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protesters but he has not laid aside his hatred of Israel and the West. Procuring nuclear weapons is clearly on his agenda and using them against Israel and the U.S. is not out of the question. Ahmadinejad,a Shi'ite Muslim sees his role as the leader that will usher in the 12th Imam who will bring world peace by slaughtering Islam's enemies. How do you reason with a man who believes he has a

revelation?

The protest demonstrations (as of this writing) occurring in Iran in opposition to Ahmadinejad's re-election could be a signal that the Iranians desire freedom from the oppressive demands of the Ayatollah and religious clerics who hold the reins of power. Women in particular are in the fray and are dying -literally dying- to voice their opposition. Video shows a young woman dying on the streets of Tehran from MEMRI.org

Israel and Palestine:

Over the past decade, Hamas has gained considerable political power in Palestine. President G.W. Bush refused to negotiate with Hamas because it is/was listed by our U.S. Congress as a terrorist organization. Obama sees no problem in negotiating with Hamas. (or Iran)

Hamas (backed by Arab nations) is in control of Gaza and is equally clear in it's desire to annihilate Israel. In it's original charter, members committed to the destruction of Israel. Israel is small, half the size of the San Bernardino county in California. Hamas lobs missiles into Israel with almost no protest from the rest of the world. The missiles are now more powerful and accurate and are said to come from Iran and China.

The conflict between Israel and the Palestinians has gone on since the UN creation of Israel. Obama is determined that he will do what other administrations have failed in doing by securing a peace with the creation of two states. In 1978, President Jimmy Carter brokered a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt. He believed it laid the framework for peace in the Middle East.

A demilitarized Palestine state is not likely because there is no incentive for Hamas to stop lobbing missiles at Israel. If Israel is destroyed by Hamas, will Muslims have any motivation to join hands in peace with the U.S.?

Afghanistan

In addition to the major world players, there are threats from al Qaeda and the Taleban. They have regrouped and gathered strength in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The U.S. War in Afghanistan is not a war on Muslims, but a war on extremists who happen to be Muslims. Of the estimated one billion Muslims in the world, about 15 percent are estimated to be extremists intent on Jihad or killing enemies of Islam.

Al Qaeda recently stated that they will commandeer and use Pakistan's nuclear weapons to attack the U.S. Most agree that's an extreme position. The statement came after Obama's Cairo speech.

Saudi Arabia and Egypt watch from the sidelines. Saudi wants to see a solution because the Middle East is becoming more unstable with the Palestinian conflict and the Iranian nuclear power plant and nuclear weaponry. Some have suggested that Saudi will ask or want to procure nuclear weaponry to balance the power in the region.

While Barack Obama was campaigning for president in 2008, he spoke from Jordan saying, "Israel is Israel's best friend." He inadvertently spoke the truth. Israel is Israel's best friend when "peace" is the subject between Muslims and the U.S.

Background information:

Who are Hamas?- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/mid dle_east/4654368.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_ depth/middle_east/2001/israel_ and_the_palestinians/profiles/ 1654510.stm

Who are Hezbollah? - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/mid dle_east/4314423.stm

Who are the Taleban? - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sou th_asia/1549285.stm

Learn more about this author, Mona Gallagher.
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