is no more a hope but a true reality. 

The Power of Language

Pick the appropriate word and see the outcome shifts to your advantage, that's the power of language. In a video entitled 'The Persuader', one guy has taken the use of language to its greatest capacity. Frank Luntz, the man behind the terms: war on terror, climate change, and tax relief, shows how humans, most of the time, think not with their head but with their heart. And yes, men are included.  

It is frightening to see how easily people shifted their opposition to war at a simple modification of the term 'war in Iraq' to 'war on terror'. How people flock to support environment cause after the term 'global warming' was changed to 'climate change'. How the positive tone of 'tax relief' gained much wider support than the term 'tax cut'. 

This fact leads me to think if there were things that would have easily gone to the other direction had we mastered the art of language. Maybe if we had used the word 'baby execution' instead of 'abortion', this issue would not have been this heated. Maybe the word 'rescue plan' would have worked better than 'bail-out plan'. And maybe the US citizens would have been more favorable to immigrants had we used the word 'visitor' insted of 'alien'. 

Those examples are far from perfect but the point being is sometimes it only takes a simple cautiously well-thought word to shift people's perception. Now you know why 'organic food' and 'designer clothing' attract such crowd. It's not rocket-science. 

Obama's Promises, that We Believe In

Seriously, you wouldn't think that I would miss the privelege to write an entry about this historical political moment right? Although I'm in the middle of burying my head in this mountainous papers for tomorrow's 620 midterm, I cannot help not to define this defining moment. Thus, sit back and relax, this entry won't be long.

First, and I would not be redundant in proclaiming a message that everybody already know, Barack Obama is America's 44th president. So what? These are the things that you should expect to happen in his presidency.

Economy: middle class will taste more tax relief and big business will stare at disbelief when their taxes are raised significantly. Personal opinion: The economy is in dire need of attention and this is definitely the first thing that Obama will do on his first day. Why? Because everything greatly hinge on the economy and without appropriate budget, no matter how great your policy is, nothing can be carried out. Is it going to fly? Still a question mark for me. 

Energy: invest heavily in green renewable energy. His main focus is to end the U.S.'s dependency on foreign oil. Cap & Trade system is enforced; say Hi to the blue sky.

Health care: employers will have to cover their's employee health care. Obama's plan is to free Americans from high medical cost set by either government or insurance companies. It's all about expanding coverage. What I like from his health-care plan: Universal health care for children. It's about time.

Well, those are three issues that I hold most dearly. I am an Indonesian, correct, but this election is not merely about being Indonesian or Americans. It is about people and any effort by any country to make this world a better place deserves an attention. I always believe that developing societies like Indonesia is always one step behind developed societies; at least the changes that we hope will take place in America will serve as great lessons for Indonesia's government to value its people and to realize that changes are also on the horizon for Indonesia.

Boy, Hillary Rocked the Convention

Hillary Clinton's speech at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) was, I would say, impressive. After her dream of a lifetime was crushed and her bank account was left with mounting debt, standing up before the crowds and endorsing her greatest rival were definitely not on her list of favorite things to do. But, she did it anyway, and she did it magnificently. Her purpose was clear: uniting the almost divided party and reminding all her voters to be 'a single party with a single purpose'. My favorite verbatim "No way, No How, No McCain". 

But, what tickling me is how natural and easy it seems for Hillary to say "(I am) a proud supporter of Barack Obama", when only several months ago, she hurled an insult to Obama, also in verbatim, "Shame on You, Barack Obama". I can also still recall when she accused Obama of plagiarism, mocked him for his lack of experience and his empty message about change.

"Now I can stand up here and say: Let's just get everybody together, let's get unified, the sky will open, the light will come down, celestial choirs will be singing, and everyone will know we should do the right thing, and the world will be perfect." Click here for the video

I think it's the same old game that was being played here: politics. You do what you gotta do to get you in the game - even though you have to spit some sweet talks before your opponent's most hard-core supporters. Standing between two options: betraying your party which will cost you your political career, or swallowing your pride to support your rival which will gain you some momentum, Hillary needs to make a tough call. And, swallowing pride seemed like an easier task for Hillary, her message was powerful, poignant and convincing. 

Maybe what made it less difficult for her was the opportunity to twist her arguments and bring her credentials to the spotlight, and at the same time, to do what she was supposed to do, endorsing Obama (or at least, made it sounded like she really meant it). She did not speak much about Obama's qualifications, experiences or skills. Instead, she talked a lot about herself and the reasons she ran for President and, only after that, she mentioned Obama and encouraged the audience to vote for him because he carried the same vision as hers. As you examine her speech closer, you can see the pattern all over the place.

Well, what can we say? This is an indispensable pill that she needs to take, and I think she deserves credit for swallowing it. Several things for sure. First, she delivered an impressive speech, well, maybe with an ostensible determination. Second, she has successfully dented McCain's campaign, "(we) don’t need four more years of the last eight years". Third, she has definitely united the Democratic party. I bet after she left the podium, the party was fully ignited to pick up their shattered pieces and put them to the right place. And no one can do it better than Hillary Clinton. 

PS: I promise you, the next entry won't be about politics. 

McCain's Sincere Rhetoric

Fiuh, just done with eight youtube videos about Obama-McCain Faith Forum with Rick Warren. Had no intention to eat up the whole thing, but the pertaining questions about faith and value - not just the trivial I-know-it already questions - really hooked me up. And I decide to dedicate one entry for this forum just because it covers faith and sometimes, the response to such question reveals people's true nature.  

On the question about faith, both candidates answered it gracefully and tactfully; mentioning terms like 'died for my sins, saved by faith and forgiven' was a safe and sound answer which definitely brought them to the next round. It was on the couple of questions following that which made the distinctions and I want to bring the spotlight to McCain for a while. 

I personally think that he was much more comfortable with the questions, responding in a direct and straight answers. On the question about abortion and when a baby is entitled for human rights, he assertively said "at the moment of conception" while Obama made a lengthy yet well argued argument on his position as a pro-choice. On another critical issue about marriage, both agreed to the definition of "an union between men and women" but Obama refused to approve a constitutional bill defining the policy and McCain would let the states decide on that. On a question of whether evil exists and what we should do about it, McCain short answer was, to the audience's applause, "defeat it". (click here to see the event's highlight)

I am no expert in politics, but speaking as a teenager who was raised as a Christian and observing from the lens of an amateur, I feel that McCain knew what he was talking about. He knew and picked his stand, responding in a direct, one-sided, either-or answers. On the other hand, Obama was full of nuance. I got this impression that he was standing in the middle of this continuum and trying to appeal to both polars. 

So, who is more religious? I don't think it boils down into that question since most of the issues were not black and white. But, McCain's definitive answers, coupled with powerful stories, had successfully earned my favor. First, it showed who he is; he sticked to his belief and without even the slightest hesitation, shot his answers directly to the point. No compromising, no dilly-dallying and that was the 'Wow' feature over there.

Second, he presented himself on a personal level with the audience by sharing strong emotional stories to which the audience can relate. People always want to know your personal story and McCain had successfully embedded the 'pathos' flavor, built the common ground with the audience, and showed his long record of service and religious involvement. 

I also respect his humbleness in admitting his greatest moral mistake: his first marriage. You know, to run for a president and to admit such personal failure in a public requires some guts and some people might hiss at the idea. That's because we don't want others to see our weaknesses. In a world where strength is worshipped and every individual masters the art of disguise, a simple act of actually admitting your flaw deserves respect. 

To wrap up (finally), and this entry is getting much longer than I expected, I feel McCain had the upper hands on this forum. I don't necessarily have to agree with all his answers, so do Obama's, but leaving the quality of their answers behind and focusing on their style and rhetoric, I would say, this particular time, McCain's core values allow him to take off the political mask which too often veiled presidential candidate's true nature. His gestures and confidence prove my point, and it was crystal clear. (plus Obama might want to work on his fillers, he would have gotten 20 points taken off if this were BUSADM 499 class)