Mostly it's not. I favour going to war against the Russians in Ukraine. If it was necessary to kill 20 times as many Palestinian civilians as Israeli and other civilians were killed on Oct 7 AND it would eliminate Hamas, then I'd have an open mind. Doing so without having any idea of what you're up to, is the height of stupidity. But let's rule it out because I calls for some political leadership — as I imagine it was called for in the example Friedman cited.
Still it worked for the US in Afghanistan and Iraq and made the world a lot safer even despite the innocent deaths, so perhaps you're right. We've hardly had any trouble since US vengeance fixed the world up twenty years ago.
The idea that Israel should do nothing and use October 7 as a way to isolate Hamas and Iran is laughable. Had they done nothing, it would send a signal that Hamas had won a victory against Israel and would create the incentive for more violence to be inflicted against Israeli and Jewish targets. There is a certain level of intellectualism that is so far removed from basic human behaviour that it becomes almost moronic. People respond to incentives. So by thinking that "doing nothing" is a clever ploy is just projecting your own desire *not* to make a moral judgement that sometimes war is the only advisable option.
Indeed
Sometimes war is the only advisable option
Mostly it's not. I favour going to war against the Russians in Ukraine. If it was necessary to kill 20 times as many Palestinian civilians as Israeli and other civilians were killed on Oct 7 AND it would eliminate Hamas, then I'd have an open mind. Doing so without having any idea of what you're up to, is the height of stupidity. But let's rule it out because I calls for some political leadership — as I imagine it was called for in the example Friedman cited.
Still it worked for the US in Afghanistan and Iraq and made the world a lot safer even despite the innocent deaths, so perhaps you're right. We've hardly had any trouble since US vengeance fixed the world up twenty years ago.
The idea that Israel should do nothing and use October 7 as a way to isolate Hamas and Iran is laughable. Had they done nothing, it would send a signal that Hamas had won a victory against Israel and would create the incentive for more violence to be inflicted against Israeli and Jewish targets. There is a certain level of intellectualism that is so far removed from basic human behaviour that it becomes almost moronic. People respond to incentives. So by thinking that "doing nothing" is a clever ploy is just projecting your own desire *not* to make a moral judgement that sometimes war is the only advisable option.
Re: The Klein <> Friedman podcast - Could you say what lines of Friedman's you found flip, and why you are not much of a fan of him generally?