by Carla Sutherland

Created on: January 18, 2009

Military intelligence. Quite the oxymoron. It implies that there is a comprehensive thought process within military strategies, when in fact evidence has proven otherwise. For example, you'd think that with all of the advanced weaponry technology the military powerhouses of the world have, they'd be able to strike their targets with little or no collateral damage. Unfortunately this isn't the case. Trying to solve diplomatic problems through military force doesn't work either. And to each aggressive side, collateral damage is just a statistic, just a number. Though buildings can be rebuilt, lives cannot. And it is sad to see how dismissive the apparently ''right side" of the conflicts are when it comes to the deaths of innocent people. Media reports are governed, sometimes strictly, to portray and support the propaganda of the aggressor's side, when in fact journalism is supposed to be un-biased.

The most prominent media outlets, such as CNN, BBC, FoxNews and others portray current events and interviews with only one perspective. But the other side needs to be heard as well. I turn now to some words from Avi Shlaim when he was interviewed last week on DemocracyNow! in regards to the recent crackdown on the people of Gaza:

"AVI SHLAIM: In a long-term historical perspective, I would begin with the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. I wrote a book called The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World. It is a history of the Arab-Israeli conflict since 1948. It's a very long book, but I can summarize it for you in one sentence, that throughout its sixty years, Israel has been remarkably reluctant to engage in meaningful negotiations with its Arab opponents to resolve the dispute between them and only too ready to resort to military force in order to impose its will upon them. And the current vicious Israeli onslaught on the people of Gaza is the climax of this longstanding Israeli policy of shunning diplomacy and relying on brute military force.

Now, let me give you some figures, which I think are the most crucial figures in understanding this conflict. Before the ceasefire came into effect in July of 2008, the monthly number of rockets firedKassam rockets, homemade Kassam rockets, fired from the Gaza Strip on Israeli settlements and towns in southern Israel was 179. In the first four months of the ceasefire, the number dropped dramatically to three rockets a month, almost zero. I would like to repeat these figures for the benefit of your listeners. Pre-ceasefire,

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